NCS⁴ NEWS e-newsletter | September 15, 2022

2023 Intercollegiate Athletics Forum Announced

AN EVENT FOCUSED ON ADDRESSING CRITICAL SAFETY AND SECURITY CHALLENGES FACING INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC PROGRAMS

The NCS⁴ will host the 2023 National Intercollegiate Athletics Safety and Security Forum on January 17-18, 2023, in College Station, TX. The objective of the Forum is to address key safety and security challenges facing intercollegiate athletic programs and to share best practices for continuous improvement.

Collegiate athletic programs and venues attract a large number of athletes and spectators, making safety and security a top priority for venue operators, public safety officials, and local communities. Discussing current issues and exploring solutions in a forum environment will help colleges and universities, athletic conferences, and associations enhance safety and security plans and operations.

WHO WILL BE THERE: Athletic administrators and staff from NCAA Division I, II, and III institutions, athletic conference administrators, football bowl administrators, NCAA representatives, campus law enforcement, local and state law enforcement, facility managers, government officials, emergency managers, fire/HAZMAT, emergency medical services, city planners, governing bodies, sports commissions, and invited Solution Partners.

HERE'S WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE FORUM

We have very limited space for this event, and registration is based on a first-come, first-serve basis. For additional information or to register, please visit the event website by clicking the button below:

THANKS TO OUR SOLUTION PARTNERS!

Companies that provide products or services to the sports safety and security industry may only attend the Forum as Solution Partners. For information about becoming a Solution Partner for this event, please contact Sara Priebe, NCS⁴ Event and Membership Manager, at sara.priebe@usm.edu or 601-266-6858.

2022 Marathon and Endurance Events Forum Announced

An event focused on addressing critical safety and security challenges facing marathons and endurance events

The NCS⁴ will host the 2022 Marathon and Endurance Events Safety and Security Forum on December 6-7, 2022, in Long Beach, MS. The objective of the Forum is to address key safety and security challenges facing marathon and endurance events and to share best practices for continuous improvement.

Road races and other participatory sports events attract large numbers of athletes and spectators, making safety and security a top priority for race organizers, public safety, and host communities. These high-profile events give rise to a host of potential risks and threats that must be addressed to ensure the safety and security of people, property, and infrastructure.

WHO WILL BE THERE: Event planners/operators, administrators and staff from marathons, half-marathons, 10K, 5K, and endurance events, law enforcement personnel, emergency managers, fire/HAZMAT, emergency medical/health services, city planners, governmental representatives, sports commissions, and invited Solution Partners.

Here's what people are saying about the Forum

We have very limited space for this event, and registration is based on a first-come, first-serve basis. For additional information or to register, please visit the event website by clicking the button below:

Thanks to our Solution Partners!

Companies that provide products or services to the sports safety and security industry may only attend the Forum as Solution Partners. For information about becoming a Solution Partner for this event, please contact Sara Priebe, NCS⁴ Event and Membership Manager, at sara.priebe@usm.edu or 601-266-6858.

Stadium Tech Report Invites Security Community to Complete Stadium Technology Survey

Stadium Tech Report would like to invite all team, school and venue IT NCS⁴ subscribers to take the Stadium Connectivity Outlook survey, a short list of questions designed to provide the stadium technology community with a snapshot of how venues are (or are not) using technology to solve for multiple operational needs. The survey takes a couple of minutes to complete and covers topics including wireless connectivity, entry and security technology, concessions technology and technology spending priorities. The deadline to complete the survey is Monday, Sept. 19.

If there is one hallmark of the sports technology and venue operations community, it is the spirit of sharing information with others. For any school considering technology upgrades, knowing what other teams and venues are doing is a big help in formulating their own technology plans. Early survey returns show that entry and security technology advancements are of prime concern. By adding the expertise of the NCS⁴ community, the survey results will be even more accurate.

In return for completing the survey, all participants will receive the full set of results and a white paper analyzing the responses. All answers are completely anonymous, with no personal, team or venue association attached to any results. As a way of saying thanks, all respondents who would like a Stadium Tech Report hat will receive one! For a deeper explanation of the survey attributes or to download last year's report, please click here.

Take the survey now by clicking the link below.

