How Crisis Management Technology is Transforming Events

Live events are back in force for audiences, ranging from business owners building valuable connections at a trade show to the 533.41 million music fans who bought tickets in 2023. However, gathering such large crowds comes with potential risks. Event managers have to balance keeping their attendees safe and satisfied.

Extreme weather, overcrowding, and other undesirable circumstances have been risks for as long as events have been held. While improved safety standards and better infrastructure have made them safer than they were in the past, they can’t—and don’t—prevent disasters outright. 

A good crisis response is vital for mitigating damages if something happens, and the right event technology can improve your response. 

Why Do Events Need Crisis Management Technology?

A safe and successful event requires businesses to expect the unexpected. An event manager can spend years planning their dream festival, only to have it fall apart in minutes due to overcrowding, sudden storms, or other potential issues. 

In 2015, for instance, the TomorrowWorld Electronic Music Festival was hit by stormy weather that left attendees stranded and the company with a PR disaster on their hands. If event managers don’t plan for the worst-case scenarios, they’re setting themselves up for trouble if the worst does happen.

However, if an event goes south, the situation can get far worse than unhappy participants. 2015 also saw the Colectiv nightclub fire, which, after a band's pyrotechnics ignited the decor, led to the injuries of 100 people and the deaths of 64. Many of the club-goers believed the fire was part of the show at first, and, upon realizing it wasn’t, stampeded to the one working exit door at the venue. Victor Ionescu, who was at the club when the fire broke out, told reporters that it was “total chaos; people were trampling on each other.”  

While emergency event software can’t prevent fires or inclement weather, it can facilitate improved crisis responses and outcomes. A thorough plan protects event attendees and staff by identifying potential threats, providing clear directions to the nearest exits, and updating the local authorities. Event technology can streamline your crisis plan and hasten your response times.

Apps that provide push notifications can inform attendees of emergencies, while internal software can provide better communication and coordination for your crisis response team. A world of new technology is available, and crisis response is better for it. 

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Types of Event Technology for Crisis Management

Event technology has evolved at a whirlwind speed, introducing innovations that will shape the industry for years. Many businesses are already exploring the possibilities of different event solutions, and with custom software development, these tools can save lives while providing their other benefits.

Geofencing

Geofencing is a boon for crowd control even outside of a crisis, allowing businesses to track attendees as they pass through a set digital perimeter. While this event technology can be helpful in gathering insights into attendee behavior, it can also be used to monitor how many visitors are attending an event at any given time. 

Knowing how many people are in a given area and where they are enables event promoters to prevent crises before they arise by flagging potential overcrowding and bottlenecks in real time.

One example of an overcrowding disaster was the 2021 Astroworld Festival, which had an estimated 50,000 attendees. Eight young concertgoers lost their lives during a crowd crush, 25 were brought to the hospital, and over 300 sought help at an onsite medical tent. The event is considered to be one of the deadliest concerts in US history. 

For modern concerts, geofencing makes it easier for event managers to prevent crowd crushes by limiting the number of attendees at the venue—and even in specific areas—without relying on the possibility of human error in count. 

In addition to preventing potential overcrowding disasters, geofencing is also useful for active emergency evacuations. When an evacuation is needed, geofencing makes it easier to send targeting information to attendees in hyper-specific areas, getting information where it’s needed while avoiding panic. They can also check whether anyone might have been hurt or left behind in the chaos by checking for activity in the geofenced area.

If a crime was committed at the event, police can use geofence warrants to determine who was present. In 2020, for example, geofence warrants were used to solve a murder case that had gone unsolved for months. Prosecutor Jesse Evans claimed it to be one of the first successful uses of geofencing technology in Georgia.

RFID Badges

Like geofencing, Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) badges can be helpful in crowd control and locating lost attendees. However, RFID technology offers unique features that make it an appealing option for additional capabilities. 

Some chips feature integrated temperature sensors, which certain hospitals now use to monitor their patients. For live events, this type of feature could notify event managers of any irregular changes in body temperature during sporting events such as marathons. With at least 40 runners suffering heat stroke during the latest Marathon Monday, quickly identifying and locating lost competitors can mean the difference between life and death. If a competitor is missing or displaying signs of distress, the RFID chip allows managers to send aid to their location. 

RFID tags are also used for respiration and heart rate monitoring, which custom software developers can combine with temperature tracking for a more comprehensive solution. Event managers can then use this solution to monitor attendees during events with heavy alcohol consumption or other possible substance use. Research has found that there were at least 32 potential drug-related deaths (DRDs) during festivals between 2017 and 2023, which RFID tracking could potentially help prevent. 

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Augmented Reality

Many events already use augmented reality (AR) to impose interactive, real-time, guided instructions using maps of their venues. These maps are always with attendees so long as they have their phones on them and are especially useful for larger indoor venues. During an emergency evacuation, attendees can use these maps to find the nearest exit to their location. 

These maps are also useful for first responders navigating the event, as they can show where attendees might gather or reveal points of interest like fire extinguishers or gas lines. 

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the event industry since it emerged, improving user experience through chatbots, real-time data gathering, and other automated features. While these help make events more engaging through personalization, AI also has the potential to save lives. 

Environmental health risk management (EHRM) researchers have predicted tsunami amplitudes by combining AI with data from the Global Navigation Satellite System. As AI and machine learning advance, researchers believe they could eventually predict earthquakes, terrorist actions, and extreme weather events.

AI is also exceptionally good at recognizing patterns and predicting outcomes. The same kind of algorithms that allow generative AI to extract critical data and make predictions about weather and finances can also be used for crowd management. Leveraging AI in combination with geofencing, RFIDs, or even aerial monitoring feeds can predict impending crowd crises before they arise.

Potential Drawbacks

As helpful as event technology can be during a crisis, it isn’t a perfect solution. A device’s connection and battery life limits tools like AR and AI. RFID badges can lose signal. Geofencing is often seen as a privacy concern, and geofence warrants took a major hit last year when Google announced it would start encrypting its users’ location data. There is also the human element to consider, as during a crisis, attendees may not always think to look at their phones for instructions.

Custom software development can address some, though not all, of these concerns. For instance, the University of Essex has developed a custom-built AI that can save a phone’s battery life by 30%. Businesses can also opt to keep certain features disabled unless an emergency does occur. 

Custom software solutions also keep attendees’ location data in the hands of the event managers behind it, reducing the risk of third parties exploiting private information.

Does Your Response Need Custom Software Development?

Events, especially in the last few decades, have had to adapt to a growing list of potential threats. Music festivals in Australia have been increasingly canceled or postponed by extreme weather events such as floods and bushfires, raising concerns about climate change. Gun violence has been on the rise in the US, with at least 35 school shootings reported in 2024 alone. 

Event managers can’t change these increasing risk factors. However, they can leverage new and emerging technology to improve safety whenever possible. Investing in custom software development for your crisis response can ensure that it meets your specific needs and remains up to date with the latest innovations in safety standards.

If you’re interested in refining your crisis management plan with custom-built AI and other technology, get in touch with FullStack Labs. Our teams understand the threats events face and have the expertise to counteract them with custom software solutions.