Host City 2019, the largest meeting of sports, business and cultural events, is delighted to welcome the European Broadcasting Union (EBU – the world’s leading alliance of public service media) and the European Stadium & Safety Management Association (ESSMA) as Strategic Partners.

In addition to joining Host City’s Strategic Partnership programme, the EBU is also supporting as Silver Sponsor and exhibitor.

Host City takes place in Glasgow on 26-27^th November, with 300 participants, 30 exhibitors and 50 speakers set to join.

Stefan Kürten, Executive Director Eurovision Sport said: “As the broadcast partner for many of the biggest sport events in Europe, the European Broadcasting Union delighted to be partnering with Host City.

“The conference offers a great and unique opportunity to share knowledge and exchange best practice with the wide range of industry experts involved in staging major events around the globe. In particular, we look forward to steering the debate on digital strategy, partnerships and technology in sport, through a focused workshop featuring experts across the sport broadcast spectrum.”

Stefan Kürten is speaking at Host City 2019 on 26^th November.

Also new to the Strategic Partnership Programme is the European Stadium & Safety Management Association (ESSMA).

Cyril de Greve, Managing Director of ESSMA said: “ESSMA is pleased to take part in Host City 2019 and join the conference as Strategic Partner, while co-producing a workshop. Our aim is to share knowledge, expertise and exchanging best practice with all delegates linked to the stadium industry.”

The Host City Strategic Partner Programme brings together the world’s leading associations representing stakeholders in major sports, business and cultural events. The EBU and ESSMA join the International Association of Event Hosts (IAEH), the Association of Global Event Suppliers (AGES) and the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) as Strategic Partners to support the development of Host City.

Strategic partners have opportunities to:

• co-produce the event agenda
• enlist new members
• increase access to the event for all stakeholders in major events
• consolidate the major event hosting community around this unique focal point
• run AGMs / other member meetings in venue space provided by Host City
• run a workshop

The EBU workshop on 27^th November will involve presentations followed by Q&A and discussion, on the themes of “How to build a better digital strategy through partnerships” and “Technology to reduce the footprint of major events”.

The EBU workshop will be chaired by a Eurovision Sport Representative, with invited speakers representing a member broadcaster, a city, a federation, Eurovision Services and technical partners.

Ben Avison, Editorial and Conference Director of Host City said: “The success of the Strategic Partnership programme is great news for the Host City community. We are delighted to welcome  the world leading organisations EBU and ESSMA to join IAEH, AGES and ESA in building this unique platform for all stakeholders in staging the world’s greatest events.

“We are particularly grateful to the EBU for their further support as Silver Sponsors.”

About Host City

Host City Conference & Exhibition brings together cities and sports, business and cultural events for two full days of unrivalled insight, networking, workshops and business on 26-27 November at the Technology & Innovation Centre in Glasgow.

This is where representatives of host destinations, federations and other rights holders, organisers, event suppliers and services from all over the world meet to discover opportunities and discuss the challenges of major event hosting. Participants are encouraged to use Host City as a platform to develop, workshop and announce new events, partnerships and formats.

www.hostcity.com

About the EBU

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is the world’s leading alliance of public service media (PSM). They have 116 member organizations in 56 countries and have an additional 34 Associates in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Americas. Their Members operate over 2,000 television, radio and online channels and services, and offer a wealth of content across other platforms. Together they reach an audience of more than one billion people around the world, broadcasting in more than 160 languages. The EBU operates Eurovision and Euroradio services.

www.ebu.ch

About ESSMA

ESSMA, the European Stadium & Safety Management Association, offers a platform to stadium professionals where they can share, learn and discuss topics related to ESSMA’s areas of expertise: Development & Construction, Operations & Ticketing, Sustainability & SMART, Safety & Security, Fan Experience & Hospitality and Pitch Management. ESSMA was founded in 1996 by former president Lionel Dreksler.

ESSMA is built around 3 pillars: Business Intelligence, Events and Strategic Support.

www.essma.eu

Fan zones are a very attractive and important feature of major sporting events. There are several reasons for this, including:

• unrestricted access;
• enjoying the atmosphere of the event with other fans, feeling like you are part of it;
• watching the action on a giant screen with great pictures;
• without having to pay for a ticket (often very expensive) for entry to the stadium.

