Developing crowd management strategy at established music festivals ensuring risk mitigation: An exploratory study
Abstract
Purpose
This research explores the development of crowd management strategies at
established music festivals, aiming to mitigate risk, from a practitioner’s
perspective. Music festivals are popular spectacles which operate in a
landscape currently facing a range of challenges and hazards such as crowd
accidents, stampedes, adverse weather, terrorism, occupational health and
safety risks, and personal injury. Festival organisers deploy a range of strategies
in order to manage and control these crowds and ensure attendees move
around safe spaces. This research explores the development of such strategies,
roles and responsibilities regarding crowd management, and whether this is a
shared or varied process across a variety of music festivals.
Methodology and Design
The researcher collected primary data for this project in the form of semistructured
interviews. Seven event professionals participated in interviews which
produced a total of 255 minutes of recorded and transcribed material. After
transcription, this was analysed using a thematic analysis method.
Findings
Key results which emerged from this research demonstrated an industry capable
of sustaining and understanding the nature in which it exists, developing crowd
management strategy thereafter. The outcomes strongly correlate with relevant
literature from the current body of knowledge whilst a number of findings were
unexpected and after analysis, are presented as absent or underrepresented in
event-related academia.
Research Limitations
This research faced limitations which could have potential effects on the
outcome. The researcher’s previous experience with research projects, time
constraints, and personal bias are some of these limitations and they are
developed further in Chapter 3. Nonetheless, the researcher took all precautions
available to ensure these limitations has a minimal impact on the results and
these range from working closely with her supervisor on these issues, ensuring
time management plans were adhered to and the thorough analysis of data
using an approach which aims to minimize personal bias.