Events and Tourism Review Events and Tourism Review Vol. 4 No. 1 (2021), 43-56, DOI: 10.18060/25307 Copyright © 2021 Angela Senter, Mark Beattie and Demi Deng This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Events and Tourism Review June 2021 Volume 4 No. 1 Large Event Security – A Case Study of Spokane Events, WA Angela Senter Mark Beattie Demi Deng Washington State University Correspondence: angie.senter@wsu.edu (A. Senter) For Authors Interested in submitting to this journal? We recommend that you review the About the Journal page for the journal's section policies, as well as the Author Guidelines. Authors need to register with the journal prior to submitting or, if already registered, can simply log in and begin the five-step process. For Reviewers If you are interested in serving as a peer reviewer, please register with the journal. Make sure to select that you would like to be contacted to review submissions for this journal. Also, be sure to include your reviewing interests, separated by a comma. About Events and Tourism Review (ETR) ETR aims to advance the delivery of events, tourism and hospitality products and services by stimulating the submission of papers from both industry and academic practitioners and researchers. For more information about ETR visit the Events and Tourism Review. Recommended Citation Senter, A., Beattie, M. & Deng, D. (2021). Large Event Security – A Case Study of Spokane Events, WA. Events and Tourism Review, 4(1), 43-56. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ mailto:angie.senter@wsu.edu http://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/jet/about http://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/jet/about/submissions#authorGuidelines http://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/jet/user/register http://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/jet/user/register http://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/index/login https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/ETR/user/register http://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/ETR Senter, A., Beattie, M. & Deng, D. (2021) / Events and Tourism Review, 4(1), 1-16. 44 Events and Tourism Review Vol. 4 No. 1 (2021), 43-56, DOI: 10.18060/25307 Copyright © 2021 Angela Senter, Mark Beattie and Demi Deng This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Abstract Large event security has become increasingly complex over the past 20 years. Security incidents have included headline tragedies such as the Las Vegas shooting in 2017 and the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. Spokane, Washington, has been no exception to the need to enhance guest security for large-scale events, as evidenced by the Hoopfest gang-related shooting in 2010 and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day bombing attempt in 2011. Balancing the interests of stakeholders has become challenging for event management professionals in both planning and operations phases. Security strategies and trainings designed for security and guest service staff are critical for the success of new protocols. Transparent communication to the public is crucial for the event's success and the guarantee of guest satisfaction. This case study aims to document the leadership decisions made to enhance security for large-scale events held in Downtown Spokane and the Spokane Arena. Focusing on several tipping points, the leadership decisions and implementation are chronicled as a case study, along with the decisions and protocols that continue to influence large event security in the Spokane area. This study will benefit other event planners and venues as they face security system upgrades, protocols, and implementation. Keywords: Event Security, Communication, Collaboration, Pandemic Response, Risk Management Introduction Large event security has become increasingly complicated over the past 20 years. Mega- events consistently contribute to local economic development in a positive way but also attract much attention concerning security-related issues involving all the stakeholders (Amorin et al., 2014; Boyle & Haggerty, 2009; DiSalvatore, 2019; Klauser, 2015). Security cases have included the headline tragedies such as the Las Vegas shooting in 2017 and the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013. In 2021, the Spokane events team gathered as they had for several years, although the meetings were via videoconference. Everyone was getting more than a little weary of being cooped up at home, working remotely. Prior studies indicated a notable impact of external shocks, such as pandemic and terrorist attacks, on the event market and the flow of event operation (Miles & Shipway, 2020). Likewise, the public and the leadership in the city government and business district were getting anxious to reopen even as the pandemic continued to take its toll on citizens. The pressure was mounting to see a return to “normalcy,” and for Spokane this means large events that had become signatures for the city. The greater Spokane area attracts people from all over the region for Broadway musicals, concerts, sporting events, fine dining, festivals, shopping, use of the airport, and even healthcare facilities. Tourism is a large contributor to the local economy through events such as Bloomsday, Pig Out in the Park, and Hoopfest. The greater Spokane area has a built-out tourism infrastructure in terms of hotel rooms and restaurants to support. Hoteliers and restaurateurs needed to put “heads in beds” and turn tables quickly as reserves were running low. “It’s awful,” Worthy, a Spokane Hotelier, said. One Wednesday night, the Centennial by Davenport Hotels, located at 303 W. North River Drive, “had 16 occupied rooms of 411. The night before last, we had less than $600 in food https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Senter, A., Beattie, M. & Deng, D. (2021) / Events and Tourism Review, 4(1), 1-16. 