Meridian Centre introduces extra security
Metal detectors will be used for first time at Friday’s skating show
Spectators heading to the Rock the Rink skating event at the Meridian Centre Friday night will be experiencing a first for the arena — metal detectors.
The downtown St. Catharines venue has purchased portable walk-through detectors for its concerts and shows, in a move that’s been two years in the making.
“It will be new. People will be experiencing it here for the first time,” said Kay Meilleur, the Meridian Centre’s director of marketing.
“While we expect a couple of glitches, we don’t expect it to be slow moving.”
Meilleur said since the Manchester Arena bombing in the U.K. in 2017, show promoters and acts are looking for heightened security for peace of mind at venues where they perform.
“It’s always been our priority for guest safety, but even moreso now when you see things like that happening,” she said.
“It’s important for us, especially for the concerts. It needs to be a priority. Acts that are coming in feel secure knowing people have actually gone through and been checked.”
The Meridian Centre has always had security staff with metal detection wands at its bigger shows. It also has a policy
that doesn’t allow bags larger than 12 by 12 inches into the building, something they’ve been educating patrons on for the past couple of years.
Meilleur said the new machines are expected to get people into the building quicker than with the hand wands.
But while the metal detectors are expected to speed things up, Meilleur suggests people make it a habit to show up to events earlier. The centre can accommodate 6,000 spectators for some concerts but only has three entrances, so it can be time consuming to get people in and checked.
That’s especially true if most people show up 20 minutes before start time, which tends to happen a lot and can result in lineups out the door.
“We’re always, always encouraging people to come in, relax, take a seat, have a drink,” she said. “Especially now that it’s cold and snowing and wet out, people will wait outside.” The Meridian Centre has been trying to give its patrons the heads-up about the new metal detectors by adding signage, sharing the news on social media and emailing everybody who has purchased tickets warning them to be prepared to take their keys and other metal objects out of their pockets.
The detectors will only be visible at the entrance for shows. They aren’t being put into effect for hockey games yet as the Ontario Hockey League hasn’t mandated them.
Meilleur said a lot of similar facilities have detectors and the Meridian Centre will probably be using them for all its events at some point.
“Unfortunately, it’s the way things are going. We’re happy to have them,” she said.
“We think customer guest safety and security is always top of mind and we want to make sure we’re making them feel comfortable when they come in the building.”
The detectors cost $48,000 and were purchased through the Meridian Centre capital fund reserve.
The Meridian Centre is a cityowned facility that opened in 2014 and is managed by ASM Global, a company that was created when SMG merged with AEG this year.