Venue & Event Risk Management · United States

Your venue takes risks
every time doors open.
We help you own them.

Reliance Risk US brings proven risk management methodology from 1,000+ global projects to American venues, arenas, and cultural institutions — delivered by the team that wrote the playbook.

Trusted insight

Wayne Middleton

Reliance Risk Australia — 20 years building resilient programs for stadiums, venues, and government from Sydney to Auckland.

Independent rigor

Alex Keen

Keen Independent — research-driven advisory practice bringing evidence and objectivity to every engagement.

Unwavering readiness

Joffe Emergency Services

Operational backbone — US-based emergency management and security services protecting communities since 2003.

The Problem We Solve

Most US venues are flying blind on risk.

Between 75–90% of small to mid-size US venues lack a documented emergency plan. Almost none have Safety Act designation. Nearly all are managing life-safety with a two-page laminated sheet on the wall and good intentions.

We've seen this pattern at 1,000+ venues across Australia, New Zealand, and now the US. It's fixable — and it doesn't require a million-dollar budget.

99%
of US venues are not Safety Act certified
75–90%
lack a documented, trained emergency plan
$20K
starting point for an enterprise-grade assessment
1,000+
projects delivered by our global team since 2007
"Risk is a decision-making process. Every event you bring into your building, you are accepting risk. The question is whether you're doing it consciously."
— Alex Keen, Keen Independent Advisory Research
Risk Maturity Framework

Where does your venue sit today?

Mature organizations don't just respond — they anticipate. They have documented systems, regular audits, and leadership engaged in safety as a business priority. Most venues we meet are somewhere in the first two stages. That's not failure — it's an opportunity.

1
No Formal Approach
Minimal systems. Basic processes. Risk is nobody's job — until it becomes everyone's crisis.
2
Reactive
Systems exist but are poorly applied, misunderstood, or not consistent across the workforce.
3
Stable Formal
Documented systems exist but aren't consistently applied by management and key functions. This is our primary entry point.
4
Continuous Improvement
Systems established and consistently applied. Management and staff aligned. Learning is embedded.
5
Best Practice
Integrated, aligned, coordinated. Safety Act-equivalent. The benchmark for all others.

Most venues we encounter are at Level 1 or 2. We meet you there and build a clear path forward — without overwhelming your team or your budget.

Start with an Assessment →
Service Model

We meet you where you are.
Then we move you forward.

Assess We Teach We Help We Do

A clear, predictable journey. Fixed-scope services mean you can budget with confidence — and every step builds on the last. No scope creep. No surprise invoices.

Start Here

The Assessment

Every engagement begins here. We evaluate your current risk posture across all dimensions — governance, documentation, training, operational readiness, and management systems. You receive a detailed gap analysis, a risk maturity rating, and a prioritized roadmap. This is your baseline — and your board presentation.

  • Full risk maturity audit against a proven framework
  • Threat & vulnerability assessment review
  • Emergency plan review (or gap identification)
  • Incident management system evaluation
  • Training records and staff competency review
  • Written gap analysis report with priority recommendations
  • Executive briefing and roadmap presentation
From $20,000 · fixed fee
01
We Teach

Guided Self-Build

You do the work — we provide the framework, templates, and expert coaching. Monthly calls, curated guidance, and sign-off on your deliverables. Ideal for teams ready to build capability in-house with expert oversight.

  • 36–60 hours of consulting annually
  • Monthly expert review calls
  • Proprietary template library
  • Training design support
  • Annual in-person visit
From $16,000 /year
03
We Do

Embedded Partnership

We are your risk management function. We run the project plan, chair the meetings, produce the deliverables, and hold the timeline. Think Safety Act designation? This is how you get there.

  • 120 hours of consulting (10/month)
  • Full emergency management suite
  • Business continuity planning
  • Full-scale exercise design & delivery
  • Annual audit and assurance cycle
  • Media & communications plan
From $50,000 /year
Always On

Member Access

Annual membership gives your team direct access to our expert hotline, published resources, peer network, and priority response — between formal engagements or as a standalone program.

  • Expert advisory hotline access
  • Quarterly member briefings & updates
  • Discounted assessment and project rates
  • Access to template and resource library
  • IAVM-aligned community network
From $2,500 /year

Not sure where to start?

Every engagement begins with a conversation — and we'll tell you honestly where you stand.

Book a Call →
Why Reliance Risk US

We're not your typical security consultants.

Most consultants in this space focus on guards, gates, and gear. We focus on management systems — the documented, practiced, checked, and improving processes that make your venue genuinely resilient. That's what separates a prepared organization from one that calls us after an incident.

🏟

Guest Experience is Not the Enemy of Security

We build safety programs that protect patrons without turning your venue into a checkpoint. Risk management should enable the guest experience — not compromise it.

📋

Management Systems, Not Just Incident Response

A two-page emergency plan on the wall is not a program. We help you build the governance layer that makes everything else work — and keeps working after we leave.

🎯

Designed for Venues That Aren't Enterprise-Scale

We specialize in the 500–10,000 capacity range — performing arts centers, minor league arenas, museums, cultural institutions. Organizations with real risk but no safety department.

