Professionals responsible for managing crowds carry a significant responsibility: ensuring the safety and wellbeing of people gathering at events and crowded places. Recent Applied Crowd Science courses delivered by ESI in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney have demonstrated the value of a practical, professional approach to crowd management. Students have gained new insights, tools and models that can further strengthen the way they assess and manage crowd-related risks.
“A Must for the Industry”
That is how one of our Adelaide students described the course in their evaluation.
The Applied Crowd Science course is unique in its approach. At a time when more and more professional training is being delivered online, obtaining accreditation can sometimes become more important than genuinely understanding crowd safety and being able to apply risk models in practice.
ESI has deliberately chosen to retain a classroom-based learning environment. We believe the learning experience is far more effective when participants have three full days to immerse themselves in the theory, discuss real-world situations and apply the models, rather than simply clicking through text or watching a series of online videos.
“Essential for Venue and Event Operators”
This is another piece of recent feedback that we strongly support.
The course was specifically designed for professionals responsible for crowd operations. It is not about the operational tasks of using a two-way radio or searching bags. Instead, it focuses on the bigger picture: logistics, crowd behaviour, emergency management and maintaining safe operating limits.
For those in positions of responsibility, an incident can lead to some very serious questions:
- Where were you when the incident occurred?
- What was your role?
- Did you have the appropriate training to perform that role?
- Did the people you worked with perform their roles appropriately?
- Can you demonstrate and document this?
If you do not have the professional background to explain what you’ve done, how you’ve done it and why, you may well be held liable. Taking the Applied Crowd Science course helps you to understand how, when and where safety breaches can occur, and which options you have to do a better job.
The Applied Crowd Science course provides participants with a range of theoretical frameworks, legal standards and practical tools. At the same time, it helps them understand which approach is most appropriate for a particular situation.
Direct Application to Your Own Case
Direct application is at the heart of what we do during the course. From day one, participants bring their own real-world case — whether it is a venue, a greenfield event, a parade or a leisure location — and begin applying the course principles directly to it.
After three days, participants return to their workplace with a practical case file that includes:
- a RAMP analysis of their location;
- a DIM-ICE analysis identifying specific opportunities to improve ingress, circulation and egress;
- a timeline identifying potential congestion points with Risk and Congestion Mapping; and
- their own Decision Support Matrix, helping operators understand where to focus their attention during operations.
This means participants do not simply leave with new knowledge. They leave with practical tools that can be applied directly to their own working environment.
International Standards, Local Application
ESI continually updates the course materials with new examples, developments and legislation. The course is based on internationally recognised standards, while also incorporating the national and state legislation, regulations and guidelines relevant to the participant’s specific area of work. This combination of international best practice and local requirements ensures that the course remains both globally informed and locally relevant.
Trusted by Leading Australian Organisations
Organisations including the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Cricket Ground and Victorian Convention and Event Trust, among many others, have taken part in the Applied Crowd Science course and are helping to lead the way in professional crowd management.
The need for well-trained crowd management professionals continues to grow. Effective crowd safety requires more than procedures and accreditation — it requires the knowledge, judgement and practical tools to understand how crowds behave and how risks can be managed.
Could your organisation be next?
