It’s Safer in Vegas! Theories on Event Safety

by John Robert Taylor

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

I believe that events are safer in Las Vegas
Photo by John Robert Taylor

Autumn is almost perfect in Las Vegas. The only thing missing is the presence of falling leaves. One of the many great aspects of a Sin City autumn’s near perfection is the barrage of festivals and carnivals. I have a theory that events are less dangerous when hosted in Las Vegas compared to other places due to the following reasons:

1. Companies and corporations host events more frequently and therefore know more via trial and error.
2. Since Las Vegas is essentially a much younger new town, than some of the older established cities in the USA, the event venues here were built on a larger scale than were possible in older cities.
3. Attendees sometimes have to spend time and money to travel to events, which leads to the presence of attendees that are more serious and less troublemakers.

All of that being said, nothing is ever completely safe so here’s a few considerations to implement at the next event you attend.

Consider who’s at your event. You have to consider whom or what might cause trouble at an event you plan to attend. This helps greatly because you will avoid these types when you arrive. At events in Las Vegas, these groups are usually small in size compared to rest of the attendees, which makes them easy to avoid. They contribute to almost all of the problems. Here is a short list of troublemakers and the events with which they like to grace with their presence:

a) Marijuana users (the smell could bother your kids) – Reggae events and concerts
b) Militia groups, Supremacists, and Aryan Brotherhood members – Gun Shows
c) Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs – Motorcycle runs and Bike Fests
d) California- based street gangs – Low-rider Car Shows

Sometimes you never know
Photo by John Robert Taylor

Also, consider attendees that wouldn’t be as obvious. Five years and thirty pounds ago I was a big fan of fitness athletes. I had the chance to meet a bodybuilder named Craig Titus and his wife, a champion fitness competitor named Kelly Ryan at a fitness expo in Columbus, Ohio. My interaction with them was brief and they seemed very “down to earth” and friendly. I got weightlifting tips from Craig and Kelly signed my magazine, which had her portrait on the cover. It never crossed my mind that either of them would be capable of murder. Their ultimate arrests and convictions were quite surprising. If you are networking with someone, make sure that you remain in public with him or her even if you separate from the event crowd. The bottom line is you never truly know the other attendees even when they are someone you’re in awe of.

If possible, consider venues with a fluid security staff. This may seem overboard, yet it makes a huge difference in event safety. After visiting a venue once or twice, it’s relatively easy to tell if the security staff is “fluid.” Here’s what I mean. I mentioned a car show earlier. In another state, extreme violence at that event made it necessary to post sharp-shooters from the local law enforcement agency’s SWAT team on rooftops. Once the event moved here to Vegas, the amount of attendees, actually interested in the cars, increased, the amount of troublemakers decreased, and such a show of authority was never necessary. Pricing and searches for weapons had a lot to do with this. The largest contributor to the increase in safety however was the overall fluid nature the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) security staff.

Thousands enjoy this annual car show
Photo by John Robert Taylor

I recently attended two events, the above mentioned low-rider car show at Cashman Field and the Italian Festival at the M Resort. I noticed similarities in the methods of security staffs at the events. They had staff members stationed in key areas in addition to security staff that roamed the event crowds. This is what I mean by, “fluid.” Some event planners fail to assign roving security patrols. This is very important because an attendee that needs help will find it easy to locate a stationed security guard yet troublemakers will find it difficult to avoid the ones that are roving around.

Consider taking extra caution with children. At the Las Vegas New Years Eve celebration last year, I had the unpleasant experience of seeing a large intoxicated male fall onto a stroller crushing it. I still can’t figure out how the toddler inside didn’t have a single scratch. Circumstances should dictate stroller use at events. At food festivals for example, a stroller can be used to keep children out of danger areas and shade them from the sun. In a crowd however, they might be hazardous because they’re difficult to manage, people can trip over them, and its difficult to pick up the child and avoid problematic situations.

Children experience what I would like to call a heightened state of distraction at festivals and carnivals. This increases their likelihood of running off without you. Hot stoves from vendors, the twisting mechanical parts of rides, and potential predators all present significant dangers. Making sure they understand ahead of time that they are not allowed anywhere without you or your permission is a good idea. Of course, this will have to be reinforced by keeping a closer eye on them upon arrival to the event.

The fall brings many great things to Las Vegas including an increase of festivals, carnivals, and conventions. While these events may have been made safer by some of the worlds most experienced event planners, nothing is ever completely safe. I hope that the above considerations will increase your personal safety at future events.

COMING NEXT WEEK:

Ghosts, goblins, and personal safety: Making Holloween night as safe as possible.

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