As conversations around women’s safety continue across the country, the live events industry has an opportunity to look inward and ask a difficult but necessary question: Are we doing enough to make women feel safe before, during and after an event?
Safety at a live event cannot begin and end at the entrance gate. It extends across the entire experience, from how crowds are managed and how security teams are trained, to how easily someone can report an uncomfortable situation, how exits are handled and even what happens once an attendee leaves the venue.
Importantly, this conversation is not about suggesting that live events are inherently unsafe. It is about recognising that every event can be designed with safety in mind. For organisers, that means thinking beyond capacity management and security deployment. For attendees, it means understanding that looking out for one another is part of creating a safer environment.
Women’s safety is a shared responsibility.
Safety Starts Before the First Attendee Walks In
For an event organiser, safety begins long before the gates open.
Security teams need to be trained and identifiable. Crowd capacity and movement need to be planned. Exits, stairways and pathways need to remain accessible. Help desks and emergency systems need to be visible. Most importantly, there need to be people on the ground who are equipped to respond when something goes wrong.
For BookMyShow, safety is positioned as a fundamental part of event planning rather than something added at the final stage.
Anil Makhija, COO – Live Entertainment & Venues, BookMyShow, says:
“At BookMyShow Live, safety is not an afterthought but a fundamental part of every event we plan and deliver. We work closely with local authorities, venue teams and security partners to build robust systems for crowd management, access control, emergency response and real-time monitoring.Creating a safer experience also means ensuring audiences feel supported throughout their journey – with clear communication, trained teams on ground and processes designed to respond quickly to any situation.We believe safer live experiences are a shared responsibility, and we remain committed to continually strengthening our systems, people and processes so every audience member can enjoy live entertainment with confidence.”
The emphasis on the entire journey is important. An event can have extensive security inside the venue, but if attendees are left navigating poorly lit exits, congested pickup areas or unsafe transport zones, the responsibility does not simply disappear when they leave the venue.
Large Crowds Require More Than Security at the Gate
Large-scale events can effectively become temporary cities.
Managing tens of thousands of people requires organisers to think about movement, communication, connectivity, visibility and what happens beyond the immediate event footprint.
Mohit Bijlani, Co-Founder, Team Innovation, says:
“Safety is the foundation of every successful live event. When you’re managing crowds of 30,000-50,000 people, you’re essentially managing a temporary city, and that requires systems that go far beyond conventional security.Strict capacity controls, dedicated and monitored women’s zones, trained female security and bouncers, and bystander training all play an important role. Technology also has a role to play, from network and cell tower capacity to Wi-Fi and real-time communication systems.Safety cannot stop at the venue gates. Well-illuminated zones, regular patrols extending towards roads, parking areas and transit points, and dedicated pickup lanes coordinated with local authorities and ride-hailing partners are equally important.”
This broader approach changes the way safety needs to be considered.
It is not simply about having more security personnel. It is about placing the right systems in the right places.
Lighting, visibility, crowd flow, transport and communication can all influence how safe someone feels and how quickly help can reach them.
Safety Cannot Be a Checklist
One of the biggest shifts the live events industry needs to make is moving away from viewing safety as a checklist.
Having CCTV cameras, security guards and medical teams does not automatically mean an event has created a safe environment.
The question should be whether those systems work together and whether an attendee knows where to go when they need help.
Rajat Uppal, COO, BAE, ABP Network, says:
“When someone buys a ticket, they are putting their trust in the experience and the people responsible for delivering it. With 60% of our audience being women, safety cannot be treated as a checklist or a box that needs to be ticked.It has to be considered across the entire journey – before, during and after the event. Audiences need to know that they will be seen, heard and protected throughout that journey.”
That idea of trust is central to the relationship between audiences and organisers.
Buying a ticket is more than a financial transaction. An attendee is trusting the organiser, venue, security teams and other stakeholders to create an environment where they can enjoy themselves without having to constantly assess their own safety.
Make Reporting Easy
Even the strongest safety systems can fail if attendees don’t know how to access them.
Help desks should be clearly marked. Emergency contacts should be easy to find. Security personnel should be identifiable. Digital reporting mechanisms, including QR-based systems, can make it easier for someone to raise a concern without having to navigate an unfamiliar venue.
The process needs to be simple, visible and respectful.
Because reporting should not feel like another obstacle for someone who is already uncomfortable.
Designing Safety Into the Entire Experience
Anmol Kukreja, Founder & CEO, SkillBox, believes safety needs to be embedded into the event experience itself:
“Women’s safety cannot be a checklist. It has to be designed into the entire experience, from the moment someone enters the venue to the moment they safely leave.Well-lit entry and exit points, trained female security, visible help desks, effective crowd management, CCTV and medical facilities all play a role. There must also be a zero-tolerance approach towards harassment.Initiatives like the ‘flash red’ initiative, where women can flash a red background on their phone to discreetly signal that they need help, can make it easier for someone to communicate a concern without having to explain themselves publicly.Safety also means thinking about the exit. Organised dispersal, safe transportation and ensuring the team remains present until the crowd has cleared are all part of the responsibility. These cannot be optional measures. They have to be a non-negotiable standard.”
The point is simple: the experience doesn’t end when the artist finishes their set.
For an attendee, the journey continues through the exit, the parking area, the pickup point, the ride home and sometimes even the walk from the drop-off point to their destination.
That journey needs to be considered when designing the event.
The Role of Fellow Attendees
Organisers and security teams have a significant responsibility, but they cannot be the only people expected to create safer spaces.
Attendees have a role too.
If someone appears uncomfortable, is being followed, is being harassed, has become separated from their friends or is asking for help, the easiest response can sometimes be to look away.
Instead, people can check in.
They can alert security.
They can stay with the person until they reach their friends or a safe area.
They do not necessarily have to confront someone themselves. Sometimes, simply getting the right person involved can make the difference.
Don’t be a bystander. Be an ally.
Respect Is Non-Negotiable
A crowded venue is not an excuse for unwanted touching, invading someone’s personal space, following someone or ignoring boundaries.
The environment may be loud. The crowd may be packed. People may be drinking or celebrating.
None of that changes the basic expectation of respect.
Consent and personal boundaries do not disappear because the music is loud or the venue is crowded.
Looking Beyond the Venue
One of the strongest themes emerging from these perspectives is that event safety cannot be restricted to the physical venue.
Organisers need to think about:
- Well-lit exit routes
- Safe pickup and drop-off zones
- Crowd management after the show
- Parking and waiting areas
- Transport partnerships
- Security around transit points
- Communication about where attendees can seek help
- Ensuring staff remain available until crowds have dispersed
The journey home is still part of the event experience.
Building Safer Events Is a Collective Responsibility
There is no single department responsible for making an event safe.
Organisers plan it. Security protects it. Staff respond to it. Technology can support it. Attendees contribute to it.
The responsibility therefore extends across the entire live events ecosystem. The industry has already developed sophisticated systems for ticketing, production, crowd management, artist operations and audience engagement. Safety deserves the same level of thought, planning and investment.
The goal isn’t simply to create events that people want to attend.
It is to create events where people can arrive, participate, enjoy themselves and leave feeling safe. And perhaps the most important question for the industry is not whether we have enough security.
It is:
What more can we do to make every attendee feel safe, supported and heard?
Because safety should not be an afterthought.
It should be part of the experience from the very beginning.
