Here is the Zone Ex chapter as submitted to the Events Industry Forum on the 21st March 2024. I am deeply proud of this piece of work, developed by myself and a wonderful working group. It has been a career highlight to be personally invited to write this chapter, with almost a whole career spent in "Zone Ex" itself, and I will always be grateful for the opportunity to contribute in supporting and improving the industry I love.

Zone Ex

Definitions

a.     “Zone Ex” (External Zone) is an area, within the public realm, between an event perimeter and ports of entry/exit, that is activated as event attendees, transiting as pedestrians arriving or departing the event, form a crowd, which may require crowd management resources to manage safety risks.

b.     “Crowd Management” is the systematic planning for, and supervision of, the orderly movement and assembly of people. 

c.     “Public Realm” is space accessed by the public and may be managed by the state on the public’s behalf or managed by a private landowner.

d.     “Business as Usual” refers to the normal function of the area or areas where Zone Ex is activated during an event.

e.     “Background Demand” refers to people using Business as Usual functions, transport, and road networks, who are not associated with the event and where their presence may have an impact on crowd management operations.

f.      “Ports of Entry/Exit” includes train and light rail stations, bus stations, shuttle buses, car parks, Pick Up/Drop Off (PUDO), taxi and private hire load zones.

g.     “Arrival” means when crowds are transiting through publicly accessible space towards the event.

h.     “Departure” means when crowds are transiting through publicly accessible space away from the event.

i.      “Pre-Event” means the preparation of land for the build of crowd management operations, including management handover, road closures, protective measures assets, barriers, temporary signage, and the deployment of staff.

j.      “Post-Event” means the breakdown of crowd management operations such as the removal of temporary barriers, installations, standing down of crowd management staff and returning the space to business-as-usual operations.

k.     “Agencies” can be a private or public body that have a legal, regulatory, or operational role in the planning and delivery of crowd management operations within Zone Ex.

l.      “Stakeholders” can be local communities, residents, businesses, or other interested parties who do not have a legal, regulatory, or operational role in the planning and delivery of crowd management operations but who may be affected or whose actions may affect activities in Zone Ex requiring consultation or engagement to amend or uplift their operations.

m.   “Safety Advisory Group” (SAG) is a forum for discussing and advising on public safety at an event. They aim to help organisers with the planning, and management of an event and to encourage cooperation and coordination between all relevant agencies. Whilst the SAG as a body is non-statutory, do not have legal powers or responsibilities and are not empowered to approve or prohibit events from taking place, many SAG members represent statutory bodies including Local Authority, Police and Fire Services, all whom have powers of approval or refusal of events through their own legislative systems. Event organisers and others involved in the running of an event, retain the principal legal duties for ensuring public safety.

Defining Zone Ex

1.     Zone Ex, meaning External Zone, was originally a term coined by the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA in the 6th Edition of the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide), referring to the external zone outside of a sports ground; usually relating to ports of entry, transport hubs or the places crowds gather before they transition into or out of Zone 5 (the external concourse of stadium/sports ground). It is defined by the Green Guide as; “the external zone…sometimes referred to as ‘the last mile’, is in the public realm and is likely to encompass the main pedestrian and vehicle routes leading from Zone 5 to public car parks, local train stations, bus stops and so on.” (SGSA, 2018). 

2.     Although the Green Guide applies to sports grounds that fall under the Safety of Sports Ground Act 1975, the contents of the Guide have been applied to a plethora of events worldwide, even though it is not designed for the events industry. Other terms have included “Last Mile” and “Grey Space”. It is important to clarify that Zone Ex is not a “Fan Journey” which refers to the entire journey an attendee takes, starting from the moment they consider purchasing a ticket. 

3.     Zone Ex is activated when a crowd forms en route from a port of entry to the event and back again on departure, requiring crowd management to reduce risks to their safety, as well as reducing impact of the crowd on Business as Usual.

4.     Zone Ex is deactivated when the crowd reverts back to Business as Usual expected levels of pedestrian movement, no longer requiring crowd management. A key identifying trigger for this is when crowd management staff and resource stand down from operations. In some cases, this decision is made in agreement with coordinating Agencies, particularly if there is a multi-agency event control or liaison room set up for the event. 

