Stop, Thief!

Tips and tricks to safeguard property on the show floor

By Rayna Skolnik

Nobody wants property to be stolen at a show. It's not just the cost of the item, although that can be substantial. It's also the bad taste that's left behind. The question lingers: Could it have been prevented?

The fact is, theft happens. It isn't always possible to prevent. Show managers can minimize losses, though, by having a comprehensive security plan and communicating it to exhibitors. Whether it's prepared by show management or the security contractor, the plan should include both rules and recommendations: the rules they establish and enforce, and the recommendations they make to exhibitors. Those rules and recommendations should address all the vulnerable times -- move in, show hours, after hours and move out.

Ultimately, exhibitors are responsible for protecting their products and displays, and they should be adequately insured. Show management typically stresses that point in both the space contract and the exhibitor manual. "I make it clear to exhibitors that they are responsible for the contents of their booth from the moment it leaves the plant until the moment it returns," says Lisa Feldman, Vice President of the School & Home Office Products Association (SHOPA). "Show management is responsible for perimeter deterrence."

Even though show management explicitly shifts liability to exhibitors, that doesn't mean they can simply hire security guards for the exits and entrances. The security plan should have clear-cut procedures for ensuring that no unauthorized person enters the show, and no property is removed from the show floor without approval.

Tip #1: Moving In
During move in, it's easier to spot people taking things out, simply because they're going against the traffic flow. But, to be careful, "Nothing should be removed during move in without an equipment-removal pass," says Tom Cindric, Exposition Manager, Association & Corporate Events, for National Trade Productions (NTP). Other precautions include visible identification tags for all personnel, container labels that don't reveal contents and secure areas for receiving valuable goods.

Boxes and cartons pass through many hands as they go from truck to dock to show floor. It's important to know whose hands they are. Exhibitors generally wear badges. But NTP requires that contractors be badged as well. "We tell security that anyone who is not badged must come to the show office," Cindric says.

For SHOPA, wristbands color-coded by day provide identification during move in and move out. "Especially during move in, exhibitors prefer the wristbands, because badges can get damaged," Feldman says. Everyone on the floor must wear them -- building personnel and exhibitor-designated contractors included. "If a worker from a display house didn't behave himself, and you don't want him back, he can't come back tomorrow wearing today's wristband."

Even though show management tries to keep track of people, exhibitors shouldn't make themselves targets with cartons labeled "State-of-the-Art Subnotebook Computer" or "Diamond Bracelets." The safest technique is simply to number the cartons: 1 of 6, 2 of 6, and so on. That way, contents are not identified, and contractors know how many pieces to pick up. If they need to convey more information, exhibitors can still be cautious. For example, Cindric suggests marking a carton "Promotional Materials" rather than "T-shirts." A potential thief is less likely to want a box that might contain nothing more than brochures.

Sometimes exhibitors don't control the labeling. For the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show, "Exhibitors ship TV monitors that come right from the factory and have 'TV' written all over them," says Clarke Field, Vice President of Operations for George Little Management (GLM). "We tell them to ship to the overnight storage room. Cartons go there right from the truck and don't sit on the show floor."

Tip #2: During show hours
During show hours, security procedures should cover guard placement and how to prevent unauthorized entrance or removal of items from the show floor. "There should be a guard at every exit and entrance during show hours," says Ron Allen, President of RAV Investigative/Security Service. "Sometimes that's cost prohibitive, and you might have them at every other door. But if there are small, pilferable items on display, have them at every door."

It's particularly important to protect all doors during a public show. If a ticket scalper finds an unguarded entrance where he can collect money and admit people, Allen says that could cost show management as much in lost admission fees as an extra guard would have cost.

To identify legitimate trade show attendees, show managers often require a business card plus a second form of identification, such as a driver's license or a business check. It's risky to accept a business card alone, because they're too easy to steal or have printed.

Screening attendees is more difficult for The Super Show. Because more than 200 celebrities appear to promote the latest sports items, autograph collectors and curiosity seekers try to sneak in using ill-gotten badges. "People sometimes sell badges outside, or trade them on the show floor," says Larry Cohen, Director of Communications. These non-industry attendees diffuse the focus of the show and raise security concerns.

