Glossary
Welcome to the Event Crowd Glossary
See below a list of words, phrases and acronyms that you might find useful. Most of these are event-specific terms, but are often transferrable to other industries, occasionally some words mean something different in other sectors.
If you have any words, phrases, or acronyms that you don’t understand and would like to be added here, please let your course tutor know, or leave a comment on the community forum.
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- 3Fs
- Flow, Fill, Fail (Crowd Management)
- 3Ps
- People, Planet & Profit
- 5Es
- Explore, Entry, Experience, Exit & Extension
- 5Ws
- What, Why, Who, When, Where
A
- AAA
- Access All Areas
- AGM
- Annual General Meeting
- ASCII
- American Standard Code for Information Interchange – The name of the rudimentary language for text, numbers and other characters on basic digital and computer software systems. Mostly used in general terms as meaning ‘plain text’, no formatting, colours, image or emoji data.
- ATL
- Above the Line (Marketing)
- AV or A/V
- Audiovisual or Audio and Visual
B
- B2B / B2C
- Business to Business / Business to Consumer
- BAU
- Business as Usual
- Break/Load-out
- Process of removing, taking down, or deconstructing an event site
- Build/Load-in
- Process of setting up, building, or constructing an event site
C
- C3/C4
- Command, Control, Communication (+ Collaboration)
- CAD
- Computer Aided Design – Generic name for electronic construction and model mapping software, largely used in events to make accurate site plans and set design.
- CDM
- Construction, Design & Management
- CEO
- Chief Executive Officer
- CFO
- Chief Financial Officer
- CIM
- Chartered Institute of Marketing
- CIPR
- Chartered Institute of Public Relations
- CMP
- Crowd Management Plan
- CMS
- Content Management System
- COO / COE
- Chief Operations Officer / Chief Operating Executive
- CRM / CSM
- Customer Relationship (/or Sales) Management software or platform
- CTA
- Call to Action – a piece of content or information intended to induce a viewer, reader, or listener to perform a specific action (e.g. buy now or click here).
- CV
- Curriculum Vitae – A brief document summarising someone’s education, work, volunteering experience and skills. Term originates from the Latin to loosely mean ‘course of work/life.’ Also known as a Resumé (Pronounced Rezu-may) in Americanised locations.
- Carnet
- Catch-all term for temporary International Customs Permits – Used to transport nonperishable goods and equipment across multiple borders for a limited amount of time (usually up to a year) tax free and import/duty free. Commonly used in large scale event Touring.
- Comms
- Abbreviation for communications, used interchangeably
- Concord Barrier
- Metal mid-height A-frame type barriers that (usually) slant at an angle. Makes them extra sturdy for use in windy or unpredictable locations, can also be branded.
- Couplers
- A tool that connects two things together and holds them in place. In events, they are usually two-sided metal grips that connect two pieces of Heras fencing to each other, or concrete blocks that the base of two fence panels slot into on the ground, to join them together.
- Crush Barrier
- Heavy duty counterweight metal barriers, placed somewhere (usually in-between a stage and the crowd) where pressure or resistance to pushing may be required. Also known as mojo, A-frame, pit barrier, or front of stage barriers.
D
- D&I / DE&I
- Diversity, (Equality or Equity) & Inclusion – A policy individuals or companies follow to ensure they are being inclusive, fair, and unprejudiced in their work practises.
- DCMS
- The UK Governmental Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
- DDR
- Day Delegate Rate – A way that a venue charges an event organiser; a set price per person per day. Usually based on the number of attendees.
- DIM
- Design, Information, Management
- DOGO
- Director of General Operations
- DPS
- Designated Premises Supervisor – The person legally responsible for the issued license for the event.
- Drayage
- The transport and storage of goods and equipment needed for an event, particularly as part of a longer haul journey. Can also include removal and return of shipping crates, boxes or pallets at the end of an event.
E
- ECR
- Event Control Room
- EDT
- Estimated Departure Time
- EHO
- Environmental Health Officer
- ELT
- Emergency Liaison Team – The multi-agency team of staff that deal with any top level issues at your event
- EMEA
- Europe, the Middle East, & Africa – used to describe the geographical area of which a business operates
- EMP
- Event Management Plan
- ESG
- Environmental, Social & Governance
- ESMP
- Event Safety Management Plan
- ESP
- Event Safety Plan
- ETA
- Estimated Time of Arrival
- ETT Club
- Exhibitions Think Tank Club
- Event Crowd Diploma
- A Chartered Institute of Marketing accredited programme, awarded to you upon satisfactory completion of the Event Crowd course.