45 Events and Tourism Review Vol. 4 No. 1 (2021), 43-56, DOI: 10.18060/25307 Copyright © 2021 Angela Senter, Mark Beattie and Demi Deng This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. and beverage revenue. You try keeping a kitchen open with that. That’s what we are dealing with on a daily basis.” For the Arena and Convention Center, this meant bringing meetings and shows back to town. The pressure was mounting, and the team felt the heat enough to melt the new snow beginning to pile up on the sidewalks (Clouse, 2020). The excellent news about treatments and vaccines was only creating more of a sense that the pandemic was behind us, and we could begin seeing our friends and family and attend events as we used to do. However, this positive vibe was tempered with the reality that there were still several months of transition ahead. A specialized team of city and private personnel was tasked with creating, communicating, and implementing the large-scale event security plans. The dilemma before the team is to figure out how to pull off large events safely. The task is huge, and the stakes are high, but the team knows they could use the past lessons in planning for future events while maintaining the security and easing potential attendees’ concerns, especially at large gatherings. As they gathered to form a strategic plan for event security that now included novel coronavirus threats, they began to outline the lessons learned in the past that would inform the future. They started by recalling significant turning points over the past decade. One of those turning points occurred on January 17, 2011. Hundreds of families and community members were beginning to gather for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity parade in downtown Spokane, Washington. A routine event security procedure included a sweep of the parade route in advance of the event. A lone, unattended backpack sitting on a street corner alerted event personnel, who quickly enacted their event security plan. Event organizers rerouted the parade as the Spokane City police department worked in conjunction with the Sheriff's Office bomb squad. They successfully dismantled a shrapnel bomb coated in an anticoagulant commonly found in rat poison. No injuries were sustained that day, and most event attendees had no idea of a security breach. The large event security procedures enacted that day saved hundreds of lives. Two short months later, Spokane welcomed over 10,000 guests into the city's core for the world's largest three-on-three basketball tournament, Hoopfest. With a recent legitimate event bombing attempt, the approaches and procedures that the city municipalities and event staff used for security policies and communications would affect human lives and determine the outcome of millions of dollars in tourism revenue. A day in the world of event management in Spokane can be complicated, to say the least, as dozens of large events are hosted throughout the year with separate event teams residing at convention centers, arenas, city parks, and tourism bureaus. Although the events teams are separate, the overlap that a large event causes in a city often brings them all to the table. The need for multilayered communication among event security teams became apparent at the 2013 Carrie Underwood concert. For concert management to agree to come to Spokane, they demanded metal detectors at guest entrances. The arena did not have metal detectors, so the directors of the facility and the security team had to quickly answer these questions: who would pay for those, how do they train security staff to operate them, who pays for training and the extra staffing, and how best should they communicate the new protocols for guests? Since each event is unique and has its own set of security challenges, how does such a large, diverse event security team continue to produce successful events on time, on budget, and in a safe pattern? Those research questions attracted us to conduct this study. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Senter, A., Beattie, M. & Deng, D. (2021) / Events and Tourism Review, 4(1), 1-16. 