NCS4 Hosts National Forum on Sports, Entertainment Safety and Security at UNC Charlotte
Tue, 03/17/2026 - 01:57pm | By: NCS4 staff
The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS⁴) at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) recently hosted the National Professional Sports and Entertainment Safety and Security Forum at UNC Charlotte. More than 150 safety and security professionals from across the country, representing all areas of professional sports and entertainment, attended the sold-out forum.
The highly anticipated event brought together professional sports and entertainment safety and security practitioners to address pressing challenges and share innovative solutions to ensure safe environments for sports, venues and events.
“The Professional Sports and Entertainment Safety and Security Forum remains an important platform for collaboration across the industry,” said Lauren Cranford, NCS4 director of operations. “By bringing together security leaders and subject-matter experts, we are able to share meaningful insights, discuss emerging risks, and gather critical input that helps us continually update and strengthen best practices for venues and events to support more secure environments.”
The forum featured keynote speakers, expert panel discussions and moderated sessions to review the NCS4 Best Practices for professional sports and entertainment safety and security. Topics included:
- Staff Training and Development
- Fan Behavior
- Communications
- Perimeter Security
- Severe Weather Planning
- Command Center Operations
General sessions covered the evolving threat landscape, security challenges related to athlete harassment and stalking, festival safety, public-private sector partnerships and information sharing.
“The forum was a fantastic opportunity for industry professionals to gather and share lessons learned from their respective venues,” said Paul Grohowski, MPA, security manager, Orlando Venues. “The depth of experience among the attendees, speakers and instructors at NCS4 events is second to none. I would encourage anyone in the sports and entertainment industry to seek out and attend any NCS4 training workshops, conferences or forums in the future. The NCS4 organization’s commitment to continual improvement and its constant work to establish industry best practices are true game changers for security professionals.”
Jason Caceres, PSGE security event manager at Amazon said, “The forum was a great opportunity to share knowledge across the sports and entertainment industry and to collaborate with peers on the challenges and best practices we are all navigating. Events like this provide valuable insight into where we stand collectively and give us the chance to evaluate whether our current standards and approaches need to be adjusted to better serve our organizations, venues and communities.”
The forum would not be possible without the NCS4’s Forum Solution Partners. Special thanks to Title Partner – SkySafe; Reception Partners – 24/7 Software and ClearForce Inc.; and Signature Partners – Accredit Solutions, Alcatraz, Ameristar Perimeter Security, ASSA ABLOY, BEST Crowd Management, Bluescape, Eyelock, Genetec, Hanwha Vision, Hill & Smith Infrastructure Ltd., Hyperion Technology Group Inc., InControl – The Simulation Company, Meridian, Motorola Solutions, NEWCOM, Perry Weather, Raven Controls and Salient Operations Group.
Those interested in future NCS⁴ events and initiatives are encouraged to visit the NCS4 website for updates and engagement opportunities.
About the 17th Annual Conference
The National Sports Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition will be held June
23-June 25, 2026, at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa in Palm Desert,
Calif. The conference will attract over 500 attendees and 70 exhibitors representing
professional sports, intercollegiate athletics, interscholastic athletics, marathon
and endurance events, sports and entertainment facilities, and those who provide safety
and security products and services to the industry. Visit the conference website for more information.
About NCS4
Established in 2006, the NCS4 is the nation’s only academic center devoted to the study and practice of sports
safety and security. The NCS4 is partially underwritten by grants from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The NCS4 mission focuses on three key pillars - Training and Education, Research, and Outreach.
Click here for more information about NCS4, call 601.266.6183.