NCS⁴ NEWS November 13, 2025

Register now for the 2026 National Professional Sports and Entertainment Safety and Security Forum

The NCS⁴ will host the 2026 National Professional Sports and Entertainment Safety and Security Forum on February 23-24, at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

This event brings together industry leaders to address evolving safety and security challenges and to share best practices for continuous improvement.

Discussion topics are now available! The full agenda will be released soon—don’t miss your chance to join the conversation.

Why Attend?

• Learn from Experts: Gain insights from professional sports and entertainment safety leaders.
• Engage on Key Topics: Participate in moderated discussions on staff training, fan behavior, communications, perimeter security, severe weather planning, and command center operations.
• Share Best Practices: Exchange ideas with peers dedicated to creating safe environments for fans, athletes, and performers.

Who Should Attend?

• Safety, security, operations, event, and facility managers.
• Law enforcement (local and state).
• Emergency managers, fire, HAZMAT, EMS.
• Guest services and government officials.

Note: Private sector companies may only attend as Solution Partners.

Space is limited! Register by February 2, 2026, or until sold out.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Their participation helps make this event possible.

Interested in sponsoring this event? Click on the button below for more information!

Dr. Stacey Hall presents at the 2025 Mississippi Aerospace and Defense Symposium

Dr. Hall served on a Strategic Resource Forum Panel discussing University Assets, alongside Almesha Campbell, VP for Research at Jackson State University, Julie Jordan, VP for Research and Economic Development at Mississippi State University, and Michelle Hanlon, Executive Director of the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi. More than 250 senior executives, government officials, and academic leaders gathered at the 2025 Mississippi Aerospace and Defense Symposium (MADS), held October 22–24 at the Golden Nugget Biloxi Hotel & Casino. Co-hosted by the Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MSET) and the Aerospace and Defense Alliance of Mississippi (ADAM), the event positioned Mississippi as a rising force in aerospace manufacturing, defense modernization, space commercialization, and workforce development. The three-day symposium featured high-impact keynote addresses, expert panel discussions, technical exchanges, and exclusive site visits that highlighted Mississippi’s strategic assets in innovation and national security.

New Research Seminar Series is now available

“Artificial Intelligence: Theoretical Framework and Events Industry Application in Sports Venues” is presented by Ms. Amy Dorey, CMP, Associate Professor, Ferris State University. This presentation translates academic research on artificial intelligence (AI) in sports venues into actionable strategies for industry practitioners seeking to enhance fan experience, operational efficiency, and event safety. Ms. Dorey shares practical insights into the responsible adoption of AI, including data transparency, ethical governance, and staff readiness. She also covers the importance of implementing scalable solutions that build consumer trust while driving innovation.

NCS⁴ Research Enterprise

The NCS⁴ aims to create dialogue between academia and the profession by identifying research gaps and exploring lines of inquiry that address industry needs with real-world applications. Research activities include annual industry research reports, white papers, coordinating an affiliate program and a seminar series, as well as maintaining an extensive list of sport safety and security publications. The NCS⁴ applied research goals are accomplished through interdisciplinary partnerships with industry professionals and academics.

Upcoming Webinar

Safety First: Building a Strong Security Game Plan for Every Level of Sports

December 2, 2025 2:00 PM EST

Hosted by:

Featured Presenters: Dr. Stacey Hall, NCS⁴ Executive Director Nicole Deal, U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee Chief of Security & Athlete Services

From youth tournaments to major championships, event security is everyone’s responsibility. Ensuring the safety of participants, spectators, and staff isn’t just a box to check—it’s the foundation of a successful event. In this essential webinar, security experts will share practical strategies to help you strengthen your safety plans, prepare for unexpected situations, and build confidence among your teams and attendees. Whether you manage a local youth competition or a regional showcase, you’ll come away with actionable insights to make every event as safe and secure as possible.

Routledge Handbook of Sport Security

Dr. Stacey Hall, NCS⁴ Executive Director, serves as the Editor of the first-ever published Handbook of Sport Security (available in hardback and eBook format).

The book provides an in-depth analysis of security issues and concerns in contemporary sport. Featuring the work of 60 leading researchers and practitioners from around the world, it offers practical, evidence-based commentary and guidance covering over 40 chapters.

The book examines the multiple stakeholders, agencies, and organizations involved in providing a safe space for spectators, participants, staff, organizations, communities, and sponsors. It considers the coordination of private and public entities in the sports security ecosystem, including facility management, event management, law enforcement, emergency management, emergency medical services, and state/federal government partners, as well as the private sector organizations providing support services. The book also offers a comprehensive analysis of key issues and debates in contemporary sport security, including terrorism, cybersecurity, spectator violence, planning and assessment guidance for sport venues and events of all sizes, management and policy considerations for leaders and decision-makers, and the lessons learned from critical incidents. It introduces the core principles of research methods in sport security and looks ahead at future developments in this rapidly changing field.

This is essential reading for any advanced student, researcher, practitioner, or policymaker with an interest in sport studies, security studies, event studies, criminal justice, management, or public policy.

NCS⁴ eLearning Options

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

• Frontline Staff Foundational Skills
• Crowd Manager Fundamentals
• Venue Staff Training: Security Awareness
• 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 on registering.

Fundamentals of Crowd Safety Course

NCS⁴ and GKStill International have partnered to jointly offer the Fundamentals of Crowd Safety online eLearning 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 1,000.