46 Events and Tourism Review Vol. 4 No. 1 (2021), 43-56, DOI: 10.18060/25307 Copyright © 2021 Angela Senter, Mark Beattie and Demi Deng This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Methods Qualitative-oriented research is highlighted by Neuendorf (2002) as a method to formulate research questions about how an event proceeds and increase understanding through examination. Neuendorf (2002) indicated content analysis as a concrete approach to rely on original textual sources and summarize all details concerning themed research, thereby demonstrating holistic views on event security. Regarding content analysis, all the variables occurred in natural settings without any manipulation and served as clues to unlock research questions with rich descriptions (Miles et al., 2014; Neuendorf, 2002). Data Collection Purposive sampling was utilized in this study to target participants who are at the core of event management in the Spokane area. Six interviewees heavily involved in event management in the Spokane area were recruited via snowballing (Table 1). Semi-structured interviews were adopted to collect information to illustrate research questions, and NVivo was applied to analyze the data. To assure in-rater reliability, triangulation was utilized by cross-verification among interviewers, interviewees, and coders. Participants Table 1 – Participants’ information No. Professional Titles 1. Customer Experience Director for City of Spokane 2. Marketing and Programming Director, Downtown Spokane Partnership 3. Sergeant of Special Events for the Spokane Police Department 4. Park Ranger 5. Director of Entertainment for the Spokane Public Facility District 6. Sales and Event Manager for Riverfront Park 7. Event and Sales Pavilion Manager The participants were interviewed via video conference using the following dimensions and sample questions: • Decision-making o What parts of the process would change if given a chance? • Human Resources o What means of employee communications were used in the implementation? • Operations o Are you able to attract a more qualified workforce? • Public Relations o How do the new procedures affect guests? Data Analysis Saldaña’s (2015) two cycles of coding methods were utilized to distill and process the contextual messages. The collected contextual data was initially coded into data chunks conforming to research questions and thenceforth facilitated to pattern coding at the second cycle phase, where https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Senter, A., Beattie, M. & Deng, D. (2021) / Events and Tourism Review, 4(1), 1-16. 47 Events and Tourism Review Vol. 4 No. 1 (2021), 43-56, DOI: 10.18060/25307 Copyright © 2021 Angela Senter, Mark Beattie and Demi Deng This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. initial codes were regrouped and reorganized based on significant themes underlying research foci. Results Almost every interviewee described the essence of event security management in terms of transparency and effective communication regardless of the styles (e.g., intranet communication or planned bi-week meeting) and formats (e.g., in-person or virtual meeting). The themes in regard to communications were classified into two categories. One is task force-related assignment, and the other is the negotiation for mutual grounds involving all the stakeholders. Bringing together a consistent task force of event security experts aided the event team in being able to lean on each member’s area of expertise. It also provided a platform to build mutual trust and foster loyal relationships. The data revealed that all the interviewees had worked together on multiple events in the past, which contributed to the positive impact of transparent and bottom-up communications, underlying the trust and support among teams. As the Pavilion Event and Sales Manager concluded, “we try to find the mutual ground that we can agree upon within that. So, if they want to do something that is against policy, we will try to find options what would work within our policy. It's really up to the powers to be …but those rules can have some fluidity to it.” However, power hierarchy was recognized during data analysis as a detrimental factor to communication since it is difficult to get all stakeholders around the planning table. For example, the Park Ranger shared, “I get shut down by administration slightly above me. And so, my voice or concerns don't reach the level they need to effect change.” With such a multiple-faceted stakeholder groups residing in the Spokane event teams, it is natural to come up with a large degree of divergence in opinions. Additionally, there is no correct answer in how best to proceed with large event security when the protocols and procedures have yet to be written upon agreement. Again, this team discussed how they lean on their communication skills and relationships. When other voices were raised among the team, they generally embraced the different opinions, as when the Customer Experience Director stated that “We have open lines of dialogue, and I think most important for us is we want to get to the win.” The Pavilion Event Sales Manager likewise explained, “We tried to find the mutual ground that we can agree upon with that. If they want to do something that is against policy, we will try to find options that would work within our policy… Everybody just kind of doing the best they can, and there is a consensus. We will get through it. If the hiccup happens, we will work it out.” The relationships that these teams have built with one another help them in moments of conflict to remember that everyone is trying to do the best for the client and the guests (Klauser, 2015). Keeping the end goal in mind helps eliminate personal feelings of team conflict and drive the conversation forward. Most people with experience in events put a high value on collaboration. