Tour credentials: these two words may not mean much to the average concert-goer, but for those working behind the scenes of major events, they’re a crucial part of the process.
These identification and access control measures are the unsung heroes of event security, playing a pivotal role in ensuring the safety of everyone involved.
From the most high-profile artist to the humble roadie, tour credentials provide a streamlined system for distinguishing authorized personnel from the crowd.
But what exactly are tour credentials, and why are they so important?
In this article, we dive into the world of touring credentials, exploring their purposes, types, and the key role they play in event operations.
What is a Tour Credential?
In event security, tour credentials are identification and access control measures.
Concert tours or large-scale events implement them to ensure the safety of individuals.
The design of these credentials distinguishes authorized personnel from the general audience or unauthorized individuals.
This enables effective crowd management and helps maintain a secure environment.
Why are Touring Credentials Important?
Touring credentials help to provide visual verification of individuals involved in event operations.
They highlight who authorized personnel are, ensure access control, and enhance event security.
On a superficial level, they are also collectible pieces of memorabilia that help to capture an otherwise intangible tour experience.
What are Laminates, Satins, and Wristbands?
Tour laminates are the hard plastic passes you see hanging from lanyards around people’s necks or dangling from their waistbands.
Satin stickies, which generally serve as temporary passes, possess an adhesive back.
For security purposes, the rule of thumb is to only consider a satin as active if someone has actually stuck it on their clothing.
Wristbands are another credentialing solution and can be made from a variety of materials.
Examples of Common Credential Tiers
There are a number of possible credential tiers available that you could create for a tour.
The size of the tour you are on, along with the layout of the venues, will determine what you end up utilizing.
It’s a good idea to make sure the needs of your touring party are met, but also to keep things simple for local security to implement.
On a mid-level club tour, some of the most common credentialing tiers you’ll find are as follows.
- Access All Areas (AAA)
- Very Important Person (VIP)
- Photo
- Aftershow
- Working
- Feel Good
Access All Areas (AAA)
Access All Areas, or AAA, grants access to everywhere in the venue.
This is typically divided into ‘escort’ and ‘non-escort’ varieties, with ‘escort’ meaning that the person is accompanied by an authorized staff member.
Escort privileges are typically reserved for artist management or tour management to avoid overrunning the backstage.
Very Important Person (VIP)
VIP passes allow guests to access certain areas of a venue that general admission tickets do not grant access to.
This could be a viewing platform in the house, or it might be a backstage area with complimentary refreshments.
VIP passes are a good solution for helping to elevate a guest’s experience.
Photo
Press outlets or local media covering the performance typically receive photo passes.
These will allow photographers or videographers to capture the show with professional gear.
A fairly standard photo policy for photographers is the first three songs, with no stage access, no backstage access, and no use of flash.
If you have a tour photographer, make sure to highlight this with house staff during the security meeting.
Aftershow
Security clears the house at the end of a show, and aftershow passes let guests stay in the venue.
There is utility in the aftershow pass because it allows the tour manager to control traffic backstage.
Sometimes it’s easier to do a post-show meet and greet in the house, due to backstage space considerations.
On the flip side, you can also hold guests until whoever is ready to receive them backstage.
Working
The local crew, who will be coming and going during the day, typically receive working passes.
For smaller tours, production may issue a type of branded wristband instead of an actual satin.
Feel Good
Sometimes tours will run VIP programs where fans will receive a collectible credential as part of the experience.
Sometimes these are referred to as “feel good” credentials because they don’t have any power, but they can definitely make someone’s day.
It’s important to inform venue security that some patrons may have these and they do not grant access to any areas (unless otherwise specified).
What is Escort Privilege?
Certain tour laminates will grant the holder the ability to escort guests backstage.
Artist and tour management will typically decide who needs to have these privileges.
To keep a secure backstage, it’s a good idea to use discretion when granting escort privileges.
The artist themselves will always be able to escort, but very rarely will they walk into the house themselves to rendezvous with guests.
Design Ideas for Credentials
There are a number of different ways to design and implement backstage pass designs.
In practice, all of these design modifications help a tour manager quickly identify who someone is by looking at their credential design.
Additionally, if things ever feel off in a backstage environment, credential design can help to troubleshoot without making a scene.
Color
A variety of colors can help to identify different levels of laminates or satins.
