Conference and meetings safety-security technology

Abstract

The UK Government owned Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London is possibly the first conference centre in the world (certainly the first in the United Kingdom) which had security and safety as a fundamental, and large part of the original architect's brief. Spare conference capacity is marketed within the conference industry to commercial clients who are subject to the same security regime as government users. This paper briefly outlines the underlying security philosophy within the conference centre; the physical and systems approach, and how the building and systems work towards achieving security aims. The authors are particularly concerned at the impact the security systems have had on people. They touch upon the perceptions of the operators and try to analyse those of the user. Systems have had to be modifed to make them more flexible, but people's attitudes are not so malleable. How can we change our attitudes without reducing our security awareness, and how can we modify people's attitudes to our, operation?