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an entire city to pull off a good event. This situation was abundantly evident in this interview group’s desire to collaborate on projects. The event management teams initiated extensive communication by integrating the team identity values into every message and its relationship with stakeholders and implementing every event operation. By establishing mutual ground via communication, collaboration was built up in various audiences: consumers, shareholders and investors, employees, suppliers, and local communities. To secure the success of each event, collaboration matters. In the words of the Customer Experience Director, “[I]t https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Senter, A., Beattie, M. & Deng, D. (2021) / Events and Tourism Review, 4(1), 1-16. 48 Events and Tourism Review Vol. 4 No. 1 (2021), 43-56, DOI: 10.18060/25307 Copyright © 2021 Angela Senter, Mark Beattie and Demi Deng This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. is really about collaboration and working through it and trying to, you know, what is the best outcome and sometimes the answer is just hard.” Findings and Discussion Communication and collaboration can go a long way in building a harmonious team relationship. However, in the context of event security, it needs to go much deeper. The event team frequently discussed their trust in one another. When lives are on the line, you must know that you can trust those around you to make sound judgments and that the policies and procedures put in place are being followed. The team gave an example of this at the Robert Plant rock music concert in the Opera House. An overzealous fan rushed the stage and nearly encountered the singer. Later, the team reviewed the case and discussed various places where protocols had broken down, from the floor security not correctly watching the front row fans to the stage security not stopping the individual when the audience member reached the singer. The lack of overall communication and training among the staff was pointed to as the main shortcoming. By integrating communication and collaboration, the team's relationships would be enhanced, and trust better established. Trust is the glue that holds event security alliances together. It is about a deep relationship that could impact a more comprehensive array of event participants, customer engagement, local community awareness and commitment, employees' sense of belonging, and even satisfaction. As the Park Ranger expressed it, “You know when you see something, how important it is to share that to the appropriate person to get some assistance and investigating” (Park Ranger). The Sergeant of Special Events recounted that in this case, because the Rangers “were doing their own research and they wanted to have a safe event…they were the ones that brought it forward to us.” Even the best-laid plans go awry at events. All respondents frequently articulated how fast events can change, and they all possessed a positive attitude towards change. Most importantly, all respondents could articulate the ability to absorb the change proactively. Such an adaptive attitude is developed from three causes based on respondents' feedback. Those leaders' characteristics are consistent with the merits of servant leaders who inspire the effectiveness of event management. First, prompt job description and detailed training are provided to event staff: “They’re given the parameters of this is the area that you are working in” (Sergeant of Special Events). Second, event operation teams are always prepared for the unexpected scenario and have back-up plans in hand. The Director of Entertainment explained this outlook and process in the case of Hoopfest: “[W]hen you need a police officer and they've worked with Homeland Security to do drills on various scenarios of what could happen because of the focal point of Hoopfest. So, what is the possibility of something catastrophic happening or is it just sort of a, a weekly and smaller event where the environment allows for some control.” The Customer Experience Director added, “[D]epending on events, we can require them (security) to have crowd control.” Third, event employees are supported with resources. In Spokane, as the Marketing and Program Director recounted, “We have security ambassadors wearing bullet-proof vests...they have not been attacked in the past…. [W]e provide protective equipment for them, but we got a lot of complaints about the perception that downtown is not safe because our ambassadors were wearing bullet-proof vest.” The findings are consistent with the key characteristics of event leadership, which include listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, foresight, stewardship, and awareness of https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Senter, A., Beattie, M. & Deng, D. (2021) / Events and Tourism Review, 4(1), 1-16. 49 Events and Tourism Review Vol. 4 No. 1 (2021), 43-56, DOI: 10.18060/25307 Copyright © 2021 Angela Senter, Mark Beattie and Demi Deng This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. community building (Parris & Peachey, 2013). However, the application of change is challenging to some employees due to role stress and level of job competency. Interviewees reflected that “the staff we hire are young people that are fresh out of high school, a seasonal staff to help out with events and our attractions…. When you work in a potential terrorist target…we try not to scare them away” (Park Ranger). The nature of change itself is also a variable of concern. As events change, policies and procedures need to change as well. That change does not always occur at the rate that it needs to remain valid. The timeline from policy drafting, change, and implementation may vary from six