Event Security: A grounded model of risk communication and resource negotiation between security and safety actors

Research on risk communication and resource negotiation in event security.

Project Overview

Event security at mass gatherings must manage both safety (accidents) and security (human-caused harm) risks across many disciplines (law enforcement, private security, emergency management, medical, venue staff). NCITE researchers have developed a grounded, data-driven model to explain how risk is communicated and how resources are negotiated among those actors. Using field observations, interviews, and document review from two large Midwestern events—a statewide cycling event (~18,000 registrants) and a three‑day music festival (~20,000 attendees)—the authors applied constant comparison methods to elucidate cross-cutting themes. The model shows that practitioners hold different “risk frames” (how they view threats and vulnerabilities), and gaps between frames (“representational gaps”) drive friction. Requests for assistance are made via distinct means‑ends propositions and supported by prescriptive (authority, data) or relational (appeals, social capital) influence tactics. Receivers judge issue credibility (likelihood/impact) and mitigation feasibility (urgency vs. resources) to approve, deny, negotiate, or refer. The impact is a practical blueprint for faster, more constructive cross‑agency decisions at events.

NCITE researchers have developed a grounded, data-driven model to explain how risk is communicated and how resources are negotiated among those actors. Using field observations, interviews, and document review from two large Midwestern events—a statewide cycling event (~18,000 registrants) and a three‑day music festival (~20,000 attendees)—the authors applied constant comparison methods to elucidate cross-cutting themes.

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