But unrestricted access is a real problem in terms of security, since it is impossible to track who is inside the fan zone. In the event of a terrorist act committed inside, it would be a real nightmare finding victims and attackers.

Some fan zones hold more than 70,000 people. In these zones, the cost of proper security is almost unsustainable. Cities and towns that host these zones are unlikely to be assisted by the organisers, who demand many things but rarely finance them.

Let us remember that the attack in Atlanta 1996, with two deaths and a large number seriously injured, took place in a fan zone – even if it was not called that at the time.

People who attend fan zones are rarely rich people. But maintaining free and unhindered access to the fan villages is to continue running a particularly high risk, putting the life of fans in danger.

While there is no such thing as zero risk, it is possible to considerably reduce risk simply and without great expense by:

- making screening devices mandatory;

- controlling entry and exit with human security, as well as patrols inside the zone;

- charging a very low admission fee for entry badges with a credit card requiring registration on the internet, to show who is inside the zone.

Even though this will remove some of the spontaneity that makes these zones so attractive, it will significantly reduce the risk and allow fans and families to go to these joyful places that are so motivating for local authorities and their image. 

For the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018, the organisers decided that entry for spectators would be completely free of charge, but they required registration on the internet. Though this did not shorten queues at the stadium entrance, it enabled a good level of security to be achieved for an enormous crowd – and this is vital today.

The success of any major tournament, and the reputation of the host city, is intrinsically linked to the safety of the venues. The UK is rightly seen as a beacon of excellence in sports grounds safety but it is true to say that this excellence has come at a heavy price: tragedies such as Hillsborough highlight how poor our sporting infrastructure and levels of safety management were.

Watching live sport is a thrilling experience and cities that are hosting major tournaments will want to be assured that the safety of all people within a venue is taken seriously. In this article we outline a strategic approach to safety and provide some detail on forthcoming guidance that will enable host cities to manage safety challenges in today’s world.

Strategic issues

Host cities should ensure, early in the development process, that they adopt an integrated approach to safety, security and service. What does this mean? It means that safety, security and customer services are recognised as interdependent and cannot be treated in isolation. Safety and security must never come at the cost of customer service.

Host cities will know that security and safety are critical factors; the attacks at the Stade de France in Paris, in November 2015 showed that major sporting venues and infrastructure are a target for terrorist activity. Furthermore, the 2017 attack at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, in which twenty-two were killed, demonstrated that whilst there is often vigilance and attention given to crowds entering a venue, there is often less attention paid on exit.

But what does customer service mean? It means ensuring that the experience of the visitor is also a priority and that safety and security do not come at the cost of a poor experience. Communicating effectively with spectators, for example on search regimes, will assist host cities to avoid crowd agitation.

One of the reasons that the London 2012 Olympics were so successful off the field was the presence of the volunteer ‘Games makers’ who were there to signpost and guide spectators around the Olympic Park and venue: a great example of an integrated approach.

Practical advice

The principles of an integrated approach are firmly embedded within the newly released 6^th edition of the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds. The Guide is used across the world by architects, stadium owners, host cities and venue managers to help design and refurbish stadium and operate major events in line with international best practice.

The Guide reflects today’s challenges. As examples of what is new compared to the previous 5^th edition published in 2008, is guidance not only on evacuation in the event of an issue within the stadium, but also the principle of “exceptional egress” which may arise as a consequence of an external stimulus and may indeed involve internal movement or “invacuation” The full impact on the psychology of a large crowd in response to being held within a stadium is not yet known but we provide practical steps to take as this area continues to develop.

It also addresses the external factors that create interactions between the stadium, the spectators and the immediate environment, including local transport hubs (‘Zone Ex’). These external factors will be important for stadium owners and operators to consider as part of their overall event management strategy and integrated approach to safety.

In our work across the world advising on strategic safety challenges we often see stadiums that are built to a good standard, but deaths and serious injuries occur due to failings in safety management. It is hard to overestimate just what a positive impact a more strategic approach to safety management can have.