At The Super Show/95, management experimented with an instant photo ID system, the Polaroid Captiva BadgeCam, for the media, VIP buyers, show staff, industry suppliers and financial analysts -- about 5,000 of the total 112,000 attendees. After filling out the form show management uses to check credentials, the targeted attendees were photographed. "It takes virtually no additional time," says Cohen. "For the picture to be perfect, people must stand at a certain angle. It's not difficult, but it could be time consuming if we had to position everyone." The solution: Glue shoe insoles to the floor so people know exactly where to stand. Show management is considering expanding the photo ID system to include all retail buyers.

Autograph seekers and gawkers might be a nuisance; pickpockets are a danger. "Shows are a great place for pickpockets," warns Brian Kelly, Vice President of McRoberts Protective Agency. "The trick is to keep them out from the start." Kelly recalls two pickpockets who eluded security for some time by donning cleaners' coats. Wearing the coats, they could roam the facility freely. If someone spotted them behind a booth, they produced electricians' clippers and claimed they were "just checking." To prevent similar masquerades, show management should require some form of identification for all staff members.

The Luggage & Leather Goods Manufacturers of America (LLGMA) has stringent rules intended to avoid such an incident at its show, according to Executive Director Robert K. Ermatinger. Cleaners and snack bar personnel must have both a picture ID from the facility and a badge issued by the show. If they had just a facility badge, he explains, they could justify being anywhere.

Double-badging is a double check. But there are also triple checks. "People working the snack bars must follow specific routes in the hall," says Ermatinger. "If they're not where they belong, a guard stops them."

It's also important to require passes for items leaving the show floor. At a show where sales are made, a receipt may be adequate. LLGMA's exhibitors must provide receipts for sales and samples; the security manager gives passes to only those individuals with receipts. The American Retreaders Association uses a release form that requires, among other information, an accurate description of the item being removed, the name of the person authorized to remove it, and the name of the person providing authorization.

Tip#3: After Hours
Show management usually recommends that exhibitors cover products that are left in a booth overnight. Culprits can't tell where the most tempting items are, and the covering makes it harder to remove an item quickly. A plastic cover has the added advantage of making noise if it's moved.

For products or equipment requiring greater protection -- computers, fax machines, even telephones -- show management can offer locked and guarded overnight security rooms or lockable cages that exhibitors put in their booths. They may even suggest that the exhibitor hire a guard for the booth.

"A security room is the foolproof way," says Field at GLM. "The security contractor has people there 24 hours a day and signs material in and out. Theft from that room does not occur."

Allen at RAV says that when his company maintains an overnight storage room, "Only exhibitors with a badge and another form of identification can enter. They give us the booth number and the number of pieces, and they sign in." The same person must retrieve the items and verify the count.

Some exhibitors at gift shows won't leave valuable jewelry in a security room unless there's an armed guard, because their insurance doesn't protect them against loss otherwise. "But we don't want an armed guard because of our own insurance liability," Field says. For those exhibitors, the answer is an armored car service such as Brinks or Wells Fargo that will pick up the jewelry at night and return it in the morning.

Hiring a private guard is a good idea for an exhibitor who's displaying a prototype that can't be dismantled, expensive equipment or hundreds of small pocketable items. Unlike the perimeter security contractor, who assumes no liability for show property, a private guard assumes responsibility for "care and custody" of the exhibitor's property. The guard inventories the booth, recounts items with each shift change and, when the exhibitor returns, counts everything again. "If an item were stolen, I'd write a check on the spot," says Allen. "But that has never happened."

Tip #4: Move Out
This is probably the riskiest time -- exhausted exhibitors are eager to leave and likely to be careless. And yet, Kelly says, "A lot of show managers don't consider this a vital time, because losses don't come back to haunt them. If a show ends at 4:00 pm on Friday, some show managers are gone by 5:00. But the good ones are there even on Saturday."

Show managers should stay on site because some infractions can't be prevented; they must be seen. At the end of the last New York International Gift Fair, some companies bought out entire booths and relabeled the items. But Field caught one company putting its own labels on booths that it had not bought.