Tour artwork is normally utilized in some fashion.
Customs Shape
In low-light environments, shapes sometimes work really well for quickly identifying what tier of credentialling a guest has received.
Again, the goal here is to make it easy for security to enforce your access control measures.
Holographic / Foiling
Sometimes tour laminates will have a holographic finish to help differentiate it from other similar-looking event badges.
A holographic or foil finish typically means it allows for a higher level of access when compared to the non-foil version.
This also provides a layer of additional security should someone present a pass that is lacking the holographic backing.
UV or White Ink is another way to enhance the authenticity of a certain pass.
Personalized Credentials
Personalization is another option that helps to reduce any counterfeit credentials.
This typically includes the name, role, and photo of the person to whom the pass is issued.
If someone loses the credential for any reason, it makes troubleshooting easier.
Formating Backstage Pass Design
The best advice here is to ask your credential vendor for their spec sheet.
They will be able to provide you with a printing template that will highlight all of the requirements to get the best results.
Some common general requirements for credential printing are 300 DPI and a color mode of CMYK.
If handling this yourself, Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop will be some of your best friends.
Commonly acceptable file types are PDF, JPG, TIF, and EPS.
Creating a Pass Sheet
Once you decide on the tour credential tier structure, you should create a pass sheet.
These will be utilized daily during the venue security meeting and when advancing.
Making sure everyone is on the same page about what access the credential allows is critical to running a successful day of show.
Give printouts of the pass sheet to all security personnel working at checkpoints.
Commonly, someone posts these on the backstage side of the entryway, along with the day sheet.
Ensure that you inform security about the credentials issued for the day.
Make sure to cross out any pass tiers not in use that day.
Credential Distribution
The tour normally distributes credentials at the start of the tour.
Sometimes they will include the name of the venue, date, and city the tour is performing in on the back.
This can be immensely helpful at times when your brain goes blank trying to determine where you are.
Each credential should have a unique number corresponding to its owner.
If a credential gets lost for any reason, this simplifies the process of canceling the lost one and reissuing an updated pass.
Guest List Credentials
When creating the guest list each day, a tour manager is going to be issuing a variety of different credential types.
Stuffing envelopes with passes and tickets is an efficient way to make the box office’s life easy.
Give any backstage passes to the box office when you submit the guest list.
A self-inking date stamp is a good tool to have in the tour manager toolbox to help quickly stamp out satin stickies.
Credential Etiquette
If you attend a show and receive a laminate or satin, only you should use it.
Sharing credentials can create all sorts of issues backstage, and rest assured word will get back to the tour manager.
Additionally, don’t share any images of credentials on social media.
That’s a major faux pas because it makes it easier for onlookers to fabricate backstage credentials, potentially putting the artist, band, crew, and audience at risk.
Don’t wear your credentials on days off or attach them to your luggage, with the exception of bag tags.
If a credential gets lost, inform the tour manager immediately.
Further, if actively working a gig, make sure to have your pass on you.
Don’t give security a hard time for stopping if you don’t have your laminate on you.
Festival Credentials
It’s worth noting that festival credentials operate independently from touring credentials.
Tour credentials lack any utility in a festival environment, besides sending a signal to others.
Festivals commonly issue credentials as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) wristbands.
The operations department typically loads these with meal tickets and uses them to track foot traffic.
Headlining Festival Sets
Closing a stage or backstage area for a headlining festival act is a very common practice for security purposes.
There will oftentimes be an entourage that is operating on a different credential provided by their private security.
The Future of Credentials
Biometric access control solutions are becoming more and more common.
It’s easy to imagine their application and use in a live entertainment environment.
In a rapidly evolving industry, it will be interesting to see what credentialing looks like in the future.
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Conclusion
In a world where large-scale events are more complex and technologically advanced than ever, the importance of effective and efficient event credentials cannot be overstated.
They not only ensure the smooth running of the event but also provide a critical layer of security, safeguarding everyone from artists to audience members.
From laminates, satins, and wristbands to the innovative biometric solutions of the future, the evolution of event credentials promises to continue shaping the landscape of live entertainment.
As we look forward to the next 20 years, one thing is certain: whatever the future of credentialing looks like, its role in creating safe, enjoyable, and memorable experiences will remain paramount.