NCS4 Hosts National Forum on Sports, Entertainment Safety and Security at UNC Charlotte

Tue,
03/17/2026 – 01:57pm | By: NCS4 staff

The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS⁴) at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) recently hosted the National Professional
Sports and Entertainment Safety and Security Forum at UNC Charlotte. More than 150
safety and security professionals from across the country, representing all areas
of professional sports and entertainment, attended the sold-out forum. 

The highly anticipated event brought together professional sports and entertainment
safety and security practitioners to address pressing challenges and share innovative
solutions to ensure safe environments for sports, venues and events.

“The Professional Sports and Entertainment Safety and Security Forum remains an important
platform for collaboration across the industry,” said Lauren Cranford, NCS⁴ director of operations. “By bringing together security leaders and subject-matter
experts, we are able to share meaningful insights, discuss emerging risks, and gather
critical input that helps us continually update and strengthen best practices for
venues and events to support more secure environments.”

The forum featured keynote speakers, expert panel discussions and moderated sessions
to review the NCS⁴ Best Practices for professional sports and entertainment safety and security. Topics included:

• Staff Training and Development
• Fan Behavior
• Communications
• Perimeter Security
• Severe Weather Planning
• Command Center Operations

General sessions covered the evolving threat landscape, security challenges related
to athlete harassment and stalking, festival safety, public-private sector partnerships
and information sharing.

“The forum was a fantastic opportunity for industry professionals to gather and share
lessons learned from their respective venues,” said Paul Grohowski, MPA, security
manager, Orlando Venues. “The depth of experience among the attendees, speakers and
instructors at NCS⁴ events is second to none. I would encourage anyone in the sports and entertainment
industry to seek out and attend any NCS⁴ training workshops, conferences or forums in the future. The NCS⁴ organization’s commitment to continual improvement and its constant work to establish
industry best practices are true game changers for security professionals.”

Jason Caceres, PSGE security event manager at Amazon said, “The forum was a great
opportunity to share knowledge across the sports and entertainment industry and to
collaborate with peers on the challenges and best practices we are all navigating.
Events like this provide valuable insight into where we stand collectively and give
us the chance to evaluate whether our current standards and approaches need to be
adjusted to better serve our organizations, venues and communities.”

The forum would not be possible without the NCS⁴’s Forum Solution Partners. Special thanks to Title Partner – SkySafe; Reception Partners – 24/7 Software and
ClearForce Inc.; and Signature Partners – Accredit Solutions, Alcatraz, Ameristar
Perimeter Security, ASSA ABLOY, BEST Crowd Management, Bluescape, Eyelock, Genetec,
Hanwha Vision, Hill & Smith Infrastructure Ltd., Hyperion Technology Group Inc., InControl
– The Simulation Company, Meridian, Motorola Solutions, NEWCOM, Perry Weather, Raven
Controls and Salient Operations Group.

Those interested in future NCS⁴ events and initiatives are encouraged to visit the
NCS⁴ website for updates and engagement opportunities.

About the 17th Annual Conference 
The National Sports Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition will be held June
23-June 25, 2026, at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa in Palm Desert,
Calif. The conference will attract over 500 attendees and 70 exhibitors representing
professional sports, intercollegiate athletics, interscholastic athletics, marathon
and endurance events, sports and entertainment facilities, and those who provide safety
and security products and services to the industry. Visit the conference website for more