SECURITY FIRM OPTS FOR FINESSE

To the average rock ‘n’ roll fan, “security” is a two-letter word.

“To a certain degree, we’re the people who always say, ‘No, no, no,’ ” said Bill Parsons, co-owner of Event Management, the Los Alamitos-based security firm whose blue-shirted employees have become a common sight at Southern California rock and pop concerts over the last 18 months.

“But it’s just a matter of perspective,” Parsons added. “To the kid who’s got a bad seat at the top of the Forum and is trying to sneak down, we’re the bad guys who send him back. But to the guy who’s in the front row, security is great because he can leave and know there won’t be somebody in his seat when he comes back.”

Since Parsons and his partner Cory Meredith opened Event Management in March, 1984, they have lined up a prestigious list of clients, including the Pacific and Irvine Meadows amphitheaters, the Inglewood Forum, Universal Amphitheatre and the San Diego Sports Arena.

In addition to providing security for rock and pop concerts at those venues, the company has handled crowd control for a wide variety of sports and other special events around the Southland, such as Rams football games, the Long Beach Grand Prix and motorcycle speedway races at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

For ticket sales on particularly popular concerts, Event Management has championed the use of a priority number system that gives ticket buyers randomly assigned positions in line, thus eliminating the need to line up for days in advance. When tickets for Bruce Springsteen’s Los Angeles concerts went on sale in August, their system prevented the chaos that had erupted in previous years.

Parsons and Meredith, who worked at other security companies before starting their own business, credit their rapid growth to a philosophy that emphasizes--as the name implies--cooperation over confrontation. They call it “peer group security.”

“We stress that our people be helpful, courteous and that they listen,” Parsons said during a recent interview. “That’s why we go for peer group security instead of uniforms and a lot of burly guys. Our people don’t stand out in the crowd. I don’t like using bright colors, so we have navy blue shirts and jackets. We try to help rather than spraying people with water hoses.”

Their low-key approach is changing the traditional image of concert security personnel, and it is what some facility operators said prompted them to switch to Event Management.

“Traditional event security was depicted in two ways: either by bulk and girth of the (guards) or by representative uniforms and shiny badges,” said Claire Rothman, general manager of the Forum. “They didn’t fall into either category. Even though they have some healthy people, they didn’t depend on size, but intellect.”

Commented Jeff Apregan, director of operations at Irvine Meadows: “One thing I have to say about Event Management is that they don’t touch people. They will not use force in any situation unless it is absolutely provoked. People come here to have a good time. All it takes is a bad experience with one employee and it can spoil their evening. So we are very aware of that.”

While Event Management’s pool of about 1,000 employees includes many large athletic men, it also includes a significant number of women.

“For some clients, physical requirements determine a need for big burly guys,” said Parsons, who was a student at UCLA when he began his career in security as a part-time minimum wage guard. “But you don’t need a physical presence a lot of times. We have girls who can clear aisles as well as any guys. In fact, it’s harder for a guy to rush by or give a girl a hard time and force his way in because the crowd will see the girl as the underdog and get on her side. As long as my people are polite yet firm, it doesn’t matter what they are.”

While working for other security firms, Parsons, Meredith and many of the Event Management supervisory personnel took note of procedures they thought could be improved. So when they launched their own company, they had a chance to put their ideas into practice.

At first, they were more successful than they expected.

After landing the Forum and Irvine Meadows in early 1984, Event Management was contracted to control bootlegging of products at the Olympics, to provide security for the Jacksons’ Victory Tour and assume crowd control duties at the Universal Amphitheatre. That all occurred within a three-month period.

“We have expanded rapidly, but it’s been at a pace we can handle,” Parsons said. “I don’t want to get into a situation with venues where I have to abandon one to do another.”

The key to avoiding most problems that arise at concerts or other events, Parsons said, is simply being prepared.

“Only 5% of the audience is a problem for us. Our people have extensive training for that one time a night we might have trouble,” he said.

Security guards must be licensed by the state Department of Consumer Affairs, but other positions such as ticket takers or parking lot attendants are not as stringently regulated. Parsons, however, requires all Event Management employees to pass the state’s security guard requirements. (Starting pay for guards is $4.50 per hour, Parsons said, while supervisors make $7 per hour or more.)

“We train people so they can handle every position in a building. If a parking lot attendant is called on to take tickets or help out with crowd control, he will have done that,” Parsons said. “The added training gives us better employees and weeds out the kid who just wants to see the Wham! concert for free.”

Equally as important, Parsons and facility operators agreed, is the ability to adapt to different situations.

“One problem with some other companies is that they are just used to doing football games and stadium rock shows,” said Pacific Amphitheatre general manager Steve Redfearn. “Bill Parsons understands that this is not just a rock ‘n’ roll house. Here, you don’t need to search purses and pat people down every night. But even with our rock ‘n’ roll shows, this is not known as a rowdy house. Everyone might be up dancing, but the aisles are clear. That’s a real important part. For artists like Perry Como and Engelbert (Humperdinck), they put extra people in the parking lot to help the handicapped and because they know there will be a lot of older people.”

Turning to the other end of the musical spectrum, Parsons said, “Heavy metal shows are staffed differently because there is a greater potential for problems. You need to concentrate people on the outside opposed to inside. Fans tend to come early, sit in the parking lot and drink beer, turn up their stereos and party even if they don’t have a ticket. It’s a constant battle on the perimeter.”

Despite the tensions that inevitably arise in his business, Parsons said, “I enjoy it. For three years, I taught math in high school, where the lesson plan is the same and the kids are the same day in and day out. Now every event is different. It’s an adventure every day.”

NEW KIDS IN TOWN: Orange County original music may be burgeoning beyond the boundaries of Huntington Beach when a couple of nightspots begin experiments with showcasing local bands. Peret’s restaurant in Fountain Valley has booked an Oct. 11 show featuring local groups Plain Wrap, El Grupo Sexo and U.A.T. The restaurant, at 17171 Brookhurst Ave., will have an over 21 policy and the show will start at 9 p.m. On the same weekend in San Juan Capistrano, the Joneses, the Hags and U.A.T. will perform at the San Juan Creek Saloon on Oct. 13. The club is at 33157 Camino Capistrano, and is 18 and over.

LIVE ACTION: The Minutemen will play Spatz in Huntington Harbour on Oct. 11. . . . Pop Art will be at Safari Sam’s in Huntington Beach on Oct. 12. . . . Razzy Bailey’s Oct. 14 show at the Crazy Horse Steak House in Santa Ana has been canceled. . . . Eddie & the Tide will perform at the Golden Bear on Oct. 14.