The following article was originally published by Wenger Corporation on its performing arts blog.

Over three weeks we’re examining security in performing arts centers from different angles: operations, planning and training. Last week we focused on the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas. This week we consider planning from the perspectives of a theatre consultant and a security expert.

“I think stadiums, arenas and other large concert or sporting venues are addressing security very well, in every manner they can,” explains Jack Hagler, ASTC, a partner in Schuler Shook’s Dallas office. Schuler Shook’s core practices are theatre planning and architectural lighting design.

Common security measures at stadiums and arenas include keeping vehicular traffic away from pedestrian areas, proactively searching for bombs or other weapons – either in vehicles or on people – and even employing metal detectors to screen audience members upon entry.

But why aren’t many PACs employing such measures? Hagler believes the paradigm is different. A popular music concert or sporting event in an arena typically attracts a younger audience; those events have an unfiltered, high-energy feel.

“Performing arts facilities attract a different crowd – even with popular music or a Broadway show,” explains Hagler. “We expect a more formal, refined type of audience.”

He believes it’s difficult for a PAC operator to insist their well-dressed patrons, perhaps fresh from pre-show fine dining, pass through metal detectors and have their belongings searched.

Looking ahead, Hagler expects to see increased security awareness in PAC planning. When contacted recently, Hagler said it’s the sixth design trend he would add, building on the five already cited in his interesting 2015 article.

Realizing Possibilities

“Many in the U.S. haven’t yet realized the possibility of terrorism impacting a performing arts center,” contends Hagler. For example, while patron bag searches are discussed, such policies vary widely, both by specific venue and type of entertainment.

He hopes the U.S. never witnesses large-scale attacks like happened in Paris and Moscow in 2015 and 2002, respectively. At the Bataclan theatre massacre in November 2015, 90 audience members at a heavy metal band concert were killed by terrorists.

In the Moscow incident 13 years earlier, Chechen rebels took more than 700 opera patrons hostage in the Dubrovka Theater for over two days, demanding Chechnya’s independence. By the time Russian special forces ended the siege, most of the rebels and 120 hostages had been killed, many by the effects of an unidentified narcotic gas pumped into the building to subdue the attackers.

While it’s impossible to eliminate all risks, proper planning in a PAC’s design stage can help mitigate these dangers.

Secret Playbook

“Performing arts centers being designed today must consider not only the guest-service experience, but how their facility’s design enhances safety and security,” explains Mark Herrera, IAVM Director of Education. A former S.W.A.T. leader and Department of Homeland Security advisor, he leads the association’s education and outreach efforts.

Just because the public is unaware of security plans and design features at PACs doesn’t necessarily mean those plans and features don’t exist. One important element is known as Crime Prevention through Environmental Design.

“We never want to give the threat our playbook,” notes Herrera. He advises architects and facility planners to design structures with crime prevention in mind and to create environments that positively impact human behavior.

One key design factor is natural access control points for patrons to enter and exit the facility, without it resembling a foreboding structure like Fort Knox. Herrera says that even buildings constructed 15 or 20 years ago can take retrofit steps through environmental design, such as adding decorative planters or benches that enhance aesthetics while also preventing a vehicle breach.

A second key design factor is natural surveillance opportunities for staff and security personnel, including outside law enforcement. This ensures that large crowds can be easily monitored by staff, yet the same crowd is safely inside a perimeter and shielded from potentially harmful surveillance or dangerous violence.

Proper Preparation

More than any specific architectural feature, Herrera believes security in performing arts centers starts with education. “We’re being very proactive with these facilities to ensure they receive the best training and information on mitigating risks,” he says.

Herrera has been asked if it’s possible to over-train on security, which might send a message that a facility has problems or issues that need attention. He strongly disagrees.

“When you train your personnel, you’re programming the subconscious part of the mind to make the unknown familiar – like storing information in a database, always available for recall,” explains Herrera.

When the mind is conditioned to notice unusual activity and given a plan of action, the proper response objective is carried out instinctively and without hesitation.

He also compares the repetition of training to shaking someone else’s hand. “You don’t have to aim or guide your hand, or even think about it – you just shake it like you’ve done thousands of times before,” Herrera adds. “Training needs to be like this, both instinctive and automatic.”

Herrera considers training like an “environmental inoculation” – analogous to a flu shot providing immunity to influenza. He concludes, “Training gives small doses of the ‘disease’ that helps strengthen immunity against various adverse conditions.”

The following article was originally published by Wenger Corporation on its performing arts blog.

Over the next three weeks, we’ll examine security in performing arts centers from three different angles: operations, planning and training. This week we’ll focus on safety procedures and practices at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas.

“Because we are such a soft target, we place a lot of day-to-day emphasis on security, says Russell Read, CFE, CMP. He’s Vice President of Operations with the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas, Texas, which includes the 2,300-seat Winspear Opera House, 600-seat Wyly Theatre, 2,000-seat amphitheater, two parking garages and a ten-acre park.

Read believes there is not much planning for security in performing arts center design today, even after 9/11 or the Paris Bataclan concert hall attack in 2015. “It’s up to the PAC operator to develop security measures,” Read explains, noting that his facility is very flexible. Security protocols are adjusted based on perceived risk, with each show carefully evaluated.

