The 5th Annual Lights All Night Festival just packed 40,000 citizens of EDM nation into the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. Al Rojas, assistant director at the convention center, invited IAVM’s magazine team to attend the 2013 festival where we saw first-hand the attention placed on the safety and security of everyone involved in the event. Last year, Rojas commented that knowing a festival’s history is key to being a prepared host:
“The event staff looks at previous show reports and interviews with venue staff. The 2012 event was held at Dallas Fair Park and Daniel Huerta (IAVM member) and his staff were very helpful in the planning process. They also interview the event’s promoters to determine estimated attendance, arrival pattern of attendees, and the flow of attendees in the event. In addition, meetings with Dallas Police, Dallas Fire & Rescue, and event security were conducted.” (From the IAVM blog on 12/23/2013)
Knowing the unique dynamics of an event like an EDM festival is essential and results in a few customized procedures. Ingress at Lights All Night seeks to ensure that every attendee is screened consistently, and includes a few unique items that cannot be brought inside the venue. The Dallas Morning News recently shared the following list of banned items from the 2014 event:
- Pacifiers
- Vapor rub
- Large chains
- Massagers
- Spiked jewelry
- Kandi masks
- Dust masks
- Totems “of any kind”
- Stickers
- Stuffed animals
- E-cigarettes
- Open packs of cigarettes
- Open packs of gum
- Unsealed cosmetics, chapstick, and eye drops
- Over the counter meds
- Perfume
- Marker pens
- Spray paint
Read more about the 2014 Lights All Night festival.