Risks in Zone Ex

5.     Planning for Zone Ex is an important part of event management as due to the dynamic and uncontrolled nature of the space, risks to crowd safety of attendees and non-attendees (Background Demand) often increase in Zone Ex, including but not exclusive to:

5.1.  The lack of clarity surrounding safety responsibility for Zone Ex.

5.2.  The inability to conduct security screening on people as they transit through the area, increasing the risk of deviant behaviour (whether planned or spontaneous, with no intention to harm, but with intention to, e.g., cause disturbance or gain unauthorised access to event) or an intentional attack (intention to cause harm, injury, or death). However, there are opportunities for observation, surveillance and communicating concerns about behaviours by those working externally including crowd management and traffic management teams).

5.3.  Open road network and vehicle movements may interact with the crowd from either an accident or an intentional attack. 

5.4.  Inclement weather such as heavy rain, lightning storms, strong winds or high heat can impact the health and safety of the crowd if they are waiting for long periods outside of an event without shelter or welfare. 

5.5.  Geographical factors including lack of available, appropriate, and safe environment and infrastructure for crowds to transit or queue when entering an event or port of entry/exit. 

5.6.  External factors influencing crowd dynamics, either suddenly triggering a change in crowd flow or density which could result in crowd collapse, turbulence or crushing. 

5.7.  The hesitancy of agencies and stakeholders to take responsibility for safety which can impede coordination and delay response time to crowd incidents in Zone Ex.

Ownership of Zone Ex

6.     The area Zone Ex activates in can be owned by private or public organisations, private individuals, or the local authority; and while there are laws in the UK concerning Occupier’s Liability (Act 1957), landowners are often hesitant to take responsibility for the safety of people passing through their space when arriving and departing an event, especially if they have nothing to do with the event. Zone Ex therefore can be either public space, private space, or a mix of both, which contributes to the ambiguity surrounding safety primacy. 

7.     While an Event Organiser or Venue Manager, Agencies and Stakeholders operating within Zone Ex are responsible for delivering their agreed role, they do not assume full responsibility for the entire geographic area which includes, for example: private residences, commercial properties, private land, or public spaces, as they do not have control or primacy of these spaces. However, they are responsible to each other in respect of the activities they carry out within Zone Ex. There may be other Agencies or Stakeholders within or surrounding Zone Ex who have responsibilities and objectives related or separate to the event.

8.     The lack of clarity over responsibility of Zone Ex has resulted in hesitancy of Agencies to take a coordinating role in developing plans to manage crowds due to the fact they have little to no ownership of the space. This results in a gap in event management plans for Zone Ex which increases risk to crowd safety. 

9.     The hesitancy can stem from the following common considerations:

9.1.  Event Organisers have direct control over their event within the secure perimeter and although they coordinate activities outside the event perimeter, such as crowd management or traffic management, they hold little control over publicly accessible land. It is difficult to take control of crowd management operations in an area they do not own or have rights or responsibility over.  However, they have a duty of care in ensuring the crowd arrive and depart the event safely. 

9.2.  Local Authorities (LA) have responsibility for public safety from the perspective of managing public land, however they are not part of the Event Organiser, even though they are often part of the event safety planning through the Safety Advisory Group. The LA exerts no control over the event, so would not take responsibility for a crowd management plan at an event they are not responsible for. However, they are responsible for ensuring the land is safe for the public to transit through, can deploy local laws such as Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO), therefore holding an important role within the safe management of Zone Ex. 

9.3.  Police have responsibility for preventing crime and disorder as well as maintaining peace in public spaces, yet it is not within their remit to manage crowd safety at events. Under Section 25 of the Police Act 1996, special police services can be requested for payment, however this relates to crowd control (prevention of disorder) rather than crowd management. As the events industry has evolved in the UK, police were often relied upon to support event organisers with crowd management. However, this is changing as police withdraw this support to enable them to carry out their primary roles, as industry professionals are improving in competency and professionalism to take on the role of crowd management. However, police are still responsible for public safety and can discharge powers in public space that event organisers cannot. Therefore, they hold a critical role within the management of Zone Ex. 