“We may change our plans if former President Bush and Laura Bush are attending the opera here,” he notes. “If we’re just doing a regular Broadway show, we may relax a little bit.

“Do I wish I was a stadium where everyone was patted down and only clear bags were allowed inside?” Read asks. “Yes, absolutely! The stadium guys have it easy.”

Weapons Rules

When the AT&T Center opened in 2009, Read recalls the state’s “open carry” laws allowed visitors to carry firearms. He remembers hosting a concert by “Weird Al” Yankovic where eight Star Wars stormtroopers showed up – toting real weapons!

While an open-carry building, Read had to tell his staff this hard truth: an active shooter scenario would be the only time he would advise them to run away from danger and not worry about their patrons.

“Law enforcement personnel in Texas, like many other states, are trained to shoot anybody with a weapon in an active shooter situation,” Read explains. “So a well-intentioned patron pulling his or her own weapon just becomes another target.”

Read’s facility, advised by legal counsel, later joined with other Texas public assembly facilities in objecting to the law; the attorney general ruled in their favor.

Assessing Risk

To help with early risk assessments for any event, Read values the insights of peers. He cites a well-known industry adage: There are only 15 people – we just keep changing jobs. “It’s more true than anybody really knows,” Read says. “If you’re running a PAC and you’re not in the network, shame on you, because we’re a family.”

Even managers at competing facilities share information about past shows and experiences. “I’m always open to anyone calling me about a show we’ve done,” declares Read. “I’ll always be there for them.”

Read says safety probably occupies 30 percent of his time, yet impacts his thought processes for everything he does, including donor relations. (Numerous private donors raised 95 percent of the facility’s $350 million cost.) He also works closely with the facility’s Director of Security.

Crowd Manager Training

Read says the NFPA [National Fire Protection Association] codifying a trained crowd manager program into its life safety rules has been a major security change he’s seen in the industry; Read’s a big supporter.

When his facility opened, all staff who touched the public were trained as crowd managers. That education program keeps evolving today, extending to other scenarios like fire, tornado or active shooter.

This training includes front-of-house briefings for every show: spending 2-5 minutes on some relevant topic, whether severe weather or what the local police are hearing.

Constant Updates

Large-scale training like CPR, is done quarterly and Read considers this part of customer service. “If one of our patrons is harmed in any way, that’s obviously terrible customer service,” he notes. Campus-wide, the staff numbers around 45 people plus 65 volunteers.

“We’re constantly updating our training, evaluating new and different threats,” explains Read. For example, this winter they incurred extra security cost for the annual holiday lights street festival. Police cars and dump trucks cordoned off any route where a vehicle could possibly harm the crowd. This was in response to the tragedy in Berlin, Germany, where a truck targeted pedestrians at a Christmas market.

“We’re doing our best to keep up with world events and the next potential threat,” Read notes. “That’s what’s changed the most for us over the last few years.

Never Relaxed

Being so attuned to safety, Read says it’s impossible for him to ever completely relax at any venue. “I cannot attend an event with my wife; I drive her absolutely insane,” he notes. “I’m always looking for the exits, assessing the security measures in place, looking at the suspicious package that’s just a leftover box of programs or looking at the man wearing the trench coat in 98-degree heat.”

He claims this happens everywhere, but especially at his own building. “My wife attends events here – but only with her friends!” Read concludes.

In preparation for the Shenyang New World EXPO soft opening on March 1, EXPO’s senior staff completed final training at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (HKCEC) in December.

EXPO General Manager Diane Chen is confident that the staff is prepared to meet the demand of EXPO’s initial customers.

“EXPO’s association with HKCEC as a sister venue and our direct access with its senior management team are enormous benefits to EXPO and Shenyang,” she said. “Three prestigious exhibitions will be held in March followed by three more in April. This specific training as well as the ongoing training EXPO received through HKCEC during the last many months help to ensure a greater level of professionalism when responding to our clients.”

The opening event on March 1-3 will be the DPS Sign & Expo China-Shenyang 2017; the 19th Northeast China International Dental Equipment & Affiliated Exhibition Symposium on Oral Health 2017 will be held March 16-19 followed by the 23rd Northeast China International Building and Decoration Exhibition on March 23-25.

April will be busy beginning with the 17th China (Shenyang) Auto Fair Expo on April 1-4, followed by the 5th China (Shenyang) Wedding Industry Exhibition 2017 on April 8 and 9 and the 19th Northeast China Public Security Exposition on April 20-22.

Cliff Wallace, CFE, chairman of EXPO’s professional and private management company, Shenyang New World EXPO (Management) Ltd., remains very optimistic about the regional exhibition market of Liaoning Province and its capital city Shenyang.

“The response by the exhibition organizers and interest in booking the venue is most encouraging,” Wallace said. “EXPO’s soft opening will continue through September after which bookings are shaping up to be better than expected once EXPO’s adjacent hotel and retail and leisure elements open this autumn. We are very encouraged that this venue will be a model for China’s second tier markets.”

