ISO 22353:2026 / Linee guida per la gestione delle folle

Published (Edition 1, 2026)

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Introduction

Crowd accidents and disasters frequently occur at events, venues, mass gatherings and crowded places worldwide. Investigations and evaluations conclude that many of these incidents could have been prevented with systematic and adequate crowd management.

This document supports event organizers, event rights holders, event hosts, venue operators and emergency services in ensuring effective, successful, and safe crowd management to provide a safer environment for those attending events.

This document supports users in implementing safety and security measures to prevent crowd-related incidents for both spectators and participants.

This document supports event organizers and events hosts in communication with relevant interested parties and the public throughout every stage of event preparation and execution.

This document encourages event organizers and event hosts to ensure that the execution of the event aligns with:
- the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
- the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as specified in Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

1 Scope

This document provides guidelines for crowd management at events, mass gatherings and crowded places. 

It is designed to assist event organizers, event rights holders, event hosts, venue operators and emergency services in planning and executing effective, successful and safe crowd management by ensuring:

- implementation of the framework and principles for crowd management; 
- necessary event and crowd profiling to understand the crowd management risk; 
- available spaces for expected crowds using crowd capacity assessments; 
- sufficient crowd management in the ingress, event circulation, and egress phases; 
- safe and secure venues, spaces, and pathways for crowds in all phases and situations; 
- sufficient crowd management plans both for planned execution and in emergencies; 
- necessary engagement and involvement of public and private interested parties; 
- continual improvement through systematic evaluation of crowd management arrangements.  

This document does not address crowd control or situations that require intervention to manage crowds that display undesirable or dangerous behaviours. 

2 Normative references

The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.

ISO 20121 Event sustainability management systems - Requirements with guidance for use ISO 22300 Security and resilience - Vocabulary ISO 22379 Security and resilience - Guidelines for hosting and organizing citywide or regional events

3 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 22300, ISO 22379, ISO 20121 and the following apply.

ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses: - ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp - IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/

3.1 crowd large gathering of people

3.2 crowd management systematic process of planning, organizing, monitoring and guidance of large gatherings of people

Note 1 to entry: The objective of crowd management is to facilitate a positive event experience, while establishing a safe and secure environment for large gatherings of people, by maintaining adequate space to avoid undesirable crowd movement and behaviours.

3.3 event planned physical, digital or hybrid gathering with respect to time and a place where an experience is created and/or a message is communicated

Note 1 to entry: The term "event" will also include mass gatherings and crowded places.

[SOURCE: ISO 20121:2012 [3], 3.7, modified - note 1 to entry has been added.]

3.4 event organizer private or public entity or organization responsible to ensure that the event (3.3) is executed as planned and in compliance with current legislations, guidelines and agreements [SOURCE: ISO 22379:2022 [4], 3.3, modified — "event" has been added to the term.]

3.5 event rights holder legal entity either holding or authorized to use one or more intellectual property rights [SOURCE: ISO 22379:2022 [4], 3.9]

3.6 event host public entity or organization responsible to ensure that the event (3.3) is executed in surroundings sufficiently prepared for the event as planned and in compliance with current legislations, guidelines and agreements [SOURCE: ISO 22379:2022 [4], 3.1, modified - "event" has been added to the term.]

3.7 crowd management arrangements activities and measures implemented to manage large gatherings of people

3.8 crowd control actions taken to control large gatherings of people once behaviours become undesirable

3.9 venue physical location where an event is held

3.10 pedestrian flow rate number of pedestrians that can pass through a process or an area in a set amount of time

3.11 risk effect of uncertainty on objectives

Note 1 to entry: An effect is a deviation from the expected — positive or negative.

Note 2 to entry: Uncertainty is the state, even partial, of deficiency of information related to, understanding or knowledge of, an event, its consequence, or likelihood.

Note 3 to entry: Risk is often characterized by reference to potential events and consequences, or a combination of these.

Note 4 to entry: Risk is often expressed in terms of a combination of the consequences of an event (including changes in circumstances) and the associated likelihood of occurrence.

[SOURCE: ISO 31000:2018 [5], 3.1, modified - notes to entry have been modified; note 4 to entry has been added.]

3.12 Zone Ex areas surrounding a venue

Note 1 to entry: Zone Ex can be an integral part of the overall crowd management arrangements (3.7).

Note 2 to entry: Zone Ex can include streets, concourses, transport hubs, and parking areas where crowds gather outside of direct venue's control.

Bibliography

[1] United Nations. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights

[2] United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

[3] ISO 20121:2012 Event sustainability management systems - Requirements with guidance for use

[4] ISO 22379:2022 Security and resilience - Guidelines for hosting and organizing citywide or regional events

[5] ISO 31000:2018 Risk management - Guidelines

[6] ISO 31000 Risk management - Guidelines