10.  Although there may be lack of clarity regarding ownership, Agencies and Stakeholders have clear lines of responsibilities and objectives for ensuring crowd safety depending on their role and legal obligation. In addition, if any crowd management activities are to be planned in Zone Ex, permission must be sought from the landowner or land user as well as engagements with agencies and stakeholders who may be impacted by these activities. 

11.  Depending on the scale of the event, may warrant a specific “Zone Ex SAG”. This SAG can be critical for successful and safe planning of Zone Ex as it is the conduit for all Agencies and Stakeholders to align plans, agree systems and protocols as well as be the forum for issue resolution. 

12.  The appreciation for the importance of interoperability has recently been demonstrated by the signing into UK law of the  Saint-Denis Convention on an Integrated Safety, Security and Service approach at football matches and other sport events. This convention acknowledges the need for considering a holistic approach to crowd management, balancing safety, security, and service as well as recognising the importance of Agency and Stakeholder relationships. The key strategies to keep people safe within Zone Ex are risk management and interoperability (collective working with Agencies and Stakeholders), and without one, the other cannot be delivered successfully.

13.  Building stakeholder relationships, seeking permission, and developing plans in consultation can take time to develop and coordinate (with some applications such as road closures requiring lead time), therefore Zone Ex planning should be considered as part of integrated event and venue planning. It is crucial to engage with all agencies, stakeholders and any neighbours that may be affected by Zone Ex early in the process to reduce the risk of issues and allow for sufficient planning time as complicated and complex issues can be common in Zone Ex. 

14.  To support the development and implementation of Zone Ex, the following Guiding Principles are designed to be applied to any event that falls under the remit of the Purple Guide. These Principles are designed in sequence to support the clarification of responsibilities and the development of a Zone Ex agreement, strategy, and plan.

Guiding Principles

15.  Consider the suitability and proximity of all ports of entry and exit to establish where crowd management may be required, including but not limited to; train stations, bus stations, car parks, shuttle bus load zones, PUDO (Pick Up/Drop Off) zones.

16.  Define primary pedestrian transit routes including agreed areas of responsibility clearly written down and displayed on a map for all event phases; pre-event, arrival, event, departure, post-event and reset back to business as usual.

17.  Consider the risk to the local area surrounding the event, identify all those who may be affected by Zone Ex, inform and work with Agencies and Stakeholders to develop the plan and reduce impact on these areas insofar as reasonably practicable.  

18.  Establish the roles and responsibilities for all applicable Agencies and Stakeholders within Zone Ex, including legal powers, communication strategies, decision making principles and the escalation process in the planning phase and event phase for both normal and emergency operations. This may necessitate a Zone Ex SAG. 

19.  Agree a Statement of Intent or Memorandum of Understanding to clarify each Agency/Stakeholders’ commitments and agree the handover of crowd management where the ownership of the operation moves from one Agency/Stakeholder to another on all event phases.

20.  Write a Zone Ex plan which can be included in the Event Management Plan. Each Agencies’ and Stakeholder’s risk assessment and operational plans should be written or reviewed to consider the impact of the event. In addition, the impact of the Agencies or Stakeholders’ own plans should be identified and addressed in the Zone Ex plan. The author will not be overall responsible for Zone Ex but may take on the role of coordinating the associated tasks. 

21.  Continually review and test the plan with partners and stakeholders as the environment within Zone Ex is dynamic and subject to change. 

