Introduction

The presence of media at live events — television crews, press photographers, print and radio journalists, and the expanding universe of social media content creators — creates operational requirements that intersect directly with event safety management. Media personnel access sensitive areas of the event site, create structural and spatial requirements that affect the audience’s available space, and have the potential to disseminate information — accurate or otherwise — that influences crowd behavior in ways that can be safety-relevant. Industry safety guidance dedicates a chapter to TV and media management (Chapter 27), acknowledging that at medium to large events, the management of media is itself an event safety and operations function that requires advance planning and dedicated staffing.

This article examines the pre-event media management planning and credentialing requirements identified in the, including press release strategy, media capacity management, media safety briefing obligations, and on-site press office infrastructure, drawing on the established safety framework and industry practice for large-scale live event media operations.

Pre-Event Media Planning: The Press Release as a Safety Tool

The recommends that event producers, as an aid to crowd management and public information, issue a press release containing as much practical event information as possible: name, dates, times, location, lineup, ticket information, public transport information, and a contact name and telephone number. The’s framing of this recommendation as a crowd management and public information measure — rather than merely a marketing activity — is significant: it positions the pre-event press release as an instrument for distributing safety-relevant logistical information to the audience via media channels before the audience makes travel and arrival decisions.

A press release that includes comprehensive practical information about access routes, public transportation options, prohibited items, and on-site facilities allows media to distribute this information to the event’s potential audience before they travel — reducing the incidence of patrons arriving without the information they need, attempting to access the venue by inappropriate routes, or bringing prohibited items that create secondary safety issues at admissions. The’s recommendation to include contact information in the press release creates a channel through which media can obtain accurate information to supplement or correct incorrect reports, which is particularly important for events at which media ticket availability misinformation has historically driven problematic crowd responses.

Local media should receive specific outreach separate from national media distribution. The identifies three specific scenarios in which the local media relationship is safety-relevant: when the event sells out (requiring communication to prevent ticketless patrons from traveling to the venue); when the event is cancelled (requiring rapid public communication to prevent unnecessary travel); and when a major incident occurs (requiring communication of accurate safety information to the public). These are all scenarios in which the speed and accuracy of information dissemination can directly affect the safety of the public — either by preventing unnecessary crowd convergence on an event site or by providing accurate information during an emergency. An event producer who has established a working relationship with local media before the event has a reliable communication channel for these scenarios; one who has not must improvise the media relationship at the moment when accurate rapid communication is most critical.

Media Capacity Management

The identifies media capacity — the number of media representatives accommodated at the event — as a planning decision that balances the operational benefits of media coverage against the infrastructure demands and crowd management complications that media presence creates. Determining the appropriate number of media involves considering available physical space for media operations (pit access, press area, media platforms), the staffing capacity to manage media personnel on site, and the duration of the event.

Media capacity planning must consider the spatial impact of media operations on the audience experience and safety. The is explicit that the square footage of camera platforms and media installations — including the space between the platform structure and any protective barriers — must be deducted from the usable public viewing area square footage when calculating occupant capacity. This is not merely an administrative calculation; it reflects the physical reality that media installations occupy space that would otherwise be available to the audience, and that failing to account for this displacement can result in an effective occupant density in the remaining viewing area that exceeds the approved maximum. Camera cranes similarly restrict the available viewing area and must be excluded from occupant capacity calculations.

The media credentialing system — through which the event producer controls who has media access and to which areas — provides the mechanism for managing media capacity within the planning parameters. A well-designed credentialing system includes distinct credential types for different media categories (general media, photography pit access, broadcast compound access, artist compound access), with clear and consistently enforced boundaries between each access level. The credentialing system must integrate with the event’s overall access control system, with the event security team briefed on the media credential types and their corresponding access authorizations.

Media Safety Briefings: An Underappreciated Obligation

The specifically requires that each media representative who will attend the event receives information on site safety arrangements. This requirement is operationally important and reflects a genuine safety gap: media personnel who are unfamiliar with the event site, its emergency procedures, and its safety rules can create hazards for themselves, for the audience, and for the event’s emergency response capability if they act without knowledge of the safety context they are operating in.