In summary, the safest venue is an empty venue, but nobody wants to see that. Adopting an integrated approach means not just recognising the skills and expertise from different parties in managing an event safely and being clear on the roles and responsibilities of each party, but in ensuring that each agency dovetails to provide a strategic approach to safety.

Further details on an integrated approach can be obtained via the Council of Europe. The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA), as the world’s leading authority on sports grounds safety, are standing members of the committee. We advise governments, host cities, tournament committees and venues on best practice in venue safety management.

[Source: ICSS] During a keynote speech on smart cities and the future of sport safety and security, Michael Hershman, Group CEO of the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) highlighted the vital role that predictive technology will play in securing future major sport events and encouraged more host cities and nations to integrate smart data systems within their safety and security planning.

Speaking during the INTERPOL World 2017 conference – which brought together some of the world’s top law enforcement, government bodies, academia and international security professionals from across the public and private security sector – the ICSS Group CEO acknowledged the growing and significant security challenges facing many major sport event hosts and gave several insights into emerging trends and technologies currently being developed that could help predict potential threats and safeguard host cities and nations in the future.

Michael Hershman, ICSS Group CEO, said: “The challenge of securing high-profile international sporting events has never been greater and the security threats now facing host cities and nations around the world are now hugely complex, sophisticated and organised.

“In order to combat and prevent growing threats like cybersecurity, terrorism and hooliganism, it is important that there is a step-change in future public and private security efforts and it is vital that we urgently look at how emerging smart technology can be proactively used to support and safeguard major sport events in the future.”

During his keynote speech, Hershman highlighted examples of how emerging artificial intelligence and predictive technology can help automate, accelerate and enhance the ability to predict potential security threats, as well as emphasising how smart data and analytics can be used to identify and forecast emerging trends and risks.

He said: “As part of the ICSS’s ongoing mission, we are committed to sharing our expertise to benefit sport and, alongside key partners and organisations around the world, are working to identify new and pioneering ways to help protect and safeguard sport.

“This is why, alongside several key partners, we are in the process of developing the ICSS ARMED™ Data-Fusion System (DFS) – a comprehensive security resilience and predictive analysis platform designed to collect, integrate and analyse data to help event organizers, emergency services and law enforcement agencies predict potential threats and deliver safe and secure major events.

“As we have seen recently, technology that is used in the right way can play a pivotal role in protecting and securing large-scale major sporting events. At the ICSS, we believe strongly that there is now a clear need to help strengthen the smart data and security capabilities of major events and law enforcement agencies, as well as proactively enhance their situational awareness in the high-demanding security situations.”

Hershman concluded: “At a time where technology is playing an increasingly significant role in the lives of many people around the world, it is vital that we use it as a force for good and to enhance technical capabilities of those who secure and safeguard major international sport events.”

For more information on the ICSS and if you are interested in exploring how the ICSS ARMED™ Data-Fusion System (DFS) can help secure your major event, please visit http://www.theicss.org or contact info@theicss.org

HOST CITY: Marsh is more than an insurer – the aim of your work is also to analyse risk and to evaluate risk. What sort of risks are you looking for?

Patrick Vajda: We are an insurance broker but we are also a risk manager, and for big sports events our speciality is in fact to analyse risk and propose solutions – not only to place insurance.

As an insurance broker we place insurance. We cannot avoid this, particularly because a lot of event “owners” such as the IOC, FIFA, UEFA and the majority of the international federations are obliged to ask for high levels of insurance included in the host city contract.

But we prefer for example to find solutions to prevent the risk happening, than to settle a claim and to cancel the event. This is the real philosophy we have in sports: to avoid risk and to decrease the global cost of the risk.

We have developed a unique risk management especially for mega events which we have implemented for several Olympic Games and World Cups. We also have expertise on the ground on more than 300 events.

HOST CITY: What is your view of the current level of instability in world cities today?

