Keeping Your Edge Encore

Encore Keeping Your Edge:

Keeping Your Edge: Action vs. Reaction By the time you read this the word Pandemic would have been etched into the vocabulary of most men, women and children. The Novel Coronavirus Covid-19 has swept the planet and literally changed the way we conduct both business and professional life. By: Elijah Shaw

Handshakes with strangers are a thing of the past, and in some places, even being seen out in public without a facemask could me met with public scorn, fines, and even state sanctioned beatings. The security industry has also felt the bite of the Coronavirus, and one area specifically has been decimated, that is the protection of artist and entertainers who make live appearances and tour. By its very nature, both

of the above involve celebrities appearing before crowds of people, and in a Pandemic era, where the transmission of this virus seems to be spread by the healthy as well as the sick, caution has outweighed capitalism. We also need to be honest, It’s not just a concern for the public safety that is causing a near cessation of the touring sector, it’s also the risk of liability. If a significant outbreak of the virus could be linked to an entertainer, venue or promoter, there could be significant damage both financially and to brand reputation. This has led to major acts such as Dave Matthews, Santana, Justin Bieber, Bad Bunny, Bob Dylan, Kenny Chesney, and Snoop Dogg to cancel their upcoming tours. Festival wise, England’s iconic, Reading and Leeds, Burning Man, The Montreux Jazz Festival, Coachella, SXSW, Pitchfork, and on a personal note, even the festival that is produced by a long time client -- one in which I oversee the overall security plan and provide staffing, had been forced to first reschedule, and then cancel until next year. To drill down, the 19 members of my staff who would have been playing vital roles, along with the hundreds who made up the contracted front of house safety and security staff, all have holes in there schedules where once verified work would have been. So what is the solution? Already plans are in motion and either out of necessity or innovation some show creators are trying to make live appearances possible while trying to keep the risk of transmission low. For example in Arkansas, a venue that normally has a 1,100 person capacity will have the amount of people allowed into the show reduced by 80 percent to attend an upcoming show. Just 229 fans will be the number allowed

onto the site, and the crowds will not be able to mingle as concertgoers have in the past. Instead to accomplish social distancing, the attendees will be separated into small areas, called “fan pods.” A review of the posted safety precautions for the event, outlined by the ticket distributor are as follows: 1. The balcony will be only accessible by stairs, not by elevator. 2. The venue will be sanitized by an independent third party prior to the event via fog sprayers. If a significant outbreak of the virus could be linked to an entertainer, venue or promoter, there could be significant damage both financially and to brand reputation.

3. Masks will be required for both fans and employees.

4. Fans arriving without masks will be able to purchase them at the venue.

5. The theater will use one-way walkways, as per Center for Disease Control guidelines, which will be supervised by employees.

6. Fan “pods” (i.e. groups) must be separated by at least six feet at all times. 7. There is a 10-person limit in the restrooms, which will use no- touch soap/towel dispensers. Some “bathroom fixtures” will be closed to help ensure proper social distancing. 8. Fans’ temperatures will be taken at entry points. 9. Only prepackaged beverages, or ones with lids, will be served. 10. Staff will be wiping down “touch points.” The show is scheduled to happen as we go to

press, so we can only hope that the results end up being favorable. If not, and we end up with a scenario in which concertgoers get sick and then take that back to their respective communities, we could see the larger plans to restart stall for quite some time. For example, Live Nation, the global giant in the touring space, has announced that all its major tours will be postponed until 2021, and because the majority of its concert business takes place in America and Europe, -- two parts of the world hit hard by Covid, the promoter has seen its revenues drop 25% in the first quarter alone. Additionally they anno unced they would be furloughing about 80% of their work force. What does this mean for Protectors? Well without the touring, the clients that spends a lot of days on the road from that performing may not have a need for us. The dirty secret is, even high net worth individuals are conscious of their expenditures, and in a drought one of the first things they look at is reducing security spending.

My advice?

1. Take active steps to diversity your portfolio. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, even a lucrative one. Very few could have predicted a pandemic, but we do know that in this business, tomorrow is not promised. 2. On a brighter note, Know that if you can weather the storm, when touring portfolios do get back into regular business, they will be full steam and nonstop. It will then be up to you to make sure you are prepared to reenter what will surely be a more competitive market, and I would recommend doing it armed with an exceptional understanding of this current crisis.

Elijah Shaw is the National Director of the North American Bodyguard Association and the CEO of ICON Global, and International Executive Protection Consulting Firm. Elijah, who has been featured in international publications such as Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur, and Portfolio, runs the ICON Academy, an EP Training Program specializing in Celebrity & VIP Protection. He also currently sits on the Board of Directors of Executive Security International (ESI), the United States oldest Executive Protection Training School. His book, An Introduction to Executive Protection & Touring: A Guide to Mastering the Business of VIP Security, hit the Amazon best sellers list, and is available now worldwide.