- Event Safety Officer
- Responsible for overseeing the implementation and adherence to the Health and Safety Plan for the event.
F
- F&B
- Food & Beverage
- FA
- Functional Area – A department or team within a business that concentrates on a particular area, e.g sales, marketing, finance, human resources, technology, or operations.
- FAQ
- Frequently Asked Questions
- FCC
- Functional Coordination Centres
- FFE
- Fire Fighting Equipment
- FIAO
- Fundraising In Aid Of – Running an event as a third party where a portion of profits will be donated to the charity after-the-fact.
- FOBO
- Fundraising On Behalf Of – An event run or sanctioned by the charity itself to raise money for their cause directly.
- Force Majeure
- Unforeseen circumstances that may prevent a party from fulfilling their contract. Sometimes referred to as Act of God if weather related.
G
- GDPR
- General Data Protection Regulations
H
- H&S
- Health & Safety
- HEMS
- Helicopter Emergency Medical Services
- HOD
- Head of Department
- HR
- Human Resources
- HSE
- The Health & Safety Executive – the UK governmental agency responsible for the education, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks.
- HSWA or HSW Act or HASAWA
- The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 – A legal bill that as of 2011 defines the fundamental structure and authority for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare within the United Kingdom.
- HVAC
- Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
- Heras
- Tall metal grid fencing that uses couplers to interlock each fence panel together. Usually found on event site perimeters or walkways to guide customers.
- Hoarding
- Opaque fencing using couplers to interlock each fence panel. Looks similar to shielding, can be timber or steel and commonly used as event site perimeters or to separate specific site areas of higher importance.
I
- I&D
- Installation & Dismantling
- IC
- Incident Controller
- ICE
- Ingress, Circulation, Egress
- IIRSM
- International Institute of Risk & Safety Management
- IMP
- Incident Management Plan
- IOSH
- Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
- Incident
- An unplanned occurrence that negatively impacts your ability to operate.
J
- JAG
- Joint Agency Planning – The group of individuals or representatives in charge of external agency safety planning for an event. Often used interchangeably with SAG.
K
- KPI
- Key Performance Indicator – How people, teams, or events are performance measured
L
- LPG
- Liquified Petroleum Gas – A type of fuel commonly used for heating and cooking appliances, industrial applications, or in vehicles and as a propellant and refrigerant. LPG can be obtained primarily as propane, butane or a mixture of the two.
- Lead Time
- The time in-between an enquiry or booking to when the event is supposed to happen. The amount of time you have to plan the event.
- Log
- An official record of an abnormal occurrence.
M
- MC/Emcee
- Master of Ceremonies – a host who presides over the event day, programme or itinerary.
- MD
- Managing Director
- MICE
- Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions
- MOC
- Main Operations Centre
- MORI
- Ipsos MORI – Market and Opinion Research International, market research company based in London. It was formed by a merger of Ipsos UK and MORI in October 2005. The company is a member of the British Polling Council and Market Research Society.
- MPE
- Mass Participation Events
N
- NATO Alphabet
- The standard phonetic alphabet recognised globally, used by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation).
- NCRQ
- National Compliance and Risk Qualifications
- NEBOSH
- National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health
- NGO
- Non-Governmental Organisation
- NICE
- National Institute for Health & Care Excellence
- NPS
- Net Promotor Score – A widely used market research metric that typically takes the form of a single survey question asking respondents to rate the likelihood that they would recommend a company, product, or a service to a friend or colleague.
- NWC
- Netball World Cup
O
- OCOG
- Organising Committee of an Olympic Games
- OECD
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
- Ops
- Abbreviation for operations, used interchangeably
P
- PA System
- Public Address System – A microphone/speaker system that amplifies sound in a large area or across multiple rooms. Also referred to as a Tannoy System.