Patrick Vajda: The risks are always moving – it’s not a new story. Now they are moving faster because of the internet and the quality and speed of information. Some risks are totally new. When you spoke about the cyber risk five years ago it was more or less a joke; now it’s not a joke, it’s a serious matter. If you take drones for example: five years ago nobody knew anything about drones, now it’s a risk and a real one.

Therefore, on the one side we have some new risks and on the other side, old risks but with a higher level than 20 years ago. If you take the example of terrorism, the security budget of Salt Lake City has increased by almost 10 times as a result of September 11.

In the past you allocated U$30m or US$35m for security; now you need several hundred USD. This is completely crazy, but we need to expend those amounts – we have no other solution to be able to protect the public, the athletes and to protect the event.

HOST CITY: What is the aim of risk management in major events?

Patrick Vajda: When managing risk for sport events, you have three targets. We try to protect the life of human beings; to protect the finances of the organising committee, and to protect the time schedule. Terrorism is a risk that can impact on all three.

With regard to security, there is not only a question of security in the field. With modern means, one can easily detect upstream specific movements of someone who you would perhaps prefer not to see at the event. Security is not only a question of “heavy muscle” on site, but also carrying out studies long before the event and cooperating closely with the world’s different police forces.

We have fewer problems with counterfeit tickets or credentials and increasingly more problems with fan zones, because they are free. I heard recently that if you want to go to a fan zone, you go on the internet and get a free ticket by filling in your name, credit card number and so on. It is a very good protection and prevention system since you need to complete a form giving your personal information.

You register your data and it is therefore possible to know who is at the venue which is very important for security reasons. We can also check to see if somebody has a false or stolen credit card – it’s an interesting system. Though it does not provide 100 per cent protection, all the same it is a good system.

HOST CITY: Have you been working with fan zones for the 2016 European Football Championships?

Patrick Vajda: Yes, we have done several risk analyses for this particular area. It was clear that this is particularly dangerous and to protect it correctly, it will require heavy expenditure and a large security team.

HOST CITY: What if the worst case scenario happens and an event has to be moved or cancelled?

In terms of cancellation, it’s becoming an incredible problem for several reasons. The first is the pricing of the cancellation policy, which before September 11 was around 1.5 per cent of the sum insured. Just after September 11 it was 3 per cent without terrorism, and now is between 2.8 and 3.8 per cent with terrorism.

Imagine, if you have an event which costs 600 million, the price of the cancellation policy is the price of a small stadium. So perhaps you will hesitate to buy this policy; it’s very costly and does not cover 100 per cent of the risk. Nevertheless it is useful. Insurance is always expensive…..before the claim.

HOST CITY: So there is no legal obligation for organisers to buy a policy?

Patrick Vajda: In substance, no, except for FIFA and UEFA who ask for a compulsory cancellation policy.

Take the example of the Olympics. The price of the Olympics – what we call the internal budget, of US$2.6 billion – it’s impossible to find this on the insurance market. The total capacity worldwide is perhaps US$1.5bn– if you took all the insurance companies in the world, you couldn’t find more than this.

Even if you could find it, the price of the policy would be a little less than $100 million just to insure cancellation. So you wouldn’t spend US$100m to insure cancellation, it is incredibly costly. The fact that the capacity is extremely rare has a very high impact on the pricing of this policy.

Capacity is very low and is often taken by the owners of the event. Therefore the organiser is often faced with a predicament: buying insufficient cover at a very high cost. In other words cover that will not protect you 100 percent.

Knowing this, the question is whether to insure cancellation? The answer is not simple. And a risk analysis is compulsory before making any decision. For example do we need to insure the total cancellation of the event? Or do we need to insure just ticketing? Or just TV rights? As you can see the answer is not automatic and the risk analysis will give us the answer.

I personally feel it is much more useful to spend money on risk management, to find the best possible solution, to eliminate the risk and to decrease the global cost of the risk.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2016 issue of Host City. Patrick Vajda is speaking at Host City 2016 conference and exhibition in Glasgow on 21st November on the panel "How Cities Can Be Secure Hosts"

An overwhelming majority of IT professionals in US cities expect to be hit by cyber attacks that could pose a threat to public safety, according to the results of a survey announced on Thursday.

