Access Control Planning for Music Festivals.

A large multi-day music festival on a remote site can present a number of challenges in managing access points. The festival site must be made secure and provide quick and easy access to verified individuals. How can organisers plan their access control management to ensure that the right people gain entry in a safe and quick manner.

The building of secure entry gates in the right locations along with robust processes and procedures for entry are essential for the smooth and safe running of an event. Organisers must carefully consider the site access control processes in their planning to ensure that restricted zones remain secure and that festival-goers gain quick and safe entry to give a positive experience. 

Gate Planning and Management. 
A large festival site will probably require multiple entry gates and are planned based on the appropriate supporting infrastructure. Entry gates for site build contractors will be located close access roads that are acceptable for large transport trucks. A separate gate for vendors will similarly be close to local roads that allow easy access for a large number of small vans. Staff and back stage gates will be located behind stages and multiple festival-goer entry gates will logically be placed near temporary car parks. Each type of gate will have an access control system that prevents unauthorised access using a permission-based methodology. The site map showing specific entry gates will be issued to relevant parties and is often used when obtaining event licences and ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations. Consideration for crowd control and sufficient emergency services access are also key considerations in this planning phase. 

Technology. 
Festival organisers have a choice of technology when it comes to planning their access control systems. Using RFID wristbands or issuing QR codes or barcodes enables organisers to pre-issue individuals with appropriate permissions linked to specific gates. Personal data is pre-loaded onto back-end or event management software systems and is linked to scanners located at each gate. This automated scanning process compares the permissions contained on wristbands or in QR codes to confirm or deny entrance to a specific gate. The scanning may be real time or via hand held scanners which regularly back up to main systems where data is held. People can be issued with specific entry times and gates which allows crowd traffic to be spread over time and prevents overcrowding and queues. Organisers must ensure that they comply with any prevailing GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) or local privacy laws when holding, accessing and using personal data linked to access control systems. 

Re-entry Policies. 
The majority of music festivals do not allow re-entry for festival-goers once they have entered the site which are often specified in their terms and conditions. Organisers do this because they claim large festival sites are self-contained and have everything a festival-goer could need. It also ensures that there aren't many people passing back and forth through access control points which can be challenging to control. There can be exceptions to these rules particularly where festival-goers need medicine or medical treatment not available on site. In these circumstances organisers should plan for a specific procedure to allow re-entry in given situations which may be through a designated gate with staff trained in dealing with the appropriate process. This may require amendment of the permissions linked to their RFID wristband or QR code, alternatively, organisers may issue a new specific re-entry wristband. 

Security. 
Planning the gate security is essential to ensure that access control systems are used as intended. In the case of a technology failure gate staff and security personnel should have a robust contingency plan in place. All gate staff and security personnel should have effective training prior to the event to ensure they fully understand the scanning technology in use and protocols for when a festival-goer is refused. There could be many reasons why a wristband or QR code does not successfully scan and every gate should have staff on standby to check the individual's data held on any back-end systems to discover the reason why the scan rejected. 

For festival organisers planning their next events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics including a dedicated accreditation module. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

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