Finding the right strategy to manage crowds at your event mainly depends on the kind of crowd. But, since it is difficult to gauge if they will be mellow or fanatic, it is better to look at the situations from a 360-degree perspective and prepare well beforehand.

Crowd management is not a concept that is an issue in your small, get-together family parties or private gatherings. Typically, it is relevant when an event’s scale is huge such as music concerts or festivals, sports tournaments, international business conferences, and others.

Event organizers have a responsibility to ensure that health and safety are managed. And while it may not seem challenging at first, things take an overwhelming turn once the heavy crowd sets in the event premises.

Considering that, I have compiled a list of few tips to manage the joyous, angry, or impatient crowd at your event effectively and successfully –

1. Understand Your Audience

Depending on your event’s nature, you can know about the kind of attendees expected on the day and the way they may act in crowds. Your football match or holiday festival will usually have more action than any academic seminar. So, be as precise as possible for your estimates and make arrangements accordingly.

1. Plan in Advance

For a safe and enjoyable event, everything has to be planned thoroughly at the earliest. So, if you are the organizer, call for support and approvals from the key figures, both inside and outside your organization.

1. Communicate to Relevant Parties

When you are done finalizing with ‘what, where, and who’ of the event, you can start contacting all the people that can be affected or may demand clarity on the kind of crowd you expect. The parties you may be required to contact are – event contractors, local authorities, neighboring businesses, venue owners, and others.

1. Develop and Install Proper Signage

With so many people comes a huge bombardment of questions. And to your responsibility, it cannot be just avoided. However, distinctive measures can be used to elevate the stress a bit. First of all, that includes the installation of large-sized signboards to communicate with the crowd non-verbally and still indicate them for registration queues, restrooms, smoking areas, and potential hazards.

1. Demarcate Every Area

You need to use sufficient crowd control barriers, cones, ropes, or stanchions for facilitating people in ticket and registration queues other than signs. Also, try to clarify where the main event is and use temporary fencing to block the areas you don’t want anybody to access.

1. Impose Restriction on Alcohol Intake

Well, alcoholic drinks and cocktails are good ice-breakers for a hardcore event, but they can result in disastrous consequences when consumed by the super-excited crowd in large amounts. That is why it always best to limit access to such kinds of drinks and employ watchdogs to tackle people going overboard with it.