On Sunday, July 14, 2024, more than 65,000 people packed into the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
They were there to watch the 2024 Copa America final soccer match.
Many attendees paid hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for their ticket to the game.
But as fans arrived at the stadium, they realized they might not even be able to get inside.
They were stuck outside because of a security issue.
You see, thousands of people had shown up to the stadium who didn’t have tickets.
And these fans were allowed to roam freely outside the stadium and were able to get right up to the stadium’s gates.
Inevitably, some of the ticketless fans pushed through barriers, scaled walls and fences, and broke through the stadium gates. Chaos ensued.
Now, this type of behavior is common at soccer matches in South America, but officials in Miami failed to prepare for it.
In South America, countries are prepared with multiple security perimeters, having at least two heavily reinforced layers between the stadium and the ticketless fans.
In addition, in South America there are three different checkpoints as fans get closer to the stadium.
Which means fans have to show their tickets while they’re still blocks away from the stadium.
These strict rules prevent ticketless fans from getting anywhere close to the stadium entrances.
Compare that to what happened in Miami, where fans got as close to the stadium gates as they wanted.
And when fans pushed their way into the Hard Rock Stadium, the security detail and police were overwhelmed.
The only way police were able to gain control was to lock down the stadium.
Only a few gates were opened so they could control the entrance and exit of fans.
However, by doing this, they left thousands of ticketed fans stuck outside the stadium.
It was a disaster for the stadium, the city, and the sport.
This incident is a major example of an intelligence failure that could have been prevented.
And these days, police departments are now turning to artificial intelligence threat systems to try to better prepare.
One company that develops this type of software is Dataminr.
The company uses artificial intelligence to enhance stadium and large event security by providing real-time alerts.
They use more than a million data sources to provide this real-time information.
This helps local security officials to detect and respond to threats quickly as they evolve.
In fact, here are a few ways artificial intelligence is being used in stadiums and similar large events.
Threat detection:
Companies like Dataminr use software that continuously scans data sources like news outlets, emergency dispatch channels, and social media.
During one incident, Dataminr was able to alert customers about an active shooter situation more than one minute before it hit news outlets.
So, when you attend a large event at a stadium you may wish to pay attention to security alerts and text alerts on your phone.
Pre-event risks:
Another way AI can be used in large event security is by analyzing past data from events.
For example, AI can analyze past incidents at the stadium such as security breaches.
In addition, it can analyze crime rates around the stadium.
Plus, AI can flag certain events as more high risk than others.
For instance, a rock band concert could be flagged as more high-risk when compared to an orchestra concert.
Before you go to any large event do an internet search for the latest security risks regarding the event.
Look to see if there have been any potential threats against the event or attendees.
Do your homework before going to any large event.
Ticket sales:
AI can monitor a sudden surge in ticket sales, unusual geographic concentration of buyers, and excessive group bookings.
These can all be a sign of scams, fake tickets, or even malicious activity that could be planned at the event.
Before attending an event, watch the ticket sales.
See how many tickets are sold in the weeks, days, and hours leading up to the event.
If there are a ton of last-second tickets sold it’s worth reaching out and asking if the event organizers know about the late surge in ticket sales.
Artificial intelligence is going to be used more often at stadiums around the world because it can detect threats in real-time and enhance overall security.
And a lot of that information for detection will come from online sources.