- PAX
- Abbreviation of Passengers, also acronym for ‘Person Amount X’ – Both used to mean number of people attending an event or a carrying capacity of a venue. E.g Ballroom of 300 pax.
- PCI
- Payment Card Industry – The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard is a security standard for organisations that handle branded credit cards from the major card schemes.
- POC
- Park Operations Centre
- PPC
- Pay-Per-Click
- PPE
- Personal Protection Equipment
- PPV
- Pay-Per-View
- PR
- Public Relations
- PTT
- Push/Press to Talk (Button) on Event Radios
- Ped Barrier
- Pedestrian barrier – Mid height metal barriers used for crowd wayfaring.
- Per Diems
- Latin for “By Day” – a fixed amount paid by the Tour Manager/Event Accountant to a staff member/Artist to cover additional ‘business expenses’. Essentially, pocket money.
- Plus Plus (++)
- A tag added to services or products to show that additional taxes or gratuities are not included in the stated price.
Q
- QBR
- Quarterly Business Review
R
- RAG System
- Red, Amber, Green System – Popular event/project management method for rating status reports.
- RAMS
- Risk Assessment Method Statement – Health & safety document relating to risk. Acronym occasionally used to mean Reliability, Availability, Maintainability & Safety.
- RFID
- Radio-Frequency Identification (Ticketing or Payments)
- RFP
- Request for Proposal
- RNLI
- Royal National Lifeboat Institution
- ROI
- Return on Investment
- RPA
- Rugby Players Association
- RVP
- Rendezvous Point – A appointed location or destination to meet at.
- Rider
- Two types of rider: G and P. ‘General’ and ‘Production or Performance’ – General rider usually refers to food, drink or other product requests that a performer has specified should be provided for them backstage when they perform at an event. Performance or Production rider refers the level or spec of the equipment that your event should have for them to be able to perform. Both are usually written into their contract.
- Roadies
- People employed by a touring band to transport, set up and maintain equipment as well as fulfil other errands.
S
- SAG
- Safety Advisory Group – The group of individuals or representatives responsible for the safety planning of an event. They are usually comprised of local council staff, licensing officers, police, fire service, organiser/promotors, affected local residents, venue manager/owner, among others.
- SDG
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SEO
- Search Engine Optimisation
- SPS
- Special Policing Services – SPS is the provision of additional policing services specifically to events, beyond what the regional constabulary would consider necessary to meet their public duty obligations. Almost all large scale events will have employed SPS, it is provided at the request of event organisers and is paid for like a privately hired service by the organisers.
- SSI
- Social Selling Index – A tool by LinkedIn that measures how effective and successful a user is at establishing their personal professional brand, networking, and building relationships on the platform.
- SSL License
- Secure Sockets License – An embedded digital certificate that authenticates a website’s identity and enables an encrypted connection.
- SSO
- Site Safety Officer or Senior Safety Officer
- STEM
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths – Used as a catch all term to refer to any company or individual working in these industries.
- Safety Barrier
- Generic term for any barrier which fulfils a safety function.
It can also refer to Water-Filled Barriers, which are short bulky plastic barriers that can be filled with water to weigh them down, and are used as a heavy-duty base for other barrier or fencing types or for use in vehicle heavy areas.
- Scenics
- General term for Stage/Set design and other props or design features for a performance. Does not usually include lighting, which is its own category.
- Scrim
- Material or fabric branding that attaches to types of fencing to obscure the view through, or for marketing purposes.
- Shielding
- Similar to Hoarding, but can be used to mean Hoarding/fencing that sits flush on the ground and does not slot into coupler blocks.
- Spec
- An abbreviation for Specification – A detailed description or design of materials, products, or equipment.
‘To spec’ can also be used to mean the act of identifying what is needed for a task or job.
T
- TMP
- Traffic/Transport Management Plan
- TTL
- Through the Line (Marketing)
- TTX
- Table-Top Exercise – A discussion based session where team members meet in an informal setting to discuss their roles and procedures during an emergency and their responses to that situation. A facilitator guides participants through a discussion of one or more scenarios.
U
- USP
- Unique Selling Point
V
- VOC
- Venue Operations Centre
- VP
- Vice President
W
- White Collar
- Used to denote a high-earning or high-performing company or worker. Indicative of a prestigious corporate landscape.
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