Make every front line worker a member of your emergency response force

Create a front-line response force for your venue

Photo provided by University of Oklahoma.

We live in a world where too many events have turned into tragedies. Leading the Crowd, a new training course from VSG Advantage Training, prepares your staff and service providers with information, best practices, and procedures that help them identify risks and respond quickly in an emergency.

Venue management professionals Russ Simons, Paul Turner, CVE CSSP, and Richard Andersen, CFE, ICD.D developed Leading the Crowd to specifically address the hazards facing venues where people gather in large numbers. Leading the Crowd prepares front line workers to recognize, respond, and communicate when danger arises or disaster strikes.

Armed with situational awareness, an understanding of crowd management procedures, and emergency response techniques, trained front-line workers can act with confidence in times of uncertainty. Your staff will recognize problem behaviors and learn de-escalation techniques that prepare them to act quickly, confidently, and with sound judgment. Their newfound skills will change their daily work focus and enhance your venue’s safety and risk culture, making every front-line worker a member of your emergency response force.

Establish continual readiness with our “train the trainer” program

Leading the Crowd helps prepare your venue to avoid missteps that could unnecessarily risk the well-being of your staff and guests. Should the unthinkable happen, our training prepares your team to respond appropriately and immediately. A practical “Train the Trainer” module is provided for your team leaders, equipping them to train incoming team members with the same critical safety and emergency response skills we teach their peers. Ongoing practice and regular refreshers will assist you in maintaining continual readiness.

Program components include:

• A 75-minute multimedia training session designed to accommodate your full team
• Training and materials customized to your venue and local challenges
• A 120-minute train-the-trainer session for your senior staff
• Proprietary materials and documentation prepared exclusively for program clients

Attract and retain front-line workers with meaningful safety and stress-management skills

In today’s highly competitive labor market, researchers have identified safety concerns as a key issue among prospective and current employees. Employers that acknowledge and address employee safety concerns with effective training programs experience greater success recruiting and retaining front-line workers.

Research shows safety concerns are critical to attracting and keeping employees

• 79% of American adults are stressed about the possibility of a mass shooting
• 33% actively avoid places and events to reduce their risks of mass shootings
• 66% of job applicants cite concerns about their health and safety at work
• 55% of job applicants say they want safety guarantees from their employers

Leading the Crowd sends venue workers a clear message that the organization’s owners and managers recognize their safety concerns and are actively working to address them. Techniques that help your personnel identify and manage the impacts of stress further demonstrate your commitment to employee well-being. Training to defuse difficult situations empowers your people to reduce their own risks while protecting others, both on the job and away from work.

Address NFPA regulatory guidelines for trained crowd managers

The VSG Advantage Training team understands that your job requires a careful balancing of budgets to accommodate competing priorities. Leading the Crowd offers added value by tackling multiple challenges simultaneously. Our course materials address National Fire Protection Association 101 Life Safety Code requirements for training in emergency and evacuation procedures. We deliver comprehensive training for enhanced value, through live and engaging sessions. VSG sessions are singular experiences your employees will remember, value, and discuss with their friends and families.

Cover venue safety and crowd management with training customized to your venue

VSG Advantage Training customizes Leading the Crowd with materials specific to each location and addresses each venue’s unique operating conditions. Our sessions use the latest in adult-education techniques to engage participants through facilitated group interaction, self-discovery exercises, and customized multi-media elements.

Topics include:

• Defining safety and security in a venue setting
• Duty of care
• Situational awareness
• Crowd management
• Hazards to crowd safety
• Evacuations and incident responses
• Event safety briefings
• Ways to manage stress and defuse difficult situations

Leading the Crowd includes a module that equips managers for ongoing training for new and existing staff. We provide a customized Event Safety Briefing Toolkit that offers instructions and sample documents to enhance your venue’s event safety program, including follow-on documentation.

Leading the Crowd earns five stars

VSG Advantage Training has recently presented Leading the Crowd to rave participant reviews at several major facilities, including the Los Angeles Coliseum, San Diego Theatres, and Lumen Field in Seattle.

Here are just two examples of client feedback:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Our frontline leadership team found great value in the interactive training opportunity. They obtained great insight on how to effectively communicate, promote teamwork and build trust. We appreciate VSG Advantage Training’s partnership.” – Kameron Durham, Managing Director of Events, Seattle Seahawks/Lumen Field

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “This type of empowerment is what every team needs! The program was succinct and engaging, and we already have teams updating their practices based on the training. The training sets everyone marching in the same direction: to work together to host a safe event.” – Brendan Farley, Vice President and General Manager, San Diego Theatres

Book a call to schedule Leading the Crowd for your venue.