‘I want it, I got it’
La Grande gets what she wants and not only in her songs.
Since the dramatic attack after her show in Manchester in May 2018, the artist demands the highest safety measures at any venue where she performs, raising the standards to a whole new level. And although highly understandable, this decision caused a fair bit of chaos on the side of concert halls.
When standard is not enough
No one raises an eyebrow anymore when encountering a security check before entering a concert hall these days. Opening your backpack and having your bag -and yourself- scanned for dangerous goods is commonplace nowadays.
Ariana went a few steps further though, by not letting any bag -unless tiny and fully see-through- go through security checks. This means people could not even make use of the yet available lockers inside of the venue to stow away belongings, as they were simply not admitted past security check outside the building.
Ensuring a circle of security for your arena
The organisation warned concert goers in time and the artist herself even created an entire collection of see-through bags, ready to be sold at entrance. Despite the numerous warnings, however, extra measures had to be taken by the security department to make sure fans with non-see-through bags could still guard them safely.
So they needed lockers: outdoor -before the security check-, one night only, with a large capacity and meeting high quality standards.
And that’s where Mobile Locker jumped in!
We placed 6 10ft containers for a total of 1.728 lockers, and 6 payment terminals to guarantee a quick acquisition flow. The units were placed before the first entrance where people were being frisked, facilitating the jobs from the stewards as such.
While most of the fans were well aware of the strict rules of what was allowed inside, many still were very grateful for the presence of the lockers.
Furthermore, our system is a great aid for security forces and stewards. They can quickly guide people to the lockers in order to dispose of their backpacks or other forbidden items, enhancing the entry flow in general.
The point of no return
The standards of security measurements at concert halls and big venues have definitely been raised. Peter Dobbels, Safety Advisor at Sportpaleis, thinks they will not become any less in the future, on the contrary: “This is the first time we were asked to enforce such security measures. But experience taught us that most artists handle a copy-paste method regarding their (safety) demands: what one artist is getting, will be more frequently asked by others in the future as well. So, we are not expecting this to be the last time we organize our flow and safety check this way.”
