IAVM

from various backgrounds and demographics to feel safe. It’s going to foster that inclusivity, and it’s going to enrich the event. It’s going to promote that global community. “We encourage the collaboration,” he adds,“because we think that builds on the reputation and the partnerships that we need for these vendors to continue their commitment to securing those facilities.” Given the nature of Herrera’s job and the IAVM’s work, it’s important not to give away too much. Herrera walks a fine line here between education and information versus the security-related need for a certain circumspection. “One of the things that we focus on is a unified security approach,” he says, “when all the vendors or facilities within a community adopt our standardized security training programs, ensuring that everyone is on the same page concerning those. What are those best-practice protocols that really measure out the effects and mitigate risks? The purpose is to reduce that confusion and increase the effectiveness during a potential crisis. That’s what we’re trying to focus on. I call it ‘closing the gap’: when you perceive a threat from the point of perception to the point that you have to take action. There’s a time delay, and there’s a gap to respond to a certain condition. It’s about taking the guesswork out of what has to do with those facilities. It’s about implementing the proper technologies and the tools that they need.” Herrera stresses that team-engagement is crucial, from leadership all the way down to frontline staffers. They are, he continues, “those eyes and ears, boots on the ground; underpaid, sometimes undervalued and overlooked. Yet they can be the most important assets, because they see things before anyone else does. If you can’t engage your frontline staff to be a part of that security culture, it does leadership no good at that point, and it compromises that facility and those attendees.” Addressing hazards and mitigating risks are what all of them prepared to drive home the latest in security measures. Also present are members of federal agencies; those from the hospitality and retail sectors; local, state and regional authorities; and media outlets. “It’s important that we promote what I call inclusivity,” he says, adding, “A secure environment can drawa reallydiverse crowd,and youwant people 6 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 12