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.

0-9
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.
X
Y
Z

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