Jane Kleinberger has enjoyed the almost four decades of experience and friendships that the public assembly venue industry has given her. That illustrious career has now given her the industry’s most decorated honor for Allied Members, that of the Joseph J. Anzivino Distinguished Allied Award that she will receive at this year’s VenueConnect in Nashville from August 7-10.

Kleinberger, founder of Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement and accomplished veteran in the ticketing industry will become the

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latest name to be added to an illustrious group in honor of her extraordinary contributions to the Association and the professional venue management industry it serves.

“The Anzivino Award reminds me that our shared commitment to excellence is really a partnership between Allied and Professional Members,” Kleinberger said. “We rely on one another to give our best, to build lasting friendships, and to innovate together. It is always an honor to be recognized by your peers, but an award like the Joseph J. Anzivino Award reminds me of the great service that all my predecessor award recipients have contributed, and encourages me to do even more.”

Kleinberger co-founded Paciolan in 1980 and has served in multiple capacities during her tenure, including CEO and chairman of the board. Her work today focuses on both client and industry relations, and she is a key member of the senior management team focused on strategic development.

Spectra’s Ticketing & Fan Engagement division is a leader in ticketing, fundraising, marketing, and analytics solutions with over 35 years of experience. Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement enables college athletic programs, arenas, professional sports, and performing arts clients to sell more than 120 million tickets per year.

“Our Allied Members are important partners with IAVM in all that we do, something that Jane Kleinberger has always taken to heart,” said Mark Mettes, CFE, IAVM chairman. “To honor Jane with this award is a true testament to her professionalism and passion. She is a pillar in our industry.”

“When I received the call from Mark, I was excited to call him back as I thought we were going to speak about chairman-to-chairman stuff (IAVM-to-INTIX),” Kleinberger said. “When he informed me that I was receiving the award, I was absolutely surprised and very humbled. There are so many wonderful Allieds Members who contribute so much … I could not be more honored. I was even more humbled and somewhat emotional when Mark informed me that so many industry greats had taken the time to write letters of support. I can’t believe they all took the time out of their crazy busy lives to share their encouragement. Very simply, I am honored, grateful, and humbled.”

Kleinberger credits the success in her career to an attitude of wanting to give back after so many helped her grow and learn.

“Like many of us, early in my career I accidentally found myself employed by the industry, and I never looked back,” she said. “It’s a life gift that I do not take for granted. After 37 years, I can clearly say that I am blessed. I have had the privilege to work alongside amazing co-workers, clients and colleagues who not only deliver excellence in their day jobs, but who also make an impact on our industry through association service. The gift keeps giving and I’m reminded of my need to continue giving back.”

By his own admission, John Siehl, CFE, is not one to often be left speechless. In fact, he calls it a rarity. But the cat got his tongue, so to speak, when a recent call arrived from IAVM Chairman Mark Mettes, CFE, to share the good news that Siehl would be receiving the industry’s most prestigious recognition in being named recipient of the Charles A. McElravy Award, to be given during VenueConnect in Nashville, August 7-10.

“When Mark called to tell me the news, well, you don’t catch me speechless too many times but I was at that moment,” Siehl said. “As I told Mark, I have been in this industry for 53 years now, having started as an usher in 1965, and this is an incredible recognition. I am honored to join ranks with the great group of individuals who have received this award.”

Thus Siehl, vice president and chief operating officer of VenuWorks, joins the list of professionals to receive an award initiated in 1963 that is granted for extraordinary contributions to the Association and the professional venue management industry it serves.

After that humble stint as an usher to begin his career at Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Siehl quickly moved into management and was named general manager in 1982. He joined the staff at the Ervin J. Nutter Center at Wright State University in 1990 and served there as general manager for more than 20 years. Siehl served IAVM as its president (now called chair) in 2010-11.

“It’s quite an honor and it has been an incredible life,” Siehl said. “I can’t say much more. It’s the industry that has helped me accomplish so much. I just love it and am humbled and proud to join the ranks of all the people that have been McElravy winners before me. I just really couldn’t be any happier right at the moment.”

“The passion and dedication that John Siehl has for our association and industry comes through in everything that he does,” Mettes said. “Whether it is his time as chair of IAVM, his work on the Academy for Venue Safety & Security (AVSS) or the many other ways he has served our association, this honor is well deserved.”

Based in Dayton, Siehl serves on many local boards including Ronald McDonald House Charities, The Aullwood Audubon Center, Greene County Foundation and Special Wish. He was two-time president of the Fairborn Chamber of Commerce and is past president of the local Convention and Visitors Bureau. Siehl is also a volunteer in Dayton as a bereavement counselor.

Siehl said he had not thought much in advance about the award but that once he was notified it was the “capper” to his career.

“It’s something you just don’t think about,” he said. “I can’t say I had given it much thought. Other people receive the award at VenueConnect and you think, oh, that’s really nice, and, boy, they really deserve it, but you just never really put yourself in that place. It’s just an absolute incredible honor. I literally was speechless.

“But I am absolutely thrilled to be able to be honored by an association that has literally been my life and industry that has given me so much. I just hope that I have given back to them.”