months up to five years. During this period, procedures or workflows may be adjusted or stalled due to the influence of uncontrollable conditions such as the change of key personnel in authority or the inability to identify critical stakeholders correctly. It was noted also that there is a financial disparity among large or small events that are attempting to have more transparent movements on the cost. The Marketing and Programming Director lamented that “literally for five years now, it’s very political.” In the words of the Customer Experience Director, “It was still too much gray area and then also the concerns of moving to face what we still need to resolve.” The change in events can be best mitigated by correctly identifying the threat spectrum. The contemporary challenge is how to balance the event as both entertaining and safe. When something significant goes wrong at a special event, there can be lasting economic, political, and social consequences. All of respondents encountered unexpected risks or incidents. To control risk, it is not only about recovery strategies but also avoidance strategies. To achieve this outcome, it is necessary to anticipate the spectrum of possible threats in real-world events and help event organizers to think outside of the box: [I]f there is an emergency, a riot or something breaks out to threaten the public because of the social distancing…I think the mindset now is not to have that density of their vendors and the queue lines and pathways open. We always follow the rule that we need to have a space for emergency vehicles to get in and out of. And I think people and really our event organizers are really understanding that now. (Pavilion Event and Sales Manager) The Marketing and Programming Director put is simply: “The priority is the physical safety of those that are attending.” Questions were raised such as “[D]id anybody give any thought to active shooter? … I am not trying to sound like a nutcase here, but did we give any thought to that because if I were a bad guy, I can look right down onto the crowd and stage, that would be a perfect place for me to be an active shooter” (Park Ranger). Risk avoidance is only one half of the spectrum. Risk mitigation has also to be considered. Uncertainty and surprise are part of all events' real-world compositions (Amorin et al., 2014). The respondents identified the need to be prepared and to have the resources and the mindset to address actual emergencies. One respondent gave a potent example: We had an incident last year…. a major event [Hoopfest] in downtown that brings 250,000 people … and a child was sort of stopped and almost abducted and because we had a large police presence at that event, they were able to stop that, otherwise I can’t imagine how the event would have been affected if a child had gone missing. (Marketing and Programming Director). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Senter, A., Beattie, M. & Deng, D. (2021) / Events and Tourism Review, 4(1), 1-16. 50 Events and Tourism Review Vol. 4 No. 1 (2021), 43-56, DOI: 10.18060/25307 Copyright © 2021 Angela Senter, Mark Beattie and Demi Deng This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. However, to map out a security strategy in advance requires a cost. Event management teams sometimes must negotiate a high cost evoked by the organization of security procedure versus stakeholders' questions. To a degree, they struggled to find a balance between the cost of security and the event’s economic impact. The Customer Experience Director stated that “it is definitely just a trust issue when they came up with what they think is the appropriate level of staffing.” At the same time, “They want to have a safe event, and at the same time you have to tell them it's going to cost 40 grand to have people sit there in their trucks and guard an intersection. There is a little sticker shock with that. So, to me, my role is to make sure is it appropriate… are there alternatives?” (Customer Experience Director). Once security threats are identified and plans are put into place, the respondents discussed the need to have clear communication with guests. For instance, adding metal detectors to the Carrie Underwood concert (2013) was new for guests to the Spokane Arena. The marketing staff worked hard to put out social media posts and radio announcements telling fans about the new changes, to arrive early, and to be prepared for the enhanced security measures. The communication planned worked well, and there were no issues ushering guests through the new protocols. When Neil Diamond also requested metal detectors, the marketing team again reached out to social media and the radio stations to make announcements, but they did not consider the guest demographic change and identify that this was not the right platform to communicate with their guests. As a result, long lines formed at the security entry points, and guest satisfaction suffered. To the attendees it was told they should “make sure that they showed up early, or if you are wearing a belt buckle...make sure you have it off by the time you get up to the metal detectors, because it was a long line when we had a lot of people waiting out there and we even held the event, I think, an extra 15 minutes before it started” (Director of Entertainment). When large-scale events are held outside of a controlled environment like an arena, community communication can play a vital