New thermal imaging technology to enhance event security

Vital Protection Group are this week launching their latest thermal imaging technology that will allow event organisers and venue operators to detect elevated temperatures of event attendees. This technology, which includes Thermal Imaging cameras and Thermal Imaging Walk-though units, demonstrates to attendees the enhanced security measures being adopted by organisers to gain their confidence.

Due to the impacts of COVID 19, future events will not just require traditional security screening but a focus on the ‘new normal’ of bio-security screening as well.

Vital Protection Group Director, Eddie Idik AVM notes “having the exclusive distribution rights for Australia and New Zealand, our thermal detection technology is going to assist venues in having the tools it needs to instil the confidence back to its stakeholders.”

The Australian event sector went from staging approximately 484,000 business events and 43.7 million attendances in FY19 to cancellations and postponements of a staggering 96% of all events. In this financial year, the Business Events Councils event impact report (April 2020) states that COVID 19 has resulted in the potential loss of $17.2 billion direct value to the economy on top of the $35.7 billion in direct expenditure and unprecedented loss of numerous jobs.

Following this significant impact of COVID-19 on the business event sector, Idik, who is highly regarded as a Security and Emergency Management specialist within the Business Events industry, highlights that the questions now on the event industry stakeholders mind is, ‘when do we get back to normal?’, ‘what guidelines will we use to rebuild?’ and most importantly ‘how do gain the confidence of our attendees to ensure our events are safe to attend?’. 

Idik suggests that these questions are paramount to get the event sector ‘engine room’ started and need to be addressed with the upmost transparency.

Idik adds “Vital Protection Group staff have been working tirelessly in putting solutions in place to benefit the Business Events industry to gain the confidence of events stakeholders.

“We are officially launching this week our latest technology to assist events in the detection of elevated temperatures. We have two solutions. The first is a Thermal Imaging Walk-though unit that measures a person’s temperature within 1-2 seconds as they pass through the unit without stopping. During an event, this unit can process up to 1800-2000 attendees per hour per unit.(pictured above)

“The other solution is a thermal imaging camera pointed towards a concourse where attendees are passing through in which the camera will measure the temperature of attendees who are within a 10-metre distance of the camera to identify elevated temperatures.” (pictured top)

Idik also advises that “the days of discretion are gone. Attendees want to know and see the actions event organisers and venue operators are taking to ensure not just the security of attendees, but what bio-security measures are being put into place not just to detect, but having data driven ticketing systems from companies such as Jomablue allowing organisers to have confidence in onsite data capture which would assist organisers and venue operators to create a seamless approach to physical distancing while ensuring the safety and security of all attendees.                

Vital Protection Group Operations Manager, Ibrahim Demirci also highlights that for event organisers and venue operators, the new event frameworks and guidelines will need to be followed such as:

• Use of hygiene products including P2/N95 certified masks and use of hand sanitiser

• Physical distancing measures with barriers, crowd flow directional markings in public places

• COVID training for business events personnel

• Regular cleaning measures before and after events

• No-touch policies

• Management of attendee numbers depending on the venue space

• Medical facilities such as isolation rooms with trained personnel

• Temperature screening equipment to detect elevated temperatures of attendees and staff

Idik advises “our team have already been taking enquires about our thermal imaging technology and we are happy to demonstrate these at your event or venue.”

Click here to contact the Vital Protection Group/Vital Risk Services Group via their entry in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory. 

Images: Vital Protection Group’s thermal imaging camera pointed towards a concourse where attendees are passing through in which the camera will measure the temperature of attendees who are within a 10-metre distance of the camera to identify elevated temperatures (top, credit: George Fetting/Vital Protection Group) and Vital Protection Group’s Thermal Imaging Walk-though unit that measures a person’s temperature within 1-2 seconds as they pass through the unit without stopping. During an event, this unit can process up to 1800-2000 attendees per hour per unit (below).