In October 2022, two deadly large-scale events occurred:
1) During a football match in Indonesia, at least 125 persons were killed and approximately 320 were injured. Officers and organisers are being probed in connection with the tragedy, which includes inquiries about the use of tear gas within the stadium (The Guardian, October 2, 2022).
2) Despite the deployment of over 1,700 emergency response personnel, over 150 people were killed as a result of a crowd crush during the Halloween weekend in Seoul (CNN, October 30, 2022).
We must urgently reconsider current crowd crush prevention measures as we mourn the loss of lives in these two events. A lack of crowd control can result in property destruction, personal injury, and general public disorder. These four crowd management strategies are thought to be capable of preventing major crowd disasters.
1. Study your Attendees
People behave differently when they are part of a large group of people. Strong emotions like joy, rage, and excitement can spread quickly and become hazardous. Different crowds will exhibit different behaviours, but these can be anticipated. For instance, football games, street carnivals, and music festivals will be more active than academic conferences and trade shows. Consider what will happen at the venue; if it’s a screening of a sporting event, there will most likely be a mass exodus at the end; if it’s a performance, there will most likely be a sudden push forward when the celebrity approaches the crowd. Inadequate attention to how people behave in a crowd and the relationship between behaviour and event flow design are major factors in crowd disasters.
2. Load Factor Vs Flow Factor
While venue capacity and attendee ratio could serve as a good preventive measure against overcrowding, this measure appears to be more effective in captive venue spaces (controlled entries) rather than open spaces (e.g. streets). Evidently, crowding does not always result from a lack of space. For example, density in public transportation frequently reaches very elevated amounts due to closed spatial areas, but it does not result in deadly crushes daily! Disasters, on the other hand, frequently occur in open areas where there is ample space for everyone but people congregate in one location.
There are various techniques available to help manage crowd flow: 1) stagger the ending times of performances and the closing times of bars and other facilities, 2) programme entertainment in a way that minimises the intersection of crowds flowing around the event site, 3) prevent crowds from clustering that can block walkways, entrances, and exits, 4) locate exit points with enough space around them to avoid crowd crush when guests are leaving, and 5) ensure that public transportation services are still available upon event closure.
3. Communication is the Key
Many people have suggested that enough security and risk officers be deployed for crowd control. What if the turnout far exceeds expectations? In such cases, is incremental deployment feasible? Communication can be the key to self-regulation towards personal and others’ health and safety when estimations are uncertain. Expand your communication channels to include not only event contractors, staff, and attendees, but also nearby businesses and residential neighbourhoods. While your security personnel cannot be everywhere at all times, they could assist you in determining the practicalities of crowd management, particularly in the event of an emergency. Make sure your attendees can find their way around and know where not to go by using a lot of signage, including clearly marking emergency exits during and after the event. It’s also a good idea to display a phone number or text message in case attendees notice any potential hazards.
Crowd Spotting as a Preventive Measure
Most large-scale events are now videotaped. When a crush is discovered, it is almost too late. So instead of detecting predetermined density thresholds, the crowd-spotting mechanism should look for the emergence of close contacts. Aside from crowd spotters, the current AI-based crowd monitoring system is capable of mass monitoring and predicting the size, density, direction, and speed of crowds in public spaces. For example, with over 1.2 million World Cup fans expected in the country, Qatar has established a tech hub that uses artificial intelligence to monitor viewers, and forecast crowd surges. More than 100 technicians were stationed throughout the eight World Cup stadiums to closely monitor images flashing across their screens via 200,000 integrated units and 22,000 security cameras (Aljazeera, November 13, 2022). By sharing information with security officials, AI will enable technicians to predict crowd surges and respond quickly to overcrowding.
Conclusion
As the world celebrates the return of live events following the pandemic, we have to keep in mind that because people have endured lengthy delays and cancellations, when events finally take place, attendees are more energised than ever. As the level of excitement and passion rises, so does the risk of dangerous incidents. According to this article, the best way forward in crowd management is to focus on preventing incidents rather than responding to them.
Associate Prof Dr Daniel Chong, School of Hospitality and Service Management, Sunway University
