A Trained Crowd Manager (TCM) Live session was held this year the day after VenueConnect in Baltimore concluded. There were several participants, including Jason Poppe—director of events and operations for Georgetown Athletics and McDonough Arena in Washington, D.C.—whom we spoke with about his experience.
Please explain the value TCM would bring to our industry and how the knowledge received from this training would be applicable to your job.
Jason Poppe: As the director of events for 29 intercollegiate athletics sports in a major metropolitan area, I am constantly concerned about the safety and security of not only the student athletes and university I represent, but those that are visiting for perhaps the first time, or for regulars who are here at every event. The TCM program allows me to provide the confidence to my staff and superiors that in the instance something were to happen where there is an emergency, there are individuals such as myself, police, our Department of Emergency Management on Campus that would be able to see all involved through safely as best as we possibly can with a plan and purpose.
What percentage of your total work times requires the knowledge and skills presented in this training (zero percent to 100 percent)? Also, what do you feel the deliverables obtained were during the TCM Training in Baltimore and your recommendation for those that have not attended TCM?
JP: I would say as the primary individual in charge of event planning in my current role, that approximately 20 percent of my total work is devoted to ensuring safety and proper planning. There are dedicated individuals on campus who focus much more on the prevention of emergencies alongside our facilities staff and other university personnel, but having been through the training and being a Trained Crowd Manager, certainly puts me in many of the conversations with these groups when they’re looking for information. As far as deliverables go, I can go back to my supervisor and director of athletics and let them know that in any situation they will have someone on staff who is trained to manage several emergency situations, even if it is in a management role directing the various emergency groups we have at events. At this time, I believe I am the only individual at my institution with this certification. I have been a Emergency Response Team member for about six months now here on campus, and working with that group, I plan on introducing them to the TCM program and IAVM as a whole for the fantastic educational offerings.
I personally feel more confident as a manager that if there were ever an issue that needed to be handled as an emergency situation, I would be more able to manage those situations because of this training.
