NCS⁴ NEWS eNewsletter | March 28, 2023

Join NCS⁴ for the National Conference

Register now: Early-bird rate Ends April 14

THE AGENDA will BE RELEASED LATER THIS WEEK!

Make plans to join us for the 14th Annual National Sports Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition on June 27-29 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa. The 2023 conference theme is Level-Up, challenging our industry friends and partners to strive for continuous improvement. The conference will offer dynamic programming, solution provider engagement, and opportunities to network with fellow professionals. This highly regarded gathering of sports safety and security professionals is an opportune time to share ideas, tools, and proven strategies to help advance the industry. The conference agenda will be released later this week. Watch for details!

Early-bird registration is available through April 14. Register now and save $$$.

Registering a Group?

Save $75 off each attendee registration when registering three or more people from the same organization. Discount will be automatically applied when applicable. *Cannot be combined with the member discount. *Does not apply to Private Sector Attendee registration or Exhibitors/Sponsors.

NCS⁴ Connect Member discount

NCS⁴ Connect Members receive a discount on conference attendee registration fees. If you are a current member, contact Sara Priebe for the conference discount code at sara.priebe@usm.edu. To become a member of NCS⁴ Connect, click here.

Six Individuals to Receive Young Professional Scholarship at the 2023 Conference

The NCS⁴ will recognize six individuals as Young Professional Scholarship recipients during the 2023 National Sports Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition.

The NCS⁴ is committed to educating the next generation of sport security professionals and recently announced the Young Professional Scholarship Program to support young professionals’ educational goals by covering the registration fee for selected individuals to the National Conference. The scholarship program is sponsored by Axis Communications.

“We would like to thank our sponsor for this program, Axis Communications, as we work together to recognize and support young professionals in the sport security space. We look forward to connecting with them at the conference,” said Dr. Stacey A. Hall, NCS⁴ Executive Director and Professor of Sport Management.

The conference will expose recipients to general educational programming, innovative technology solutions, security expert insights, and networking opportunities.

Golden Eagle Award Entries are in!

The application deadline has passed, and the case studies are being reviewed by a panel of judges to determine the most compelling projects. The winning case study will be announced soon! Thank you to all who submitted their case study for consideration of the Golden Eagle Award.

The Golden Eagle Award recognizes excellence in system integration, architecture, engineering, and/or construction (A/E/C) specifically related to the safety and security of spectators, property, and facility infrastructure. The award is sponsored through a partnership between the NCS⁴ and SDM and Security magazines. The winning submission will be selected as the 2023 Golden Eagle Award Recipient, with the opportunity to present their case study to attendees at the National Conference. The winner will be recognized at the Awards Luncheon during the National Conference. Stay tuned for the winning case study!

Solution Partners – Attend, Exhibit, or Sponsor the National Conference

Registration for exhibitors and sponsors is being accepted. Hurry – spots are filling up! Exhibitors may register online using the link below. For those interested in sponsoring, please contact Sara Priebe at sara.priebe@usm.edu to request a sponsorship packet or for additional information. To attend, register as a Private Sector Attendee using the link below.

Thank you to our Exhibitors and Sponsors!

CSSP Program

NCS⁴ offers applicants the opportunity to sit for the CSSP exam at the conference with no testing fee!

The CSSP examination will be offered to eligible candidates on Tuesday, June 27, during the 14th Annual National Sports Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition. To be considered eligible to take the exam, individuals must complete and submit their CSSP Application, including the application fee, by April 28, 2023, to allow enough time for the NCS⁴ Certification Department to collect and process all supporting documentation. Approved candidates will receive a notification of test eligibility before arriving at the conference. Find out more about CSSP and how to register for the exam now.

STAFF NEWS:

Aayush Gautam Selected for Clinton Global Initiative University, Research Published

Aayush Gautam, NCS⁴ web developer, was selected to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) Annual Meeting at Vanderbilt University. According to their website, "CGI U is a dynamic community of students committed to developing innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges" and is supported by the Clinton Foundation. At the conference, Gautam had the opportunity to meet President Clinton and Hillary Clinton and hear their inspiring stories. As a part of CGI U, Gautam will receive mentorship that will help bring his community project idea to life.

Aayush Gautam published his first research paper and presented it at the 38th International Conference on Computers and Their Applications (CATA-2023). The paper discusses the Viability of Machine Learning in Android Scareware Detection. We achieved an accuracy of 96% when detecting Scareware on Android Devices.

Graduate Assistant, Enzo Ferreira, Presents Research at the College Sport Research Institute Conference

Graduate Assistant, Enzo Ferreira, presented his research on sport spectatorship and international students’ intention to attend intercollegiate events at the College Sport Research Institute Conference in Columbia, South Carolina. Dr. Hall served as his advisor.

Dr. Chris Croft, Sport Management Professor, Presents Research at the Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators (ACME) Conference

Dr. Croft represented the NCS⁴ program at ACME in a presentation co-authored with Dr. Alison Fridley, Dr. Stacey Hall, and Dr. Jim Evans. The presentation focused on communicating security measures for sport spectators.

