Zone Ex

Zone Ex is defined as those areas, either in the public domain or under private ownership, considered to be integral to the circulation and safe management of people both arriving at the venue and dispersing afterwards.

Typically, Zone Ex includes routes linking the venue with transport hubs, car parking areas and local amenities. However, in every location its extent and character will differ.

These and other relevant elements and characteristics of Zone Ex must be taken into consideration when planning an event. This is because:

• No venue or event exists in isolation.
• The physical characteristics and management of Zone Ex may have a bearing upon the safe capacity of the venue.
• Safety management plans must balance the operational requirements of the venue and the needs of those attending the event against any impact that the event might have upon Zone Ex and others, such as local communities, businesses and services.

In most locations the routes or areas that make up Zone Ex fall outside the legal jurisdiction of the venue management and/or event organiser, it is nevertheless incumbent upon them to ensure that all safety, security and service arrangements within that zone are integrated, co-ordinated and agreed by all key stakeholders prior to the event.

Zone Ex Co-ordination Plan

No venue or event exists in isolation.

Although in most locations the routes or areas that make up Zone Ex fall outside the legal jurisdiction of the venue management and/or event organiser, it is incumbent upon them to ensure that all safety, security and service arrangements within that zone are integrated, co-ordinated and agreed by all key stakeholders prior to the event. This is the purpose of the Zone Ex Co-ordination Plan, which is a vital part of the Operations Manual.

The development of the Plan will require detailed consultation and should involve one or more representatives of the venue management and/or event organiser who have a deep familiarity with the venue and its surrounds, and also with the proposed event and its likely spectator profile.

It is also vital that the Zone Ex Co-ordination Plan should take into consideration any relevant or common details held with other sections of the Operations Manual, such as the Security Plan, the Traffic Management Plan and the Communications Plan, to ensure that no conflicting agreements, measures or procedures are in place.

The Zone Ex Co-ordination Plan should include:

• Site plans and/or maps showing the agreed geographical boundaries of Zone Ex, and the locations of key routes, open spaces, gathering points, buildings and facilities within the zone, for example transport routes, fan zones, car parks, drop off and pick up points, etc.
• A list of the key stakeholders actively engaged in Zone Ex. It should include the contact details, a summary of the roles and responsibilities of each, along with any Memorandum of Understanding and/or agreed protocols in place that have a bearing on safety management.
• Details of any personnel within Zone Ex, including stewards, marshals, volunteers, contractors, security personnel or police presence, including their number, location, roles and responsibilities.
• Resources within Zone Ex, such as details of all CCTV within Zone Ex, access points, etc.
• Co-ordinating communications , with the Plan detailing any other channels of public facing communication that other stakeholders operating in Zone Ex plan to use, or might be able to offer.
• Agreed protocols in place which outlines which agency has overall responsibility for responding to, or managing, a range of circumstances and incidents, such as unauthorised vehicles, ticket sellers, and so on, or the need for emergency vehicles to access the vehicle or neighbouring properties.

Within the Zone Ex Co-ordination Plan there should be provision for the testing of a range of contingencies within Zone Ex, such as crowd congestion, the suspension of transport routes, security alerts and/or systems failures.

The Zone Ex Co-ordination Plan is a generic document, for use under standard operational conditions. Accordingly, it may be necessary to adapt or supplement the plan to cater for a specific event which has its own issues or requirements affecting Zone Ex. If this is the case, the event specific Zone Ex Co-ordination Plan should form part of the Event Management Plan.