The survey assessed cyber security challenges associated with smart city technologies. Respondents included more than 200 IT professionals working for state and local governments.

Eighty-eight percent of respondents said “yes” when asked if a cyber attack targeting critical city infrastructure posed a threat to public safety

And seventy-eight percent of respondents said a cyber attack against smart city services was likely in 2016.

The survey was conducted by Dimensional Research on behalf of Tripwire, a leading global provider of security and compliance solutions for enterprises and industrial organizations.

The smart city sector is growing rapidly, with revenues from global smart city technology revenue predicted by Navigant Research to reach US$36.8 billion in 2016.

But cyber security experts are concerned that these technologies are being implemented faster than the technology required to safeguard them.

“While smart cities offer great efficiencies for their citizens, the same internet connectivity that enables these efficiencies can be used to deliver physical damage to infrastructure and also cause loss of life if accessed by malicious actors,” said Rekha Shenoy, vice president and general manager of industrial cyber security for Belden, Tripwire’s parent company.

IT solutions are deployed by smart cities to manage utilities such as electricity grids and wastewater treatment as well as transport, surveillance and more.

The survey also found that eighty-one per cent believe a cyber attack targeting critical city infrastructure could cause physical damage.

Eighty-three of the respondents said they are worried about cyber attacks that target smart city transportation initiatives.

And just three per cent believed there would be no cyber attacks against smart city services this year.

“As we use more and more technology to innovate around the management of cities and their infrastructure, we also create new attack surfaces that can be exploited,” said Tim Erlin, director of IT security and risk strategy for Tripwire.

“Protecting public infrastructure from cyber and physical attacks is a key consideration in the evolution of smart city technologies. We need to build smart cities with cyber security in mind, not add it as an afterthought.”

Over the last few years, the increase in costs to host major sport events has been astonishing. As a result, in the midst of a global economic downturn, many countries have shied away from bidding and hosting major sport events due to the huge investment and infrastructure needed to host a safe and successful event.

 
As the last 12 months have shown, the sports industry is facing a period where it isn’t just the bidding cities that need to do the convincing, but also the rights holders of those major events too. Major sports events are fast becoming a luxury that few can afford.

Take the Olympic Games as an example, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has already taken a lead to try and reduce the cost of bidding for and hosting the Games through its Agenda 2020 programme, with many other major continental and multi-sport events beginning to follow suit and thinking harder about how to reduce costs in order to attract bidding cities. 

What is apparent is that – in the face of constantly evolving threats and risks and growing security costs - many aspiring host cities and countries now simply cannot afford to host major sport events, particularly in the face of many social, economic and political challenges that face countries around the world today. 

Budgets have overrun on numerous occasions for major international sporting events with many of these costs being borne, more often than not, by the host city and the public purse.      

But what part does security play in the cost cutting debate and what can be done to reduce the costs when planning for security?

Many agree that security has a vital role to play in the success of any major sport event or venue, as well as the overall spectator experience, however over the last decade major event security costs have spiralled in the face of huge international uncertainty and other emerging security threats. This year alone, over R$400 million (approx. US$100 million) will be spent on public security by Rio de Janeiro in the lead up to next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. All of this, in the face of a huge economic downturn taking place in the country. 

As part of our work at the ICSS, our team of international experts have dedicated themselves to help develop a more cost effective approach to major event safety and security, as well as encouraging a more coordinated, international and long-term effort to enhance understanding about safety and security issues threatening sport.  
It is clear that the industry - both sport as a whole and the security sector - is at a turning point in the evolution of major sport events and that public and private bodies must be more creative in the way it cuts costs, without cutting corners. 

One approach the ICSS firmly believes in to help host cities in this area is to integrate security planning from the start to ensure that all aspects of security are covered – and in a timely manner.  

Based on years of international experience and research, the ICSS has developed cutting edge models to help secure host cities and countries achieve this and will hopefully serve as a master guide to major event security planning.
It is also critical to perform a thorough threat and risk assessment at an earlier stage of the event life cycle. Resulting from this, security planning and budgeting can be prepared and then  integrated into sport facility security design from the very beginning. 

