The Joan Perry Brock Center, since its construction and opening, has presented a new set of experiences and challenges to faculty, staff, students, and the Farmville Community. Following Oliver Anthony’s October 28 concert and the Men’s and Women’s Basketball home openers, officials have continued to adapt to security concerns, different situations, and the newness of the facility.
Craig Stover is the General Manager of the Joan Perry Brock Center, “responsible for the overall operations of the facility, booking, and scheduling of events, building and equipment repairs or replacements, and capital improvements” according to CENTERS LLC. Stover has previous experience serving as the Director of Operations at PNC Arena, home to the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, and at a number of other venues around the country.
“I think for here, the unique challenges are, it’s brand new,” Stover said, referring to the various unique challenges that the Joan Perry Brock Center brings to campus. Oliver Anthony’s sold-out concert, which brought in people from states away, was one of the first ticketed events in the space. Stover said that the general security strategy is to “keep everybody safe and have a safe, fun environment for all” attending events at the center.
A number of precautions exist for securing the area, including a list of things that cannot be brought in and entry inspections. That said, both arena security and police must remain vigilant throughout any event that takes place. According to Stover, those responsible for ensuring safety at the Oliver Anthony concert were split between Joan Perry Brock Center and Dorrill Hall, where the “command center” was located. Stover said this was so officers could remain “coordinating, watching, and observing” the event with extra video cameras set up for the concert. Stover also said that part of their strategy is overpreparing, being ready for anything that may happen.
This also falls down to discretion and figuring out what kind of security is needed for each event. According to Stover, security assessment will depend on the kind of crowd an event will bring – such as an event likely bringing in members of the Farmville/Longwood community or outside crowds. Stover referred to this a “judgment call,” saying that he works in collaboration with LUPD to determine the level of security needed. He went on to say, as of early November, “I think when you're bringing in Joe Public, it's a necessity because these people are coming from we don't know them. I think we can trust our Longwood students, our local people that are coming to a basketball game.” As far as wanding, he said they will “do it incrementally to keep everybody on their toes.”
As far as Oliver Anthony’s concert goes, Stover said that they investigate the kind of crowd an artist will bring in and gauge booking and security based on that. For Anthony, he said they “did investigate that and hear what’s going on from other venues, little to no issues or problems.” He went on to say “we’re not trying to bring rough crowds to Longwood University,... whatever I can do to bring safe, family fun events and programs, that’s the goal.”
Part of security is also reviewing events after they happen and looking at what went well and didn’t. LUPD Chief Angela Comer said, “We will review, revise, after every event. We'll sit as a team and say what went well, what could go better.” Both Stover and Comer highlighted the partnership between Joan Perry Brock Center and LUPD. Comer said “When we have questions, we pose them. When we have concerns, we pose them and we brainstorm and figure out how best to deal with it in the parameters that were given.”
Furthermore, Comer touched on the newness of the facility, saying “It was growing pains, but our job at the end of the day – we always ask each other, are you good with the security of what we're doing to secure and make sure it's safe while also not impacting the event negatively?” She went on to say, “I think we have prepared well, I think we're continuing to learn but we are ready to meet the challenge.”
While the Joan Perry Brock Center is new to campus, both those at JPB and LUPD are working in coordination to address the new challenges brought to campus by the facility.