Key Elements

22.  The key elements involved in operating Zone Ex includes:

• Legislation
• Overlay and Accessibility 
• Transport and Traffic Management
• Crowd Management
• Signage and Wayfinding
• Operational Communications
• Agencies and Stakeholders
• Welfare
• Protective Measures
• Contingency plans 

Legislation 

23.  Legislation that may impact activities taking place in Zone Ex include, but are not limited to;

• Health & Safety at Work Act 1974
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• Occupier’s Liability Act 1957
• Licensing Act 2003
• Duty of Care
• Martyn’s Law/Terrorism (Protection of Premises Act) (incoming 2024)
• Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 (Temporary Traffic Regulation Order)
• Public Order Act 1986 (Public Safety Public Order)
• Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (Public Space Protection Orders)

24.  See Chapter 1. Health & Safety Legislation for more information. The Event Organiser will have responsibility for those who are not within their employment under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act. This will include those attending, but also potentially others nearby impacted by the event (Business as Usual and Background Demand). The Local Authorities and landowners have safety responsibility under Occupier’s Liability Act, and the police have responsibility regarding public safety.

Overlay and Accessibility

25.  Assess the routes and access points to all ports of entry/exit and the event perimeter for opportunities and challenges relating to, visibility, integrity of walkways, evenness of road or pathway surface, among other elements. 

26.  Consider design and type of barriers, lighting and other crowd management infrastructure required at car parks, train stations, PUDO locations, road crossings etc. 

27.  Ensure that all pedestrian routes from vehicle or train to event entrances are accessible to all.

28.  Ensure any contractors installing overlay are briefed on all Zone Ex agreements to reduce the risk of installing overlay that may increase risk to crowd safety. 

Transport and Traffic Management

29.  Assess how the crowd may intend on travelling to the event and model that across the available transport options to determine suitability. Demand modelling may offer insights as to the effectiveness of current transport options and if new options must be considered including shuttle bus services, park and ride, park and walk or pick up/drop off (PUDO) zones. If transport behaviour needs to be altered or influenced, a Travel Demand Management (TDM) plan may be necessary. TDM should be incorporated to any communications plan to inform and help the crowd prepare to attend the event.

30.  Consider the current train services around the event and if they are sufficient at carrying the predicted capacity to and from the event. For example, considerations must include the availability of track and platforms, the capacity of the trains, the frequency of trains and the capacity and accessibility of the stations. 

31.  Consider if shuttle buses are required to facilitate crowds from train stations, city/town centres or car parks. Shuttle buses are recommended when walking distance is not practical or the available pedestrian route is unsafe or inappropriate.

32.  Consider if Park and Walk is an option for attendees and if so, consider available parking locations and if they are suitable to take the vehicle capacity and are accessible from major road networks. Also consider available pedestrian routes to and from the event, capacity and feasibility of these routes e.g. crossing points, terrain, incline, accessibility. 

33.  Consider if Pick Up/Drop Off (PUDO) locations need to be agreed, including any requirement to geo fence private hire services, working with taxi providers to agree set down locations, mapping and communicating PUDO to private vehicles (family members etc.). Consider how crowds depart these services and join and pedestrian route to the event and consider how they return to pick up locations and any queueing systems required to facilitate departure.

34.  Plan for potential unauthorised PUDO or parking or if a location may incentivise attendees to find their own way of arriving or departing the event. 

35.  The intent for traffic management in Zone Ex is to reduce vehicle and pedestrian interaction insofar as reasonably practicable, as well as often providing a space to control access for accredited vehicles. Temporary traffic management during the event may be required to facilitate the safe arrival and departure of crowds. 

36.  There may be a requirement to close roads and or carriageways, install one-way systems and divert traffic to facilitate crowd movement, queueing systems or increase security which requires a temporary traffic regulation order (TTRO). Consider if parking restrictions are necessary to increase road width to facilitate crowd management. 

37.  Where crowd movement occurs inside road closures, it may be required to conduct a threat assessment from a competent person and police Counter Terrorism Security Coordinator (CT SecCo) if one has been assigned to the event, to determine if Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) is required. 

38.  Consider if Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) may be an option to support enforcement of traffic management plans.

39.  Should installations on the highway or footpaths be necessary, such as temporary bridges, HVM, temporary queuing systems, it is likely a TTRO, speed reductions, and or road space bookings may be required with consultation with the relevant local authorities.

40.  Consider how the overlay of pedestrian signage interacts with traffic signage to avoid fatigue. 

41.  It is important to ensure that emergency access is designed and maintained for emergency vehicles, and that if the designated access road is blocked due to HVM or other crowd management infrastructure, then a plan must be designed to ensure that access can be quickly implemented and maintained in the event of an emergency. 