role. One of our participants pointed out the limitation of communication on community awareness: “I would really like to find a way to be able to communicate more effectively when there is an event ongoing in someone’s neighborhood or area that they need to be aware of…but every year we find somebody new to Spokane and did not know what they could be exposed to” (Customer Experience Director). This concern was also emphasized by a homeowner on the Bloomsday race route: “Somebody’s upset that they could not leave the house for a 15-minute period and could not figure out why a group of runners came by” (Customer Experience Director). Understanding community impact and finding creative ways to lessen this impact starts with an excellent external communication plan. A robust external communication plan also helps guests and the local community feel safe attending events. Most interviewees stated that visitors in this community were quite supportive and comfortable with any security changes. They appreciated the support to the small business development in this community via event management (“it's been really awesome to see the city coming alive and you see the prosperous small businesses…. [H]opefully, they can come back and see the small businesses grow…. I haven't felt this connected to a city and its progression and its momentum moving forward really ever before” (Riverfront Park Sales and Event Manager). This causes a strong network between the community and event stakeholders. The positive outcome of visitors’ feedback is the key signal. The Customer Experience Director emphasized visitors knowing that Spokane is “a great community that really loves events” and that they are “Pleased with our improvements in the process and what they would like us to work on” and that “we all can still have our events in a safe manner.” The Sergeant of Special https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Senter, A., Beattie, M. & Deng, D. (2021) / Events and Tourism Review, 4(1), 1-16. 51 Events and Tourism Review Vol. 4 No. 1 (2021), 43-56, DOI: 10.18060/25307 Copyright © 2021 Angela Senter, Mark Beattie and Demi Deng This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Events likewise mentioned the goal of impressions being “Very positive, they like events when they get down here, safe and secure” (Sergeant of Special Events). The continuation of this level of success greatly depends on the team’s ability to learn from past events, which is not always guaranteed. “[W]e had an event coming up, it was very simple. this is some of the communication stuff, just because I have been doing it. And it is like, Okay, everybody should know this. Well, no, it wasn't that simple” (Sergeant of Special Events). For some events, like a local fair or an annual special event, institutional memory is a sufficient organizational resource and operational database for reflection and advancement. Thorough decision-making stems from three critical components, and institutional memory is one of the core aspects (El Sawy et al., 1986). Those who host unique or infrequent events can also learn transferable skills from past events. The need for a written post-event assessment was paramount as staffing and stakeholder changes create a need for contingency. Completing this stage properly helps leaders begin to identify potential threats and strategies for countering the threats and also draw a salient role of the importance of security control and management among all the parties involved ( Fussey & Klauser, 2015). Conclusion So as our team once again gathered around the table (nowadays on Zoom), they reflected on their past successes and the many learning opportunities they have had over the years. Not only was guest physical safety on the top of their mind, but now protecting the event guest from a public health crisis was foremost. The last thing any of our team wanted was to end up in the evening news as the cause of a “super-spreader” event. They know they had the relationships, training, and communication to create safe and fun events for Spokane once again. They decided to roll up their sleeves and get to work. The first action was to outline all the possible topics to address. • What decision-making strategies make the most sense now? • How will policies affect employees, guests, and the public? • Who will train employees and event volunteers? • How will new equipment be paid for and operated under which budgets? • Communication will be the key to success. What strategies will be most effective? The team reached out to an event management class at a local university for assistance to gain the broadest perspective. The team was excited and looked forward to the students’ final presentation. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Senter, A., Beattie, M. & Deng, D. (2021) / Events and Tourism Review, 4(1), 1-16. 