Building Resiliency Focus of National Sports Safety and Security Conference

With seven successful conferences already under their belts, officials at the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) at The University of Southern Mississippi expect the eighth edition to be even better with the addition of several new highlights this year.

The 8th annual National Sports Safety and Security Conference and Exhibition is set for July 11-13 at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes in Orlando, Fla. The theme this year is Building Resiliency in the Sports Safety and Security Industry. 



The conference will focus on building security and resiliency capabilities to ensure the ability of a sports organization to anticipate, prepare, respond and adapt to incremental change and sudden disruption in order to survive and prosper. Whether it is resilience toward acts of terrorism, cyberattacks, pandemics, and catastrophic natural disasters, national preparedness is the shared responsibility of all levels of government, the private and nonprofit sectors, and individual citizens.

Dr. Stephen E. Flynn, professor of political science and director of the Global Resilience Institute at Northeastern University will serve as a keynote speaker on the opening day of the conference July 11. Flynn will speak on ‘The Importance of Building Resiliency for Your Programs.'

“Resilience refers to the ability to withstand changing conditions and to both recover rapidly and to adapt when disruptive events occur,” said Flynn.
 
He continues, “The timing for a focus on resilience could not be more urgent. The evolving terrorist threat is making it more difficult for law enforcement and security officials to detect and foil attacks as we have seen over the past year in Paris, Nice, Brussels, London, and Berlin. Given the ongoing risk of lone-wolf and small group attacks using everything from automatic weapons, pressure cooker bombs, to dump trucks, we need to place new emphasis on not just trying to prevent these attacks, but skillfully responding and recovering from them when they occur.”

Other keynote speakers include Mark Lamping, president of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, and Paul Turner, CFE, CSSP, senior director of event operations for the Dallas Cowboys and AT&T Stadium.

In addition to keynote speakers, an awards luncheon and interactive panel discussions, attendees will have the opportunity to attend forums, workshops, and breakout sessions on pertinent topics such as big data, disruptive activities, cybersecurity, vehicle intrusion and traffic/parking issues.

A unique aspect of this year's conference is a game concept centered around enhancing resiliency and security with long-term planning. Attendees (or players) will be split into groups and have the opportunity to spend virtual currency to enhance a (fictional) stadium's resiliency and security over a 10-15 year period. This game concept will be a teaching tool for attendees to help them prepare strategies and resource allocations to determine the greatest possible return on investment at their facility.
 
To unwind after a day at the conference, attendees can take advantage of discounted park tickets and a shuttle service to Walt Disney World®, SeaWorld® and Universal Orlando®, or other nearby Florida attractions.

Visit www.ncs4.com/conference and register by May 15 to receive the early bird discounted rate.

About NCS4
The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4), at the University of Southern Mississippi, supports the advancement of sport safety and security through training, professional development, academic programs and research. NCS4 collaborates with professional leagues, open access events, intercollegiate and interscholastic athletics, along with professional associations, private sector firms, and government agencies.  It is a critical resource for sport venue managers, event managers, first responders, and other key stakeholders.