The media safety briefing should include at minimum: the event’s emergency communication protocol (what PA announcement or signal means “evacuate the pit immediately,” for example); the location of the nearest first aid station and the procedure for requesting medical assistance; the specific access areas covered by each media credential type; the photography pit entry and exit protocol; any site-specific hazards relevant to media locations; and the procedure for communicating with the event’s press office or media liaison during the event. For media personnel accessing technical areas — camera towers, broadcast compounds, backstage areas — additional safety briefings specific to the hazards of those areas (working at height, proximity to electrical equipment, vehicle movements) may be required.

Foreign media representatives are specifically identified by the as requiring advance briefing on safety requirements, including particular attention to the provision, compatibility, and use of electrical equipment. This guidance reflects the practical problem that international media may bring equipment designed for different electrical systems (voltage, frequency, plug standards) that is incompatible with the event’s electrical infrastructure, and may be unfamiliar with UK or US electrical safety conventions. The provision of a technical electrical briefing for foreign media — and the availability of event electricians who can advise on equipment compatibility and provide appropriate adapters or distribution solutions — prevents electrical hazards that arise from improvised equipment connections.

The Press Office: Infrastructure and Function

For medium to large events, the recommends establishing a dedicated press tent or press office within the VIP or guest hospitality area, positioned away from production and artist dressing room areas and with easy access to the front-of-house area. The press office serves as the operational hub for media management — the location where media representatives check in, receive credentials, obtain event information, arrange interviews, and recharge equipment. Its positioning within or adjacent to the VIP/hospitality area reflects the practical requirement for proximity to both the media’s subjects (performers, event executives) and the front-of-house area where photography and filming occur.

The identifies internet access and power points as press office infrastructure requirements, along with water and beverages for the media. These provisions reflect the operational needs of a modern media workflow: television and radio crews working to tight broadcast deadlines require reliable internet connectivity to transmit materials; photographers need power for battery charging; and print journalists who are filing stories on tight deadlines need connectivity to submit copy. Meeting these needs proactively through the press office infrastructure reduces the incidence of media personnel attempting to improvise solutions — tapping into production power, using backstage WiFi — in ways that could create conflicts with the event’s operational team or access control system.

The press office staffing level should reflect the event’s scale and media attendance: the provides the benchmark of at least 10 people for a large three-day event with 50,000 or more capacity, and four to six for smaller single-day events. All media management staff should be issued radios on a dedicated media management channel to avoid occupying production communication channels with media-related traffic. This channel segregation is both an operational efficiency measure and a safety measure: production communication channels must remain available for safety-critical communications, and media management traffic — which is high-volume at large events — must not compete with these communications for channel access.

Artist Privacy and Dressing Room Access

The identifies the need to communicate clearly to both artists and media representatives when the dressing room compound is closed to press. This pre-event communication prevents the on-site confrontations that arise when media representatives with general media credentials attempt to access areas to which they have not been granted access, which can create security incidents and consume media management staff time. Festival documentary crews are a specific exception: these crews are often granted access to the artist compound as part of the contract between the organizer and the artist, and their credentials and access level should be clearly distinguished from general media credentials in the event’s access control system.

Conclusion

Pre-event media planning and press operations at live events require a level of systematic preparation that extends beyond the commercial and promotional purposes media management typically serves, into the safety management functions of crowd control (through advance information dissemination), emergency communication (through established media relationships), and occupant capacity calculation (through spatial accounting for media installations). The’s Chapter 27 guidance on press releases, local media relationships, media capacity management, safety briefings for all media personnel, and press office infrastructure provides the framework for media management that integrates effectively with the event’s broader safety management system. Event producers who treat media management as an isolated commercial function rather than an integrated safety and operations function leave safety gaps that the’s systematic approach is designed to prevent.

References

National Fire Protection Association. (2021). NFPA 101: Life safety code. NFPA.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2023). General duty clause (Section 5(a)(1), OSH Act). OSHA. https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/oshact/section5-duties