SECURITY
Whatever technology is in use, Downing
of the Oak View Group believes the biggest
challenge is integration. Venues often rely
on software and hardware from different
providers, which might not marry well together.
“Sometimes, as a workaround, you can buy
in fixes that make different technologies work
together, but it generally still leads to problems
and can be costly,” he says. “The ideal is to
have a complete, seamlessly integrated security
technology package that gives you a common
operations picture and enables you to make
good, real-time decisions using rich data.”
Three approaches
Evolv Technology’s Chitkara recommends a
multi-layered approach to security, with both
visible and invisible elements. He outlines three
popular security setups. The lightest touch
strategy uses video cameras and guards. This
is a passive approach that relies purely on
observation. The next step up is to employ
guards to carry out manual bag checks, often
using hand wands. Finally, some venues deploy
walk-through metal detectors, resembling the
airport approach to security. Visitors have to
divest items and place bags on a table.
“None of the three main approaches is
perfect,” says Chitkara. “Not many performing
arts venues use walk-through metal detectors
because they’re slow and patrons don’t like them.
But with a more passive approach, bad actors
can walk in with concealed weapons. Meanwhile,
hand-held detectors are intrusive and subject
to confirmation bias. Security guards assume
a person is not a bad actor and say, ‘I knew
it was your watch, or belt buckle’, when it’s
actually a concealed weapon.”
AI and facial recognition
In an attempt to resolve these stumbling
blocks, Evolv has created a walkthrough
security scanner called Evolv
Edge, capable of processing 800
people an hour. Evolv Edge uses
algorithms based on the Evolv Cortex
AI software platform to scan for
weapons without the need to empty
pockets. Venues can also opt to add
Evolv Pinpoint, a facial recognition
identity threat detection technology.
“It provides an immediate answer as
they walk though,” says Chitkara. “The facial
recognition part looks for persons of interest
who, for example, have been kicked out
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previously. It also spots VIPs so customer
service personnel can greet them. We’ve
screened 25 million people in two years
in different types of venue and spotted
more than 5,000 weapons.”
The company has now developed
a larger walk-through scanner, Evolv
Express, which can screen more than
3,600 people an hour in groups.
What rules are there?
Surprisingly, performing arts venues
in both the UK and the USA are subject
to very little legislation. Venues tend to
outsource a lot of their security operations
to external companies. In the UK they have to
be licensed by the Security Industry Authority
(SIA), a Home Office agency, and conform to
In the USA,
more than half of
adults have had their
likeness catalogued
in databases used
for facial recognition
matching, according to
a 2016 Georgetown
University study