Equipment-removal passes required during move in and show hours aren't practical during move out. "We'd have a line six miles long," Cindric says. "We tell our exhibitors to stay with their merchandise while it's being crated and give a bill of lading to the general contractor. The bill of lading then goes to the trucking company." When general contractors want to ticket every item, exhibitors sometimes resist because of the cost. But, Cindric says, "That's the only way for the contractor to have a record of everything that left the building."

Tip #5: Getting the word out
What good are all the rules and recommendations if exhibitors ignore them? Most show managers find that putting security guidelines into the exhibitor manual isn't enough. Additional reminders are necessary.

Feldman at SHOPA supplements the manual with a bulletin mailed about a month and a half before the show, another distributed during move in and yet another the night before tear-down. On the last day of move in, she also holds an "Exhibitor Boot Camp" to review key points.

No matter how well planned and communicated, even the best security won't stop some thieves. The biggest problem when an exhibitor reports a loss is identifying the culprit. In the end, the only form of redress may be to substantiate the exhibitor's insurance claim with an official report from the security contractor.

"The show manager must be sure the security company can file a report for insurance purposes," Cindric says. Some security companies have no such procedure because they don't specialize in the exposition industry and deal mainly with crowd control. "If an exhibitor comes to us to report a theft, and the security company has no procedure in place, it looks as if we haven't done our job," he says. "But if the security company can file a report, that's usually enough to appease the exhibitor. You want it to be clear that you're doing everything you can."

Sidebar

Security tips from IAEMHelp with your show security plan is available from IAEM. Fact File #93-24, "Security: Exhibitors Manual Information," contains suggestions for exposition management and recommendations for exhibitors. You can adapt it for your show or put it into the exhibitors' manual as is.

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons distributes the Fact File to its exhibitors. "We think it's the best compilation of effective security precautions that's available," says Steve Serfling, Director of Marketing. "It's well written, comprehensive and inexpensive."

IAEM also offers a pocket card, "Security Tips for Exhibitors," that fits in a No. 10 envelope and can be used for supplementary mailings. The American Retreaders Association appreciates having the Pocket Card available, according to Convention/Meeting Director Gretchen Schrantz. "Sometimes exhibitors look at a mailer and say, 'Oh, it's something else from ARA,'" Schrantz says. "We feel that if it's from someone else, they might pay more attention to it."

For more information about IAEM security tips, contact IAEM at (214) 458-8002.

SHOT Show aims for safety When the products on display are guns, bullets, bows and arrows, security has to be on target. The security plan for the Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show involves extensive precautions to ensure that no weapons are stolen and no one is injured.

"We give special security labels to exhibitors who ship firearms," says Show Manager Tom Fagan. "Packages with those labels go to a secure warehouse, not the contractor's warehouse." At move in, when those packages are trucked to the convention center, they are taken to a secure lock-up rather than the exhibitor's booth. Two such secure lock-ups are constructed on the show floor and are protected by at least two 24-hour guards, from move in through the end of the show.

All weapons on display are deactivated. "We have 20 law-enforcement professionals inspecting the firearms to make sure that all have had the firing pin removed," says Fagan. "Every gun is inspected and tagged to assure people that it's been deactivated. Those 20 people also check every bullet to be sure that it's a dummy; the powder hasn't been loaded. Each arrow has one nock -- the notched part that fits over the bowstring -- snapped off, so it can't be shot. And every chemical-defense-spray can has a hole drilled in it as proof that it's empty." Because it's so difficult to deactivate BB guns, they aren't allowed in the show.

There are also strict rules for screening who and what goes in and out of the show. Everyone who doesn't have either an exhibitor's or attendee's badge, including catering staff and janitorial staff, must wear wristbands that are color-coded by day. The material is destroyed when the wristband is removed, so it's impossible for one person to give his wristband to another.

All attendees must prove their relationship to the industry. Firearms retailers must show their Federal Firearms License. If they sell items such as clothing, they must show both an industry-related business card and a state tax number. Exhibitors who want to be in the hall after hours must present a written request, and security guards escort them to and from their booths. Security guards also escort trash to the dumpster and then crush it in the mechanical compactor so no one can retrieve items from the trash.

Even these double checks are double checked. One firm provides the security, but a security consultant from another firm reviews its plan. "We've been working on these rules for 17 years, and we've probably thought of everything," says Fagan. "But if anything else comes up, it will be incorporated into the next show."