42.  See Chapter 7. Transport Management for more information. 

Crowd Management

43.  Crowd Management plans can be determined by assessing where and when crowds are moving through publicly accessible space. This assessment will provide what operations are required in the following event phases: pre-event, arrival, event, departure, post-event and reset.

44.  Arrival can be heavily impacted by the transport options that precede it and vice versa for departure. The arrival and departure profile can be modelled and any risk to crowd density and flow can often be identified in this process.

45.  Design queuing systems that sufficiently service access control areas (such as turnstiles or search tents). There should be enough space within the queueing system to allow the crowd to form a coherent and managed queue and be given the appropriate information in order to prepare for search, screen and ticket scanning.

46.  If any crowd management activities or infrastructure (such as barriers) are taking place in Zone Ex, permission may be required from the landowner or land user (such as the local authority) including consultations with agencies (e.g. emergency services) and stakeholders (e.g. neighbouring businesses) who may be impacted.

47.  Queuing systems for transport modes on departure need to be designed in a way to hold sufficient capacity to receive the oncoming crowd, direct them to their appropriate route and transport mode in a safe capacity. If there is insufficient capacity at transport modes, strategies such as directed cordons should be implemented to “pulse” the crowd into the transport queueing system.

48.  Stakeholders are recommended to consider how proportionate assets should be deployed across the full operating chronology of event to facilitate vigilance, reporting and/or recording of obvious suspicious activity, crowd dynamics and incidents with a view to soliciting emergency services support.

49.  For detailed guidance as to developing crowd management plans, see Chapter 13. Crowd Management

Signage and Wayfinding

50.  To support the crowd in finding their way to the event and back to relevant transport modes, a signage and wayfinding plan needs to be developed.

51.  Consideration to where signage and lighting is placed is crucial to ensure the crowd can identify the sign in good time and decide as to the next part of their journey.

52.  Signage and wayfinding need to be prepared in good time as often permissions are required to install signage which may take a long time to agree.

53.  Wayfinding can also include human resources such as event ambassadors, stewards, and volunteers to support the crowd in directing them along their route. They can also provide information to support the crowd’s decision making. 

54.  Liaise with stakeholders to ensure local knowledge of amenities can be shared with the crowd.

55.  See Chapter 6. Communication for more information on communicating with attendees. 

Operational Communications

56.  When delivering a Zone Ex operation, ensuring communication, contingency and emergency plans are designed in a way to ensure time and effective decision making are priority. Establish the command structure for the event including how all Agencies and appropriate Stakeholders communicate with each other.

57.  Agree the escalation and de-escalation process for decision making and incident response for both normal and emergency operations.

58.  See the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Protocol (JESIP) for more information on interoperability and operational communications planning. See Chapter 6. Communication for more information on operational communications. 

Stakeholders and Agencies

59.  Developing good relationships with all stakeholders and agencies related to Zone Ex is key for a successful plan and the earlier relationships can be initiated, the easier it is to overcome challenges that will arise as well as avail of opportunities. 

60.  It is important to understand all Agencies and Stakeholders relating to land used for arrival and departure as permissions may be required to access land belonging to private organisations. In addition, Agencies will hold a variety of responsibilities that all impact crowd safety within Zone Ex.

61.  A typical but not exclusive group of Agencies and Stakeholders that may be invited to the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) could include local authorities (emergency planning, licensing, environmental health, highways), police, fire service, ambulance, NHS, resident associations, business improvement districts, transport authority, train operators. See Chapter 25 Working in a Safety Advisory Group for more information. Depending on the scale of the Zone Ex plan for an event, a separate “Zone Ex SAG” may be appropriate and can be the conduit for all communication, escalation and decision making in the planning phases. 

62.  The following Stakeholders may also need to be consulted in the planning phase of the event, especially if their operations are impacted or need to change to support event arrival or departure; bus operators, private landowners, retailers, taxi, private hire companies, Landowner and Landlord and any commercial agreement with the land user (event organiser).