As we have seen in the past, last-minute surprises and reactive approaches to a security issue have been costly for many host cities, with significant amounts on public money being spent on hiring private security firms or other public sector resources (e.g. police forces, military) being called upon at the last minute in order to fill a security gap. An example of this was London 2012, which exceeded its original security budget by roughly 105%!

By integrating security right from the beginning of the design phase for venues, organisers can make significant savings by identifying potential threats to the event and venues at an early stage in the process and thus preventing rework, delays, penalties and incorrect use of materials later on. 

It is also worth remembering that security at a major event is not just about the venue. It is also about creating a safe and secure environment in other public areas like fan zones and public viewing areas to ensure spectators have peace of mind and can fully experience a city or country by using local infrastructure to create that ‘special’ atmosphere that many organisers are looking for. 

Since athletes, fans and VIP’s have to move between locations, it is also crucial that route and transport security is also fully integrated into the overall design and operations of an event. This requires a significant level of security planning and communication, particularly with the material screening facilities required to screen all goods that enter a venue. 

Through our work here at the ICSS, we have noticed that not enough events at the moment think about how security design of their sport venues impacts on the wider security planning and user experience. By bringing on board the security consultant from the early stages, potential operational problems can be identified from the outset and avoid costly changes to the venue or awkward workarounds once the venue has been built.

Looking ahead, as major events and the industry continues to look at new ways to reduce costs, it is important that security plays its role too. At the ICSS, through our ongoing work helping to secure venues and major events, our experts are contributing and continuing to look for new, cost-effective ways to protect those who attend major events. 

Nevertheless, it is important though that sport does not lose sight of the many new threats in the world today and that we do all we can to ensure the highest levels of safety and security for fans, athletes and the many others that love and attend sport events. 

This can only be achieved by major events bringing on board the security consultant at an earlier stage and recognising the numerous benefits that  a thorough threat and risk assessment and an integrated approach to security can have on an event – both operationally and on the bottom line. 

Malcolm Tarbitt is speaking at Host City 2015

Security at the 2014 World Cup was high on the agenda at FIFA’s National Teams Workshop in Florianopolis on Thursday, with Brazilian officials announcing the deployment of 170,000 security professionals to ensure the safe hosting of the event.

The majority of these security personnel will come from the police and armed forces. Speaking at a FIFA press conference, Andrei Rodrigues, of the Brazilian Ministry of Justice’s special secretariat for security at major events (SESGE) said “150,000 public-security and armed-forces professionals will be involved, with SESGE investing BRL1.17b [USD 500m] and the Ministry of Defence some BRL708m [USD 300m].

“These are resources deployed solely for the purposes of providing security to the population on an everyday basis.”

In addition to this investment, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) announced that a further 20,000 workers from the private sector will be engaged in delivering event security. The LOC’s head of security Hilario Medeiros said “It is very clear that Brazil is ready in terms of its various organisations and private security, with some 20,000 men being trained in event security."

With the 2013 Confederations Cup having taken place amid scenes of serious civil unrest, the security secretariat is understandably worried about the potential for violence. Rodrigues said “We do have one major concern, which is not the fact that people might demonstrate, as they are just exercising their democratic right in doing so. Our concern is with any violence that occurs as part of those demonstrations.

“The Confederations Cup was an example of that. There was one day in June when there were more than one million people on the streets and we had more than 50,000 officers working. Even so, the competition schedule was not affected, the demonstrations did not impact on the delegations and there were no injuries caused by the actions of the officers.”

FIFA proud to be in Brazil
FIFA’s director of security Ralf Mutschke denied that last year’s protests were directed at the sports federation. “We saw some social unrest and vandalism at the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013, but that does not mean to say that we are going to reduce our presence, hide ourselves away or keep our symbols under cover.

“We do not feel, in fact, that we are the main target of the demonstrators. Obviously the protests had something to do with the Confederations Cup and the fact that Brazil and the whole world was watching the competition. We don’t feel that we are the targets, though. Far from it: we are proud to be here in Brazil.”