CSSP Special Edition Newsletter

The NCS⁴ recently published a special edition newsletter recognizing those who received CSSP certification over the past year. In the newsletter, the NCS⁴ congratulates the latest CSSP recipients and recognizes current certificants and commission members. Click the link to view the newsletter.

CISA Announces Pre-Ransomware Notification Initiative

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announces today our latest effort to stop ransomware: Pre-Ransomware Notification Initiative. This initiative is already showing impact in actually reducing the harm from ransomware intrusions.

We know that ransomware actors often take some time after gaining initial access to a target before encrypting or stealing information, a window of time that often lasts between hours and days. This window gives CISA time to warn organizations that ransomware actors have gained initial access to their networks. These early warnings can enable victims to safely evict the ransomware actors from their networks before they have a chance to encrypt and hold critical data and systems at ransom.

Since the start of 2023, CISA has notified more than 60 entities across the energy, healthcare, water/wastewater, education, and other sectors about potential pre-ransomware intrusions, and has confirmed that many of them identified and remediated the intrusion before encryption or exfiltration occurred.

Read our blog written by Clayton Romans, Associate Director for Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative, for more details on how this initiative works.

To enable the broader cyber community to benefit from valuable threat intelligence, CISA urges organizations to report observed activity, including ransomware indicators of compromise (IOCs) and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) to CISA or our federal law enforcement partners, including the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Secret Service. You can find information on reporting at stopransomware.gov.

ICYMI: 2023 Technology Alliance Announced

The NCS⁴ announces the 2023 Sports and Entertainment Technology Alliance, which includes safety and security practitioners and solution providers: Axis Communications, Esri, Microsoft, Nvidia, S2 Global, and Xtract One. The Technology Alliance is a consortium of individuals and organizations committed to spectator safety and security excellence through innovation. Members work alongside practitioners and the NCS⁴ to explore how people, processes, and technologies can best contribute to safety and security challenges in a meaningful way. Through membership, the alliance contributes to training and education initiatives, provides research input, and participates in industry engagement and outreach opportunities.

ICYMI: Severe Weather Webinar

Weather is one of the most-likely disruptors to all planned events and operations. Each year severe and other inclement weather cause delays, postponements, cancellations, and in some cases serious injuries and even fatalities to athletes, event staff, and fans. Organizations managing events must have weather identified as a risk and adjust their planning based on the realistic assessment of historical and potential weather events and impacts. In this webinar, representatives from the Disaster Science Operations Center (DSOC), located at Western Kentucky University, discuss how we can plan for and monitor the weather to improve the level of safety and fan experience if severe weather does strike.

PANELISTS:

Josh Durkee, Ph.D., Professor, University Meteorologist, Western Kentucky University Dr.

David E. Oliver, Ed.D., CSP, CEM, Director, Environmental Health and Safety and Emergency Manager, Western Kentucky University

ICYMI: Dr. Stacey Hall Publishes Textbook

Dr. Stacey A. Hall, NCS⁴ Executive Director, recently announced the release of a new textbook in collaboration with longtime colleagues Dr. Walter Cooper and Dr. Jim McGee, Ph.D. “Security and Risk Assessment for Facility and Event Managers” is a new resource for practitioners in facility and event security, as well as for students taking courses in sport management, risk management, and security management. Dr. Hall thanks the Human Kinetics team for all their support and guidance (and patience).

Congratulations to Dr. Hall and her colleagues on publishing this valuable resource!

ICYMI: Research Seminar Series

A new Research Seminar Series webinar is now available on demand. The seminar “Understanding the Interface Between Security and Customer Service at NCAA Division I FCS Institutions” is presented by Dr. Kiernan Gordon, Assistant Professor of Sport & Recreation Management at the University of New England. As sport venues become increasingly hardened, security personnel take on an increasingly important role in customer service. This presentation explores what effective customer service ought to look like for security personnel, as well as how we should view the customer journey at sport venues. Click the link below to watch the webinar.

NCS⁴ eLearning Options

The NCS⁴ eLearning platform, NCS⁴ LEARN, provides opportunities for individuals and organizations to access asynchronous professional development opportunities. Current offerings include:

• Venue Staff Training
• Crowd Manager Fundamentals
• Senior Leader Course: Sports and Entertainment Security

Please visit the website or contact us at NCS4Learn@usm.edu if you have any questions or would like to inquire about bulk registration.

Click one of the links above or the button below for details or to register.

Professor Keith Still Crowd Safety Course

NCS⁴ and GKStill International have partnered to jointly offer the Fundamentals of Crowd Safety online E-Learning course to address capability gaps in crowd behavior and sciences. Professor Dr. G. Keith Still, Visiting Professor of Crowd Science at the University of Suffolk, developed this certified, accredited course. The course offers an 8-hour online interactive experience designed to teach the essential elements of crowd safety and crowd risk analysis. The course is especially valuable to event organizers, as it ensures that those who complete it are compliant with the NFPA 101 - Life Safety Code — specifically, the areas of section 12 of the code that require a venue to provide a crowd manager trained in crowd management techniques for occupancies exceeding 1000.