Welfare

63.  Event crowds could be spending considerable time in Zone Ex either waiting for transport or waiting to enter the venue. It is important to ensure provision of welfare facilities including toilets, medical and lost/found and safe spaces. 

64.  Event and operational staff will be working in Zone Ex. Employers have a legal duty and duty of care to ensure their staff’s welfare and safety as they work, especially as they may not avail of the same protection or access to facilities as inside the event. Staff welfare facilities in Zone Ex may include, but is not limited to, temporary cabins, power, communications, lighting, portable toilets and access to food and water. See Chapter 20. Information & Welfare and Chapter 21. Food, Drink & Water Provision for more.

Protective Measures

65.  As Zone Ex is outside the secure perimeter of a venue, the risk to crowd safety is potentially higher due to the inability to search and screen spaces and people. Depending on the threat and intelligence, it may be appropriate to consider means to reduce the risk of attack including but not limited to; vehicle as a weapon, marauding attack, improvised explosive devices (IED), as well as prevention of crime and disorder from organised and opportunistic crime. Protective Measures assets can include Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM), CCTV, Behavioural Detection Officers, Police officers and specialist police teams. See Chapter 26. Dealing with Crime & Disorder and Chapter 35. Counter Terrorism for more information on how to prepare. In addition, the Protect UK, and ACT Security Training available on the UK government website.

 Contingency Plans

66.  As Zone Ex is usually in a relatively uncontrolled area with few natural welfare options, it is critical to develop robust contingency plans. It is recommended to develop contingency plans for including, but not limited to; transport issues (congestion on the road network, geo-fencing issues,  rail strikes, other industrial action), weather (heat, wind, rain, storms), parallel events, operational communications (network disconnected, protest related cyber-attack), crowd dynamics, vehicle and pedestrian interaction, and external communications (social media triggers, reaction to loud noises, reaction to shouting). Most chapters within the Purple Guide relate to these areas. 

In Summary

67.  The creation of the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Protocol (JESIP), underpinned by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, demonstrates just how salient working together is, and how the lack of collaboration carries serious repercussions. JESIP was set up after identifying that collective working was the most effective way of reducing death or injury during a disaster and needed to improve between emergency services. Their principles include co-locate, communicate, co-ordinate, jointly understand risk and shared situational awareness. These principles can easily be applied to managing Zone Ex, providing a baseline for agencies to develop protocols from.

68.  The UK’s Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 reminds of the collective responsibility for ensuring safety of us and others, so far as reasonably practicable, and the ambiguity of responsibility and level of responsibility within Zone Ex makes for a significant challenge to crowd safety that may perpetuate for events to come. Finally, the Saint-Denis Convention states the importance of balancing safety, security and service when planning for Zone Ex. 

69.  It is important to acknowledge the difficulty in establishing ownership and stating each Agency and Stakeholder obligation. By identifying and clarifying roles and responsibilities, agreeing communication and decision making protocols, allows for more effective and faster response to the management and contingency response to incidents. Working with all parties who impact and are impacted by Zone Ex early in the planning process is key to success.

70.  It is crucial, that no matter the scale or complexity of Zone Ex, that a plan is designed, agreed upon and written up in a document that all agencies and stakeholders can work with. Through appropriate planning using the Guiding Principles, Agency, and Stakeholder cooperation to reduce risk and maximise opportunities, clear communication, and command structure design, Zone Ex can become a safe and successful space for all.

END

©2024 Íse Murphy-Morris 

Author: Íse Murphy-Morris
Working Group: Becky Stevens, Emma Stuart, Rachel Jackson, Rob Madeley, Mark Logan, Darren Crossman, Shamsul Islam, Andy Underwood

Copyright Disclaimer:

This chapter is authored by Ise Murphy-Morris and has been developed with the support of a dedicated working group. The author retains copyright and some rights to this content are reserved. We request that any use, reproduction, or distribution of this material, in whole or in part, includes proper citation of the author and acknowledgment of the working group. The Events Industry Forum has been granted permission to use this material for its purposes. Your cooperation in respecting these guidelines is appreciated. 

Date of completion: March 2024