Our measures for safe and controlled event environments
We live and breathe live events. And a big part of bringing people together in our venues to do business and be entertained is to also ensure their safety and wellbeing. As a responsible venue operator, the NEC Group is committed to providing safe venues with robust security, medical and welfare regimes in place. Whether you are a visitor, organiser, promoter, contractor, partner or a member of staff, here at the NEC Group, health and safety is always our top priority.
Constantly reviewing and improving what we do, we have implemented a framework designed for running organised gatherings in safe and controlled environments. This is called Venue Protect.
The measures that sit within this are there to make any visit to an NEC Group venue an enjoyable, safe and comfortable one.
VENUE SECURITY + PROTECT DUTY
The NEC Group has extensive knowledge and experience in ensuring the safe delivery of events across our venues. From hosting Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to the G8 Summit, multiple party conferences, international touring artists and hundreds more every year, we use a series of security measures.
Across nearly five decades we have worked closely with the police, the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) and their local Counter Terrorism Security Advisors (CTSA) to deter and detect potential threats from entering our venues and the surrounding external public circulation spaces. Our close partnership with West Midlands Police has also led to a permanent base for local officers at the NEC.
We maintain a multi-layered approach, both overt and covert. These include vehicular and pedestrian access control supported by a proactive use of technology and CCTV monitoring systems. So, whilst you may not see all operational security activity, you should be assured that it is ongoing, often behind the scenes, to prevent crime and keep you safe whilst on site.
From 26 February to 2 July 2021, the Home Office ran a Protect Duty consultation, which considered how the government can work together with publicly accessible locations to develop proportionate security measures that improve public security.
Venues are now preparing for the implementation of Protect Duty legislation, otherwise known as Martyn’s Law. The Group fully supports this implementation, making the responsibility for counter-terrorism in public spaces a legislative requirement – an aid to our ongoing efforts.
The security measures and procedures we already have in place across our venues include:
• State of the art CCTV monitoring and communications centres
• Search and screening technology at venue entrances
• Regular attendance from uniformed and plain-clothed police officers
• A Response and Conflict Management team
• A Behavioural Detection team
• Dedicated security dog team
• Vehicle checkpoints
• Hostile vehicle mitigation protection
• Use of security management systems
• Appropriately qualified and mandatory trained security staff
• Health and safety risk assessments for every event
• Frequent stress testing and mandatory training on data protection and cyber security
• Members of arena, exhibition and conference association security working groups
Trust Your Instincts!
Everyone has an important role to play in helping us by reporting anything that doesn’t feel right, for example, any unattended items or someone acting suspiciously. If something doesn’t feel right.
Report it. It’s better to be safe. See it, say it, sorted:
• Tell our security team
• Report in confidence any suspicious activity at gov.uk/ACT or on 0800 789 321
• Call 999 in an emergency
BAG POLICY
Our arenas now operate a bag policy for all visitors entering the venue.
All bags are searched prior to entry and need to meet the following criteria:
• Be no bigger than A4 in size (21cm x 30cm x 19cm)
• Have a maximum of two compartments
• Rucksacks are not permitted
As well as ensuring safety, the bag policy allows our security team to search quickly and with minimal contact.
COVID-19 (as at March 2022)
Our venues fully comply with government legislation on managing the risk of COVID-19 to keep everyone’s experience safe.
We will continue to implement our enhanced venue sanitisation, with all communal areas cleaned frequently, alongside high contact surfaces throughout event days.
Our venues will also continue to provide the optimum amount of fresh air to all spaces to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission. A full recommission of our mechanical ventilation equipment took place during the pandemic, plus the upgrade of our filtration to ensure clean and safe air is circulated.
Human interaction is what we do but we understand that convenience is key and that many people will still want to minimise unnecessary contact. We have taken advantage of tech solutions to provide contactless options. So, to minimise contact points when in our venue, visitors can pre-pay parking online, use our cashless options for payment at all food and drink outlets and even pre-order food via an app.
'ASK FOR' CAMPAIGNS
Our arenas became the first venues in Birmingham and the first arenas in the UK to launch “Ask For Clive”. The campaign encourages entertainment establishments, venues and bars to show solidarity against discrimination in the fight against homophobia and transphobia.
We want all live event fans and visitors to know that everyone is welcome at our venues.
For more details, please visit our arena websites.
ACCESSIBILITY
We are committed to providing accessible facilities and inclusive experiences to all our customers.
Working hard to remove barriers, we regularly consult and work with organisations such as Attitude is Everything, AccessAble, Nimbus Disability, Performance Interpreting and Vocal Eyes to name a few, to constantly review and make improvements to our services. For more details, please visit our respective venue websites.