NORFOLK, Va. – At least 22 people were killed and several were others injured in an attack on an Ariana Grande concert Monday night in Manchester.
Terror attacks like this have set a precedence at local concert venues in Hampton Roads.
Staff with SevenVenues in Norfolk told News 3 following the Paris attack in 2015, they enhanced their security to ensure the safety of concert goers.
They sent us the below statement:
“The City of Norfolk works very hard to ensure the safety and security of patrons at all our events. City staff work collaboratively with Norfolk Police and Norfolk Sheriff's office to implement security measures that are seen and unseen. Since 2015, we've enhanced security measures for all patrons entering one of the city's seven entertainment venues. All guests are subject to physical and visual inspections, wanding and bag checks.”
A few blocks away at The NorVa, staff say they host over 160 shows a year.
With the large number of performances as well as the string of terror attacks, they added metal detectors to their property about a year ago.
“Recently, we’ve put in metal detectors so that we wanna be sure we go to every length," Rick Mersel, AEG Live Mid-Atlantic Vice President, said. "We have a very big security presence and I think people know that we’re very serious about it.”
Management said after the terror attacks on September 11, they began to increase their security protocol and the detectors were the final touch.
“This is exactly what terrorist want to do. They want to instill fear into the public to stop going out to moves, to concerts, to athletic events and we can’t let terrorist dictate to us how we lead our lives," Mersel said.
Luckily, they said there haven’t been shocking findings since the installation.
Management said they have security measures in place to ensure safe musical fun for anyone that enters their doors.
