Now don’t let Barry’s reputation as the ultimate “Professional Worry Wart” fool you. He shared a memory or two with us – including one about the star of the “show about nothing” – that really proves that this industry-leading expert in Safe Venue Design and self-described “chronic teacher” can sometimes find time to embrace the lighter side of the invaluable service that he and his team provides. “You’re doing things that people at an event don’t even know happens; it’s behind the scenes of behind the scenes, really.”
With over 27 years in the event security industry, Dan has seen it all. He can recall a time when it wasn’t uncommon to get a phone call from your event planner just hours beforeamajor indoor event only to be handed a makeshift map on a napkin of all the exits and washrooms on arrival. He said he remembers when it was a world of “bouncers and big guys.” Well it is not that way now, well at least not for the Toursec Team anyway. Dan is always working, even when he finds time to attend events in his spare time, not that he has a lot of that. “It’s getting further away from that ‘Here’s your shirt, now go work’ industry of days gone by, but I still see some major faux pas when I go to events as a spectator,” he explained. “There is still a
— Making events memorable for all the right reasons Toursec
by David MacDonald W e have all attended a festival, concert, sporting event or some other type of mass gathering, but have you ever thought about all the work that goes into that event before the lights come on and your favorite team takes to the field or before your favorite artists or entertainers takes the stage. Well Dan Barry, President and Owner of the PEI-based event security company Toursec has, in fact built his business on doing just that. As he says it, Toursec works in one industry – Entertainment, and if you are going to an event or hosting one, you want Barry, the ultimate “Professional Worry Wart” and his trained and professional team behind the scenes and in the crowd making your event memorable for all the right reasons. Saying that Dan Barry is a successful Atlantic Canadian entrepreneur just doesn’t seem to do him justice – it’s too mundane. He holds a degree in Emergency Management. He trained at the DHS FEMA Emergency Management Institute in Maryland and attended Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK. He’s an expert in both Mass Gathering Life Safety and Use of Force. He lives live events. 365 days a year. Training and experience go a long way as Dan knows the ins and outs of any event security scenario you can imagine, indoors or outdoors. Toursec has worked alongside security details for presidents, prime ministers, royalty and celebrities. They’ve also made a name for themselves in Entertainment Security in both film and television: Toursec provided total security for Academy Award Winner Daniel Day Lewis’ filmThe Ballad of Jack and Rose and for Live with Regis and Kelly when they came to shoot in PEI in 2005 and 2010 respectively. Toursec has also provided total security for the Cavendish Beach Music Festival for the past eleven years and will be providing total security for the upcoming Luke Bryan concert that will see a major concert at Moncton’s Magnetic Hill Event Grounds for the first time since 2015. As exciting as it all seems, Barry would be the first one to tell you that it’s not a career of glitz and glam. “You’re doing things that people at an event don’t even know happens; it’s behind the scenes of behind the scenes, really.”
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2019
53 AUGUST 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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