NCS⁴ Leads Training Course at NCAA National Office

The NCS⁴ conducted a Sport and Special Event Public Information and Emergency Notification training course on Aug. 23-24 at the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) National Office in Indianapolis. Twenty-one people attended the two-day course, including those from the NCAA and representatives from various Indianapolis sport venues and organizations. Earlier this year, the NCAA hosted the Sport and Special Event Risk Management course which is designed to build sport and special event risk management capabilities and is a recommended pre-requisite to the Sport and Special Event Public Information and Emergency Notification course.

The Sport and Special Event Public Information and Emergency Notification course is designed to prepare participants to identify and navigate the sport and special event communication landscape before, during, and after an incident. The course prescribes best practices to common communication pitfalls and provides flexible and scalable solutions to a wide range of scenarios. This interdisciplinary course brings planners, operators, communication, government, public safety, marketing, and public relations professionals together to prepare and/or enhance venue and event communication programs.

Topics include communication fundamentals, managing communication, event and emergency messaging, information collaboration and dissemination, pre-event communication, post-event communication, and application of communication strategies.

Sport and Special Event Public Information and Emergency Notification (MGT-467) is a DHS/FEMA-funded course, provided free of charge for the hosting partner and participants. The NCS⁴ offers a variety of other DHS/FEMA-funded courses dedicated to spectator sports and special events safety and security in addition to Sport and Special Event Public Information and Emergency Notification. Additional courses include:

• Sport and Special Event Risk Management
• Sports and Special Events Incident Management
• Sport Venue Evacuation and Protective Actions
• Enhanced Sports and Special Events Incident Management
• Sport and Special Event Enhanced Risk Management and Assessment
• Crowd Management for Sport and Special Events

The courses represent a cooperative effort between The University of Southern Mississippi’s National Center for Spectator Sports Security and Safety (USM/NCS⁴) and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service’s National Emergency Response and Recovery Training Center (TEEX/NERRTC), a member of The Texas A&M University System.

For more information on DHS/FEMA-funded courses offered through NCS⁴ or to schedule a course, visit ncs4.usm.edu/training or email NCS4train@usm.edu.

ICYMI: The NCS⁴ Publishes Industry Report on Professional Sports Venue Security Issues, Emerging Threats, and Technology Solutions

The sporting world faces unique challenges when returning to play following a global pandemic, and many leagues, teams, and venues are exploring ways to maintain or improve their security operations. The purpose of this survey is to explore professional sports venue security issues, emerging threats, and technology solutions. Information gleaned from this study will assist venue directors in policy development, increase awareness of technology solutions, identify resource needs, and address training gaps to help protect human, physical, and cyber assets. Click the link below to view the report.

NCS⁴ in the News: Venue Director Survey Report shared by multiple industry pubs

The media is buzzing about NCS⁴'s recently published Venue Director Survey Report. Multiple news organizations have requested articles and information about the survey's findings to share with the industry. Below is a snapshot of a few of those articles. A podcast is scheduled for October with Stadium Tech Report, so stay tuned for additional commentary about the report coming soon!

Post-Pandemic Challenges Create the Perfect Storm for Crowd Control

Read all about it in the Summer 2022 issue of Gameday Security

Industry experts provide insight and strategies to tackle post-pandemic crowd control challenges. Click the link below to view the magazine and navigate to page 7 to read the article.

Crowd management courses available through NCS⁴ are listed below.

ICYMI – Stadium Spotlight: Connected Devices and Integrated Security Considerations Available

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently released Stadium Spotlight: Connected Devices and Integrated Security Considerations in collaboration with the NCS⁴. The product provides stadium owner operators and security professionals with a snapshot of the connected stadium environment, key vulnerabilities and consequences, and recommended enterprise- and asset-level risk mitigations, and points stakeholders to relevant CISA and NCS⁴ tools and resources.

This product presents resources and recommendations that stadiums can leverage to better secure their connected assets and augment their overall security and resilience. To access the product, click the button below.

In addition to reviewing the Stadium Spotlight: Connected Devices and Integrated Security Considerations, CISA also encourages critical infrastructure executives and senior leaders to review our “Shields Up” webpage at www.cisa.gov/shields-up. Also, organizations should share information on incidents and unusual activity to CISA 24/7 Operations Center at report@cisa.gov or (888) 282-0870 and/or to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.

Upcoming Event

2023 Annual Conference Dates Announced

The 14th annual National Sports Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition will take place June 27-29, 2023, at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas. The gathering of top safety and security professionals across multiple disciplines provides a versatile and intimate environment dedicated to innovative technologies, products, services and educational programming. Please mark your calendar and make plans to join us! Full conference details will be released later this year.