Service
Service levels play an integral part in the delivery of safe conditions.
Fans attend a sports ground to watch and enjoy the spectacle – whether it’s football, rugby, athletics, horse racing, etc, everyone is there for the same reason. The need to balance safety and security against customer experience remembering this should be an enjoyable sporting event is critical.
Engaging with spectators early on can help to reduce some of the unintended consequences of increased security. That’s why the service provided at a sports ground is so important to safety.
Everyone involved in the staging of an event – not only those with safety related roles – should be committed to the creation of a welcoming environment.
Signage, information management, cleanliness, inclusion awareness and clear communications, even the nurturing of positive relationships between the ground management and the local community, all play a key role in enhancing the overall spectator experience.
In short, a sports ground where a high level and thorough, multi-agency approach to service provision is in place, and where spectators are able to sense that their wellbeing is a priority, is more likely to be one that actually is safe, in practical and operational terms.