Managing Crowds at Large Events

We’ve talked on this blog before about managing crowds at locations such as theme parks and festivals, but what about events that take place indoors? Hundreds of conventions are held across the USA every year, and the majority of these conventions take place indoors. When you have thousands of individuals crowding into one building, it can be a bit hectic. Luckily many conventions have found ways around these issues.

In this post we’re going to go over a few of the main problems with large indoor event crowds, and solutions you may use to overcome them.

Number 1: Registration lines are long and slow.

Solution: There are multiple ways around this problem, though it cannot be eliminated entirely. Anime Central, the third largest anime convention in America, now offers mailed badges. Attendees pay an extra fee for their badges to be sent in the mail. This eliminates a large chunk of people from the line entirely. Those not wishing to pay extra or who don’t register in advanced can still do so the traditional way. You may also choose to have multiple registration lines, such as one for pre-registered attendees and one for those registering onsite, as onsite registration takes longer. Another excellent option is to offer registration the day before the event, so those arriving early can get signed in early to cut down on lines the day of.

Number 2: Multiple lines cause confusion.

Solution: Have signage to help guide your guests. It is traditional for signage to be at the front of the line, but if it’s a large line your guests can benefit from multiple signs along the way. A whiteboard can work very well for this to write out the name of the panel and the capacity of the room. This may lead to guests not waiting needlessly if the line is already very long for an event. It also allows you to easily update schedules that can change quickly during a convention. 

Number 3: There are too many people in too small a space.

Solution: Make use of every bit of space of your venue that you can. This is really about planning ahead. Predict how popular a particular screening or panel is to be. The more popular, the larger the room should be with plenty of space for lines. Dealers and registration need a large, open area for setup and lines, so take that into account as well. If possible, expand to multiple buildings. A lot of conventions make use of part of a convention center as well as one or even multiple nearby hotels. You may even choose to host several outdoor events. Utilizing your space correctly will make it less crowded and overwhelming.

Number 4: Panels and screenings are overcrowded.

Solution: Panels are the largest reason attendees will pay for admission to a convention, so of course they are going to be crowded. Clear signage and crowd control barriers are a great way to keep the lines themselves organized. If you are hoping to cut down on lines, a great way to do this is to have plenty of ongoing programming. This will depend on what type of event you are hosting. You may have lounge and networking areas, video game rooms, lending libraries…whatever fits the theme. It should be something available throughout the entire convention so guests can come and go, and hopefully cut down on traffic to panels a bit.

Problem 5: Lines are too long

Solution: If you are running a popular event, lines are going to be long. There’s not much you can do about that. What you can do is keep lines organized and keep guests happy. Using tape, rope, or other barriers can keep crowds organized. When there are multiple lines in one area it’s easy to become confused. You should also strive to keep attendees informed. Staff should go up and down long lines, giving instructions and guiding attendees to the correct areas. You may even choose to use apps to track how many people plan to attend specific panels and screenings.

Running a large event is a lot of work, and you’ll have to deal with a lot of crowd control issues. This is inevitable. We’ve got several small, extra tips for you to keep in mind. Make sure you keep attendees informed. When issues arise, fix them immediately, as this can cause the snowballing effect. And of course, remember this event is about making your attendees happy. Ultimately, the crowd control isn’t for you, it is to make your guest’s experience as good as possible. 

Managing Crowds with Prices

It is common to control crowds with crowd control barriers, security, and signage, but one method that is often forgotten about is crowd control due to pricing.

It’s a method that is often only implemented by large companies that have already found a loyal audience. This strategy for crowd control is usually only used for one reason, which is that the venue or event is already overcrowded.

Overcrowding causes serious problems for venues and events. First off, it is a safety concern. Too many people can lead to injuries because of jostling, overheating, and more. Secondly, if the crowding is too bad it makes it difficult for emergency responders to get to the people who do need aid. Overcrowding also makes the event or venue unpleasant for customers. It leads to long wait times and difficulty navigating from place to place.

This is why some companies and events attempt to control the crowds with prices, and in some cases it can be very effective. Take a look at Disney as an example. Disneyland recently announced that there will be price increases at their park, along with the elimination of some annual passes with the addition of new ones. The most expensive pass available is the Signature Plus pass, which will cost individuals $1,049 and is valid every day of the year. This is $270 more than the Premium pass cost, which had the same perks before it was eliminated.  Annual passes are often a big contribution to overcrowding. Disney has been forced to take action due to a large overcrowding problem that leads to them closing the gates to new visitors on days when the park reaches capacity, leaving customers unhappy and Disney losing money.

A strategy such as this is not limited only to very large companies such as Disney. This is implemented by all sorts of organizations and events. For example, Anime Central, an anime convention in North America, has started to raise prices as the crowds grow every year. This three day convention is the third largest anime convention in North America, with a reported attendance of over 29,000 in 2014. Years ago, when attendance was between 10,000 and 18,000, badges to the event could be obtained for under $40 if attendees bought early. For the 2016 event the cheapest option is $48, increasing up to $70 the closer to the convention you get. In addition, hotel prices have gone up for the next year as well. It is widely speculated that this is an attempt to keep attendance level instead of increasing further. Anime Central sells out an average of four or more hotels in the area, and with that many people in one place crowds get difficult to manage. For the 2016 convention when the room block for two of the hotels was opened they both sold out in under 12 hours, with one hotel selling out in less than one hour. Unless the convention wishes to put a cap on attendance like Comic Con, the only thing they can do is raise prices to try and keep crowds down.

However, using price increases as a form of crowd control is a delicate balance. There will always be people who are willing to pay the price for a popular event or attraction, but if you raise prices too much at one time you may turn away a lot of other people. If you plan to employ this type of crowd control do so with caution.