Event Security

I have been a security consultant for many years and it still amazes me how many clients go about their hiring decision of a security company for their event. Most of the time it will be a carefully planned event and the client has spent a lot of money of effort to make it a success. It might be a wedding, a birthday party or a high level conference. Nevertheless, the first and most of the time only question the person hiring security will be concerned about is pricing. I understand that the economy is at a downturn and many people and companies have to save money, but it does not make any sense to spend thousands of dollars on an event and try to save a couple hundred dollars on the security of that event. The misconception is that security companies provide fairly generic services. While that is true in theory, in practice the skill level of security officers, supervisors and management in security companies especially, in the Greater Los Angeles area are highly diverse. If clients are unlucky they will end up with security officers that are unprofessional and not up to the task or management that will not really care about a onetime client. Lack of good security or lack of quality security might ruin an otherwise flawlessly planned event. Therefore clients hiring security services for their event should put the same care into hiring security as they would put into any other important element of the event. They should ask many important questions like how the guards are trained that are going to provide security at the event and what type of experience do they possess. Who will be my contact person to plan the security of the event and who should I contact in case of emergency or if something goes wrong during the event? In case the security service should be more complex the client should insist on a security plan and a personal meeting with a security consultant. I have gotten calls from clients whose security provider failed to show up for no apparent reason and without giving notice. Most event halls or fire marshals require security to be present and would not allow the event to continue without proper security. Clients should protect themselves by obtaining a written contract and by checking references of the security company. A good company will provide you with a security plan and phone numbers of people to call in case of emergency.  A good security company should reassure you that they will send competent, professional people that are up to the task. A security consultant should ask you many detailed questions about your expectations and send you the right people to fulfill the expectations. Beware of a company that will simply negotiate the price with you and send you security guards, because these people will not be well prepared to provide security services. On the other hand the client should be patiently answering questions, because the provided information and the due diligence by the security company will help make the event a success.