The National Union of Teachers’ recent annual conference ran at the Sage Centre in Gateshead, a £70m complex with views of the Tyne.
Such venues require specialist security planning, for any number of potential risks, ranging from rogue attendees and protestors, to terrorist attacks and business continuity. So says Security Risk Management Ltd. SRM was recommended to provide the security strategy for the NUT event by the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative (NGI), an alliance of Newcastle and Gateshead councils, local businesses, and key others in the area. Brian Fenwick, Operations Director, SRM, says: “To secure a conference effectively, companies need to consider a lot more than just controlling access. With our help, the NUT was able to ensure not only the safety of all delegates, but could also be sure that the continuity of operations would not be interrupted.” Karen Handley, NUT Principal Officer (Organisation and Administration), says: “As our security advisors, SRM helped to make sure that our plans and procedures regarding the conference were sound and secure. As a result, SRM played an important role in making the conference such a success.” By providing conference organisers with analysis of the processes, people, and systems involved with any conference or event, SRM adds that it is able to combat such risks with risk assessments, business continuity strategies, penetration testing, computer forensics, and personnel security screening. SRM adds that it has worked with a range of corporate clients in the UK, including Britannia Airways, World of TUI (formerly Thomson Travel), and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with regard to work with the International Whaling Commission.