52 Events and Tourism Review Vol. 4 No. 1 (2021), 43-56, DOI: 10.18060/25307 Copyright © 2021 Angela Senter, Mark Beattie and Demi Deng This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Case synopsis Event security is becoming a key topic in event planning. Cybersecurity of registrations, intruders, food safety, violent actors, and now viruses create a rapidly changing landscape. Students and professionals in event planning benefit from the expertise of professionals like the ones featured in this case study. Gaining an understanding for the complexity in intersections of multiple kinds of expertise required to approach event security holistically is the main focal point of this case. The long-standing commitment to large-scale events in Spokane, WA, has brought together the collection of city officials, public safety, and event management on a standing committee that works together for public events throughout the city. Collaboration and communication are the hallmarks of their success. It is these leadership skills that can be applied in other settings where public events take place to ensure guest safety. Spokane, WA, (pop. 500,000) is a mid-sized event market that has capitalized on large-scale events, particularly sport related events such as Hoopfest and Bloomsday. The Spokane Veterans’ Memorial Arena is a multi-purpose home to the local hockey team along with concerts trade shows and graduations. Avista stadium hosts a single-A baseball team. The Spokane Convention Center and a large adjacent auditorium (First Interstate Center) have multiple venue spaces. Numerous hotels, restaurants, and shopping outlets surround Riverfront Park in the downtown core. Target audience This case would be useful for hospitality, tourism, and business administration students with moderate to extensive knowledge of event management, tourism, destination management organizations, risk management, and large event security issues. It is recommended for use as an introductory exploratory case. It is suggested for use in tourism, event management, or event risk management courses. Considering the moderate level of difficulty of the case, it would be appropriate for students in the middle to ending semester of a certificate or undergraduate program. Learning objectives The primary objectives of this case are as follows: A. Construct a correlation between relationship and collaboration within an event security team. 1) Sub-objective: Identify roadblocks that impede communication 2) Sub-objective: List and categorize stakeholders and their associative roles and responsibilities B. Recommend communication strategies that foster trust among stakeholders. 1) Sub-objective: Explain how power distance affects task force development 2) Sub-objective: Identify ways to create mutual ground among stakeholders C. Evaluate a threat spectrum. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Senter, A., Beattie, M. & Deng, D. (2021) / Events and Tourism Review, 4(1), 1-16. 53 Events and Tourism Review Vol. 4 No. 1 (2021), 43-56, DOI: 10.18060/25307 Copyright © 2021 Angela Senter, Mark Beattie and Demi Deng This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 1) Sub-objective: Compare and contrast risk avoidance verses risk mitigation 2) Sub-objective: Identify and allocate costs associated with risk avoidance and mitigation D. Illustrate the importance of safety training system. 1) Sub-objective: Discuss the impact of the application of change 2) Sub-objective: Identify community perspective on policies and training E. Create and defend a sample event security communication and relationship building plan for a hypothetical public health crisis. Teaching plan and objectives The suggested strategy for a 60-minute discussion is formulated for an undergraduate or certificate program, mid-level course. The table below presents an overview of the proposed classroom activities, the corresponding objectives, and the recommended time allocations. The steps are then explained. Step Classroom Activity Objectives Time 1. Defining the problem Read case study and highlight important themes A, A1 5 min 2. Setting the Stage Plenary discussion identifying stakeholder roles, responsibilities, and power distances A2, B, B1, B2 5 min 3. Assessing the risk Plenary discussion to conduct a risk assessment listing accepted or mitigated risk hierarchies C, C1, C2, 5 min 4. Developing the strategy Small group communication strategy planning D, D1, D2, B 20 min 5. Defending the conclusion Group sharing of communication strategies to plenary body E 20 min 6. Closing the case Plenary summary of key communication and relationship strategies necessary for success B, D, E 5 min Step 1: Defining the Problem: The teacher may elect to allow silent reading or reading aloud by section, instructor, or committee. The teacher then records on the board the key findings and significant themes identified by the students. Leading questions the instructor may ask to help the students ferry the key themes might include the following: o What did the interviewees list as communication strategies that worked well for them? o What did the interviewees list as roadblocks in building their team relationships? o How did they factor in community safety perceptions? https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Senter, A., Beattie, M. & Deng, D. (2021) / Events and Tourism Review, 4(1), 1-16. 