This year was filled with great advice on keeping your attendees’ physical and mental safety in top shape, as well as how to keep their information secure. Safety remains a priority, so feel free to take these tips into 2026.
Smart Tech: The Race to Data Security
We spoke with information security veterans at Maritz about tips to keep attendee information safe and minimize damage, including protecting your Wi-Fi network, working with secure partners and emphasizing the importance of human intelligence in the face of AI.
Smart Travel: Chase and Travelport Team Up, Ottawa Airport and Light Rail Transit Connect, New Security Screening Wows in Frankfurt and More
In this Smart Travel column, Frankfurt Airport introduced the world’s first 360-degree walkthrough security scanner, called the QPS Walk2000, which the German Federal Police has approved. Unlike traditional body scanners, there’s no need to stop, the new security camera lets passengers walk through normally and naturally.
Event Security Reminder: Don’t Let Your Attendees Lose It
You can’t control your attendees’ reactions to their environment, but you can control the environment itself. We spoke with Alan Kleinfeld, senior director of meetings and safety at Arrive Management Group, about what can cause attendees to react negatively to an occurrence at an event and how they can prevent that from happening.
PCMA Convening Leaders Put Balancing Safety and Comfort in the Spotlight
PCMA Convening Leaders 2025 in Houston drew more than 4,000 registrants, including former U.S. Representative and author Liz Cheney, a decision made by PCMA President and CEO Sherrif Karamat to expose attendees to different points of view. Karamat’s speaker choice necessitated taking the security of this event into greater consideration.
Meetings MBA: Building a Safer Experience
Bishop-McCann’s Amber Heintz and Todd Moritz shared five tips to build a strong event safety plan to keep attendees safe. Don’t miss the bonus tip for planners about location research and a program-specific security plan.
