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Event Theft 101: How to Protect Yourself

Introduction

There are people trying to steal from you right now. And the sad thing is they may work for you.

With budgets on the up tick, slippage at events isn't far behind. That means your samples, premiums, digital cameras, and more could disappear. "Anything that can be bolted down, should be," says Jeffrey Miller, vp-event marketing with San Francisco-based Seismicom.

Overview

Theft is hardly restricted to the realm of mobile programs. Guerrilla campaigns, street tours, trade shows, proprietary events, on-premise and mall initiatives can all be targets. We would hope the field staff wasn't tempted by expensive laptops, cell phones, and camcorders. The majority isn't, but a few are. That means you must safeguard yourself from theft by consumers as well as from your own crew. Protecting yourself is a matter of common sense, basic precautions, and bringing some creative security techniques to the process.

"When I worked at Nissan, we would cut the backs out of the pieces of apparel on display," says Kathy Faith, manager of merchandising and promotions at Hyundai. "It made the merchandise worthless."

Safeguarding

Minimizing theft of merchandise and event equipment begins with an understanding of whether your vulnerability is from internal or external sources. For internal protection, the best way to maintain inventory is through record sheets.

For external safeguarding, inventory and premiums must be concealed or placed in a brown unlabeled box that only the field crew knows about. It's rare for someone to break into a car to steal a box or go behind a kiosk to steal items. If trucks must be left set up (but locked), cover prime real estate. Microsoft, for example, locks its Xbox Odyssey (Agency: GMR Marketing, New Berlin, WI) behind a layer of Plexiglas. The gamer wants consumers to be able to see what's inside, but not have access.

Some other tips for preventing slippage: a) Make sure exhibits and other equipment are secured when not in use. Arm trucks with motion sensors, door sensors, and alarms that go off even when the tractor and trailer are separated. b) Keep the most expensive materials toward the nose of the truck and less expensive items toward the door. c) Photograph all equipment for the insurance company. Put serial numbers on everything. d) When using sought-after premiums, give one to each staffer to lessen the temptation for them to five-finger-discount something. e) Assign a certain amount of inventory to specific market managers and demand regular reports on stock levels.