🌏

Global Best Practice, US-Adapted

Wayne's team has been doing this in Australia and New Zealand since 2007. The methodology is proven. The language is localized. The results speak for themselves.

Minimum Viable Safety — What Every US Venue Needs

Based on Alex Keen's field assessment framework, these are the foundational controls every small and mid-size venue should have in place — with or without a formal risk program.

  • A documented threat and vulnerability assessment — reviewed annually, not just once
  • An incident reporting system more sophisticated than notes on paper
  • An emergency plan that staff have actually trained on — not just signed off
  • An evacuation plan with regular in-person walk-throughs
  • A designated manager on duty with clear command authority for every event
  • Event-based risk assessment for every booking — not a one-size-fits-all posture
  • A documented radio communication protocol known by all frontline staff
  • Records of all of the above, kept and audited on a regular basis

Not sure if your venue meets these basics? Our Assessment will tell you exactly where you stand — with clear, actionable next steps your team can actually execute.

The Partnership

Three organizations.
One unified practice.

Reliance Risk US is not a rebranding exercise — it's a genuine strategic partnership between three firms with complementary expertise, united behind a single mission: making US venues genuinely safer.

Trusted insight

Reliance Risk

Wayne Middleton · Founder

The originating brand. 20 years of venue risk management across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific. Clients include Suncorp Stadium, Marvel Stadium, Venues NSW, AFL, and Rugby Australia. Wayne's methodology is the intellectual foundation for everything Reliance Risk US delivers.

reliancerisk.com ↗
Independent rigor

Keen Independent

Alex Keen · Principal

Independent advisory research for venue safety and security. Alex brings evidence-based analysis and a decade of IAVM engagement — including committee leadership — to translate global best practice into practical US recommendations. The intellectual bridge between aspiration and execution.

keenindependent.com ↗
Unwavering readiness

Joffe Emergency Services

Chris Joffe · CEO

The operational backbone. Joffe has served 2,000+ educational institutions across the US — building emergency management programs, training teams, and delivering safety infrastructure that works under real-world pressure. The platform that makes Reliance Risk US possible at scale.

joffees.com ↗
How It Works

A multi-year journey with a clear destination.

Building a genuinely resilient venue doesn't happen in six months. Our model is designed to be budgeted annually — with clear milestones, visible progress, and a destination worth reaching.

Year 1

Establish the Baseline

Assessment + initial consulting engagement. Gap analysis completed. Priority remediation begins. Your team learns what good looks like.

Year 1–2

Build the Core Systems

Emergency plan written and trained. Incident management framework deployed. Event risk assessment process institutionalized. First tabletop exercise delivered.

Year 2–3

Deepen & Integrate

Business continuity and communications plans developed. Audit cycle established. Management systems aligned. Leadership fully engaged in risk as a governance priority.

Year 3–5

Prove It

Full-scale exercise validates the entire program. You can demonstrate your readiness to your board, your insurer, and your community.

The Destination: A Full-Scale Exercise

The gold standard proof that your management systems, training, and plans actually work under pressure. Not a box-ticking exercise — a genuine test of your organization's readiness. We design it, facilitate it, debrief it, and help you use it to demonstrate capability to every stakeholder who matters.

DiscussionFacilitated "what if" scenarios for leadership teams
TabletopStructured desktop exercise for operational staff
FunctionalMulti-agency coordination and communications test
Full ScaleBells-and-whistles operational exercise — the real thing
Who We Serve

Built for the venues most consultants ignore.

The major league venues have entire safety departments. We serve the 500–10,000 seat range — organizations with significant public responsibility and very little infrastructure to support it.

🎭

Performing Arts Centers

Theaters, concert halls, and multi-purpose cultural venues with complex event programming and mixed-use spaces.

🏒

Minor League Arenas

Hockey, basketball, and multi-sport arenas in the 3,000–8,000 seat range — real risk exposure, limited safety staff.

🏛

Museums & Cultural Institutions

High-traffic public facilities that host special events, school visits, and evening programming — often with minimal security infrastructure.

🎪

Festivals & Event Venues

Seasonal and permanent outdoor venues, fairgrounds, and event centers where risk profiles change with every booking.

🏫

University Venues

Campus arenas, theaters, and student centers — often IAVM members — with complex stakeholder environments and evolving risk.

🏨

Convention & Conference Centers

High-occupancy, multi-function facilities with variable tenant populations and elevated threat profiles during peak events.

🏟

Sports & Recreation Facilities

Community stadiums, aquatic centers, and multi-sport complexes with diverse programming and year-round operational complexity.

🎬

Film & Production Venues

Studios, screening rooms, and production facilities managing cast, crew, and public interface in a single physical footprint.

Get Started

Let's talk about
where your venue stands.

Every engagement starts with an honest conversation. We'll ask you a handful of questions, give you direct feedback on your current posture, and recommend the right entry point — whether that's a full assessment or just a membership to start.

Fixed-fee services — no scope creep, no surprise invoices
Honest feedback even if you don't become a client
US-based delivery team, globally-backed methodology
Designed to build your team's capability — not dependency on us
Backed by 1,000+ venue projects across Australia, NZ & the Pacific

Request a Consultation

We'll respond within one business day.

Your information is shared only within the Reliance Risk US team. We'll reach out directly to schedule a call.