Security, crowd intelligence, and coordination are helping venues create better experiences for fans, from arrival to departure.
For fans attending a game or concert, the experience begins well before they reach their seats. Transportation, entry lines, and security screening can all influence how the night unfolds. A delay at the entrance could even mean missing the only goal of the game.
The latest two-part episode of the Secure Insights podcast explores how stadiums and arenas are bringing security, operations, and guest services together to create safer and smoother experiences.
Host Steve Burdet, Manager, Solutions Management, Axis Communications, is joined by John Joines, Senior Director of Security, TD Garden, and Zack Klima, Founder and CEO, WaitTime, to discuss how technology and communication can help venues manage crowds while keeping the full fan journey in focus.
Part 1 follows that “street-to-seat” journey, examining what happens before guests arrive, as they enter the building, and when they leave after an event. John brings a fan’s perspective to his security work: he wants people to get where they’re going safely, quickly, and with as little friction as possible.
That approach requires security teams to consider how their decisions affect the guest experience. Thorough screening remains essential, but long entry lines can keep fans from enjoying the event they paid to attend. John explains how frictionless screening technology is helping TD Garden get guests through the doors efficiently while maintaining its security mission.
The conversation also looks beyond the venue itself. Stadiums and arenas depend on coordination with transportation teams, law enforcement, surrounding businesses, and other partners. A highway or tunnel closure can affect thousands of people leaving an event, even when everything inside the building has run smoothly. Keeping those partners informed helps venues prepare for disruptions and support the later “seat-to-street” journey.
Part 2 turns to crowd intelligence and the opportunities to use data across the organization. Zack explains how advances in AI and computer vision are helping venues move beyond accepting congestion as an unavoidable part of hosting large events. Understanding when and where bottlenecks develop gives operations and security a clearer starting point for addressing them.
Collecting data is only part of that process. Teams also need to use it to guide decisions and develop processes that address recurring problems. Knowing that an area gets crowded is useful; understanding when that happens helps operators determine how to respond.
It’s really about taking the data and creating operational. If the data is saying that something is bad, we’re going to create processes and system that help us understand what is actually happening. Then we can mitigate as much of the problem as possible…but if you don’t know what’s happening, then you can’t fix it.
— Zack Klima, Founder and CEO, WaitTime
Zack also emphasizes the importance of making that information available across departments. A bottleneck can be a safety concern, an operational challenge, and a source of frustration for guests at the same time. Sharing crowd data helps security and operations teams coordinate their response rather than tackle the same issue separately.
Throughout both parts, the guests return to the connection between safety and a positive fan experience. Technology can improve screening and provide better information about crowd movement, but communication and coordination remain essential. The goal is to help guests enjoy the event and leave wanting to return.
Whether you're a venue security professional, stadium or arena operator, guest experience leader, facilities manager, system integrator, or technology decision-maker, this conversation offers practical insights into improving the fan journey from arrival to departure.
To hear Part 1 of the conversation, watch the video below.
Part 2 will be releasing on November 16.
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