Ray Whitworth, VP Operations & Security for Major League Soccer, talks safety and security with Dr. Lou Marciani of the National Center for Spectator Sports, Safety and Security. (VT Photo)
REPORTING FROM RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. — The 40th annual Stadium Managers Association Seminar prepared its attendees for nearly anything. The event brought 370 attendees to the Omni Rancho Las Palmas, Feb. 2-6, up from 350 last year in Miami. Also, the conference counted an additional 10 sponsors this year.
The overarching theme of this year’s seminar was preparedness. From the inevitable crisis to your PR strategy, stadium managers and everyone in their facilities — down to the front line staff — need to have plans in place and rehearsed.
The frequency of active shooters has grown dramatically within the last few years, with 2000-2008 seeing an average of five per year, and 2009-present counting more than 15 active shooter events annually. Casualty rates have more than doubled.
“It’s not a matter of if it’s going to happen in one of your buildings, it’s a matter of when,” cautioned James Yacone, assistant director, Critical Response Group, Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Facility managers are taking different approaches when it comes to preparedness for an emergency situation. Security Specialist Jonathan Richeson, from Office of Infrastructure Protection at the Department of Homeland Security, said that DHS has sector specific tabletop exercises for bomb threats and other incidents that they can bring to stadiums around the country. The Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Rays have participated in tabletop exercises.
Some are looking toward the SAFETY Act (Support Antiterrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act) which promotes antiterrorism techniques. The National Football League went so far as get its best practices SAFETY Act certified from DHS in December 2008.
“The NFL got their best practices SAFETY Act certified and we’re looking into it,” said Dan Mullin, Sr. VP for Major League Baseball. “It’s a collaborative process because each ballpark is different.”
Major League Baseball’s Yankee Stadium in New York received designation from the SAFETY Act in 2012.
Richeson said that it’s important to have a solid plan in place in case of an emergency because “you don’t want to write the script as it’s going on.”
When it comes to Major League Soccer, VP Operations and Security Ray Whitworth said it’s important for the league to send out a clear message about safety.
While it’s difficult to insist all stadiums must follow the exact same criteria since some teams own their venues and some are tenants, Whitworth said the league has been working with DHS and ran tabletop exercises in January.
“We want to raise the level of awareness for both our customers and teams,” he said, adding that it’s important to make sure venues understand the incident command structure.
“It’s incumbent on us to make our facilities as hard to target as possible,” Whitworth added.
A facility’s media and communication strategy also takes a considerable amount of planning.
“Think through how and what you’re going to message during a crisis,” said Yacone. “Control the media or they will control you.”
Emily Turner of Spaeth Communications provided conference attendees some tips to make sure messages come across correctly. She instructed that everyone should think about good, positive words and use them in everyday language so that they come naturally. People have a tendency to repeat others' words, so be aware when someone is using negative language and be sure to not repeat it.
“While we can’t control everything that happens to us and our organization, we can control what comes out of our mouths,” said Turner.
Interviewed for this story: Dan Mullin, (212) 931-7889; Jonathan Richeson, (202) 495-9082; Emily Turner, (214) 871-8888; Ray Whitworth, (212) 450-1225; James Yacone, (202) 324-3000