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EMSSI TAKES OFF


Overland Park Convention Center Shares Experiences As EMSSI Pilot Venue By Britaney Wehrmeister


With violent attacks seemingly happening on a daily basis, the Exhi- bitions & Meetings Safety & Security Initiative (EMSSI) was created to protect the millions of people who work, exhibit and attend meet- ings, conventions and exhibitions every day. EMSSI later formed the Industry Security Council to align smart practices and guidelines, as a resource to organizations who are exploring methods to better enhance security operations. The Overland Park Convention Center in suburban Kansas City was selected, along with the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, to pilot these practices and guidelines. “This is something that unfortunately needs to be more than just considered, it needs to be done,” Overland Park Convention Center General Manager Brett C. Mitchell said when discussing the latest smart practices and security guidelines within the convention center   take additional steps to keep people safe.” Terror attacks carried out on public venues have dominated the


news cycle over the past decade; even more so within the past few years. The latest, an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, En- gland, where a suicide bombing killed 22 people and wounded 59, many were young children. “This tragedy should have everyone’s attention,” Mitchell said.


“These are the kind of scenarios we are hoping to minimize in our industry with this new initiative.” Given the ever-present dynamic threat environment within the in-


dustry, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expressed their continued concern regarding the potential for Homegrown Violent Extremists (HVE)—especially those adhering to the Islamic State’s (ISIL) brutal ideology—to conduct attacks against a range


40 Facility Manager Magazine


of soft targets (e.g., convention centers) in the U.S. with little to no warning. The Industry Security Council, which includes a broad range of


industry representatives, security consultants and the DHS, takes a “destination approach” to convention center security. “The venue managers on the council were passionate about each


destination being in control of its own security decisions,” Mitch-           - proach.” First, the test. The pilot took place over two days at the Overland


Park Convention Center. Using the smart practices drafted by EMS- SI, the Overland Park team was asked to report on their current protocols and provide an opinion on whether each practice was rea- sonable for small to mid-size venues and destinations.


Login & Learn The IAVM website (www.iavm.org) is where you will go to sign up to stay on top of all EMSSI initiatives and the latest information concerning best practices for venue safety. The portal is easy to use and will be accessed through the IAVM website and links out to a secure network that will act as the platform to traverse through a customized application.


Create a Destination Safety Network Get all of the local stakeholders involved in the conversation to ef- fectively secure a plan. Rather than review current smart practices in-house, the Over-


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