Making Meetings and Events Safer: Utilizing Chauffeured Transportation to Implement High-Level Security Solutions

Meetings and events today face many new threats that must be effectively anticipated and addressed by every stakeholder in the industry. Meetings, conventions, and large-scale social gatherings, such as concerts or events taking place at nightclubs and bars, appear to have been particularly vulnerable to terrorist atrocities in recent years. Additionally, the persistent increase in data being gathered, held, and in some cases abused, by various high-profile companies signal alarm bells for our cybersecurity. It is crucial now, more than ever, that effective event security measures should be designed and implemented in order to protect individuals and the industry as a whole.

The meetings and events industry is striving to meet its Duty of Care to delegates but is struggling to make significant progress.  This stems from meetings and events planners themselves, to clients, convention centers and hotels. Part of the problem is that each industry player often assumes that the responsibility for security lies with another. It should never be taken for granted that the responsibility for meetings and events security lies elsewhere. Planners and executives must look at proactively identifying potential threats themselves and not expose their organization and delegates to problematic or dangerous circumstances through ignorance of potential issues. Robust and realistic safety and security contingency plans, such as those offered by established chauffeured service providers like EmpireCLS, have to be implemented in order for planners and executives to properly identify threats and execute Duty of Care. 

A Simple, Effective Solution

Through chauffeured transportation, there is a way that meeting and event security threats can be effectively addressed, whilst allowing planners and executives the time to concentrate on all the other crucial aspects of their business. The chauffeured transportation industry is taking positive steps towards covering many of the security challenges that the industry faces as part of a specialized, fully integrated chauffeur service. These high-level solutions could go a long way in assisting the industry with its current security issues and help to demonstrably improve the safety and security of meetings and events.

Specialist transportation security features, such as EmpireCLS’ SecureCar service, are carefully designed with the particular safety and security intricacies of meetings and events in mind. As the largest privately-held chauffeured transportation provider in the world, EmpireCLS’ experience within meetings and events security is unmatched. In fact, EmpireCLS is the largest transportation provider for the Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards and the Golden Globes, with as many as 500 vehicles chauffeuring celebrities to and from the red carpet and the following after parties. The company’s SecureCar service includes the following standards to mitigate the risks involved in meetings and events attendance, providing cover for overworked planners and executives who may not have the time, resources, or expertise to develop a robust transportation protection and security service:

• Full executive protection: Highly-trained and experienced EmpireCLS security protection specialists minimize risk through strategy, prevention, and discretion. These specialists are trained to the highest standards, with full criminal background checks and comprehensive physical and written examinations to pass. Their previous experience providing security protection for high-profile executives, dignitaries, and entertainment clientele means they are perfectly placed to offer the same comprehensive level of security protection anytime, anywhere.
• Advanced travel planning: One of the key risk factors in event planning and management is location selection. Planners need to be mindful of this and think smart when selecting a site or destination. Despite best efforts, however, there is always a risk factor involved in any gathering of delegates at a meeting or event, and certain higher-risk locations may be unavoidable due to the nature of the event. As such, the SecureCar team at EmpireCLS offers a full 36 – 48-hour risk assessment and due diligence service, specifically based on local government and travel intelligence, as well as on clients’ particular industries. EmpireCLS will liaise with local law enforcement and medical facilities, plan routes with specific exit strategies, perform event venue and hotel countermeasure sweeping and help manage media/image exposure and strategies. These measures will ensure that every potential risk has been analyzed and assessed for an effective and organized response should there be a need to take action.
• Secure ground transportation and chauffeur service: Having the most appropriate vehicle to suit the particular needs of a meeting or an event is also a key strategy to help mitigate threats and limit exposure to potential harm. EmpireCLS has an unparalleled range of vehicles to ensure that the most suitable form of transportation can be utilized. As well as late-model sedans, SUVs and limousines, specialist armored vehicles are also available to help protect particularly high-profile clients or those traveling to high-risk destinations. These vehicles feature ballistic glass, run-flat tires, enhanced suspension, and integrated armored plating for extra security. On top of this, EmpireCLS’ experienced chauffeurs are specially trained in defensive driving and evasive maneuvers, such as tactically positioning multiple vehicles with blacked out windows in order to minimize any potential hazards.

Establishing Industry-Wide Security Measures

It is clear that the threats and safety issues facing the meetings and events space are potent and in need of urgent attention. The industry must make significant moves to develop robust security measures that are also easy to implement. Establishing a set of safety and security measures is more crucial than ever before. With the possibility of terror attacks and digital data breaches, it is imperative that key players within the meetings and events industry address their Duty of Care to delegates and develop solid measures as a matter of urgency in order to prevent major incidents.

The comprehensive high-level security solutions provided by EmpireCLS could serve as the basis for the development of effective security guidelines that can be followed by all chauffeured transportation service providers dealing with meetings and events. This would create desperately needed best practices within this particular sector of the meetings and events industry, allowing meetings and events planners, and others involved in the corporate travel and corporate car service industry, to build upon the development of more comprehensive security measures that could be adopted throughout the entire industry.