54 Events and Tourism Review Vol. 4 No. 1 (2021), 43-56, DOI: 10.18060/25307 Copyright © 2021 Angela Senter, Mark Beattie and Demi Deng This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. o How did trust factor into their relationships? Here the instructor may either allow a robust group to summarize themes as a plenary group or may need to ask the class more leading questions if they have not discovered the full scope of the issue. Step 2: Setting the Stage: Given the example of how Spokane should move forward into its next large-scale event, the teacher should record the students' aggregate perceptions of all stakeholder groups' identity. Columns can be used to list the stakeholder, their roles, their responsibilities, and their degree of influence over the event security strategy. For groups that need more concrete parameters to work under a sample, the event could be given. For example, students could be asked to identify all stakeholders associated with the Bloomsday event. Guiding questions could be: o Who in the community does this event effect? o Who would attend this event? o Who is covering most of the costs and collecting the revenues? o What are the secondary service providers required to run this event? o Who would be most impacted by a catastrophic crisis? Step 3. Assessing the Risk. In a plenary setting, the teacher should record on the board the students' aggregate conclusions of the risks associated with Spokane during large scale events. Columns can be used to identify the risk, its likelihood to occur, its severity or impact of occurrence, and if the class's consensus is to ignore, mitigate, or accept the risk. For groups that required a concrete example in Step 2 carry the example into the risk assessment discussion. For the Bloomsday example some leading questions for the class might include: o What are the risks to guests’ health and safety? o What are the risks to the community’s health and safety? o What are the risks to the client’s financial health? o What are the risks to the client’s brand affinity? o What are the risks for employees of the event? o What are the risks to secondary service providers? Step 4: Developing the Strategy. Break students into equal groups of 5-8 students per group. Assign one student in each group as the recorder with all groups' members providing ideas and content equally. Have students also identify one group member as the presenter to summarize the group's conclusion for the class. The teacher should identify to the groups that they are to brainstorm communication and relationship building strategies to help Spokane continue to move forward most efficiently in their event security policy creation and implementation. Foster a classroom culture of inclusion and acceptance during this period. Give time warnings as the clock progresses to help students to stay on task and to reach their conclusions in time. Step 5: Defending the Conclusion. The teacher should bring the class back into a plenary setting, and the designated spokesperson from each group should explain their group’s findings in a 2–5- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Senter, A., Beattie, M. & Deng, D. (2021) / Events and Tourism Review, 4(1), 1-16. 55 Events and Tourism Review Vol. 4 No. 1 (2021), 43-56, DOI: 10.18060/25307 Copyright © 2021 Angela Senter, Mark Beattie and Demi Deng This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. minute quick pitch. Key points from each group could be captured on the board to see if aggregate themes emerge. Step 6: Closing the Case. The instructor should help the class draw parallels between the information provided in the case and the communication recommendations pitched from each group. The list of key points made during the presentation should show clear themes. Ideas presented that deviated from the themes should be explored for validity and inclusion as “out of the box” thinking should be encouraged. Encourage the class to come up with a 3 or 4 sentence recommendation for the City of Spokane in how best to proceed with creating effective large event security policies in the future. Supporting Material Downtown Spokane Partnership https://downtownspokane.org/ Spokane Arena https://www.spokanearena.com/ Spokane Convention Center https://www.spokanecenter.com Spokane Parks and Recreation https://my.spokanecity.org/parksrec/ Spokane Regional Health District https://srhd.org/ Bloomsday https://www.bloomsdayrun.org/ Hoopfest https://www.spokanehoopfest.net/ Pig out in the Park https://pigoutinthepark.com/ Visit Spokane https://www.visitspokane.com References Amorin, E., Gonçalves Gândara, J., Tarlow, P., & Korstanje, M. (2014). Event management, risk and security: Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup. International Journal of Safety and Security in Tourism, 1(6), 42–51. Boyle, P., & Haggerty, K. D. (2009). Spectacular security: Mega-events and the security complex. International Political Sociology, 3(3), 257–274. Clouse, T. (2020). Pandemic hammers Spokane hotel industry. The Spokane Review. https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jul/30/davenport-owner-lays-off-more-than-100-as- pandemic/ DiSalvatore, A. (2019). Hospitality security : Procedures, policies, and training. Cognella Academic Publishing. El Sawy, O. A., Gomes, G. M., & Gonzalez, M. V. (1986). Preserving institutional memory: The management of history as an organizational resource. Academy of Management Proceedings, 1986(1), 118–122. Fussey, P., & Klauser, F. (2015). Securitisation and the mega-event: An editorial introduction. Geographical Journal, 181(3), 194–198. Klauser, F. R. (2015). Interacting forms of expertise and authority in mega-event security: The example of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Geographical Journal, 181(3), 224–234. Miles, L., & Shipway, R. (2020). Exploring the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst for stimulating future research agendas for managing crises and disasters at international sport events. 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