Operations in today’s modern venues never truly stop. Stadiums, arenas, and large public facilities need to be prepared for anything when the lights are turned off.
A recent webinar that 24/7 Software hosted, “24/7 Operations in a 9-to-5 World: Lessons from the Venues That Never Sleep,” brought together industry leaders to discuss the persistent challenges and practical strategies required to maintain peak performance and venue safety 24 hours a day.
The discussion featured insights from:
Right off the bat, the panelists identified a few core roadblocks that universally impact venue operations, regardless of a facility’s size or event schedule.
High staff turnover, combined with the need to deal with difficult or alcohol-impaired guests, makes human engagement the most important foundational piece of a successful operation. Venues must create a culture where staff members feel supported and trained to handle complex interactions.
The diversity and high volume of events, especially smaller, nonrepetitive events, create complexity and stress for teams. As Greg noted, "Those events worry me more because they're the ones that we don't do over and over and over and have a good ... repetition of performance at.”
Venues frequently invest in advanced software, such as video management systems or operations management platforms, but utilize only a fraction of their capabilities (as little as 5-20 percent). The path to operational excellence requires leveraging technology to its fullest extent. David shared, "I've seen some venues that are using one or five percent of the ability of the software.”
The solution to underutilization is simple yet often overlooked: Reach out to your provider's customer success managers. Most vendors offer free training or support that can unlock the additional 95 percent of the capabilities of the platform, ultimately making your team more efficient.
Incidents don't adhere to a 9-to-5 schedule. The discussion highlighted the specific challenges of maintaining continuous operations and crucial communication protocols when leadership is off-site.
For incidents occurring late at night or during off-hours, the immediate need is real-time information to leadership. Greg emphasized that this is about empowering staff, not micromanaging them. Front-line security teams must know they have the full support of management and feel comfortable waking up a supervisor for a serious incident. In an era of increasingly hostile behavior directed at staff, ensuring their safety and security is a top management priority.
The Buffalo Bills needed a solution to track incidents, improve real-time communication, and enhance reporting for better decision-making.
The foundation of a resilient operation is consistent documentation and a commitment to perpetual improvement. David emphasized the necessity of documenting every action: "If you didn't document it first, it never happened.”
The full process is a continuous loop of risk management: risk assessment → mitigation → planning → training → implementation → exercising → after action.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium uses 24/7 Software’s incident reporting, which Greg stated has "saved us hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal costs" because of the documented incidents.
The next level of operational excellence is centered on four areas:
Ultimately, achieving world-class venue operations and exceptional experiences requires an integrated approach: leveraging technology to streamline communication and documentation, empowering staff to act as 24/7 sentinels, and consistently auditing procedures to ensure a state of readiness.
The path to continuous operations and excellence is a journey of collaboration, consistent training, and relentless documentation. By embracing risk assessment and after-action correction, you can transform challenges into opportunities for growth.
To hear the full discussion, including more detailed insights into venue security auditing and staffing strategies, check out the complete webinar.