No system is foolproof. Just as IT has its hackers, the events industry has its own operator who points out the flaws in a setup: the freeloader at best, the gatecrasher at worst.
Of course, these techniques apply more to external events. It's hard to imagine someone trying to crash an internal event or seminar when no employee recognizes them.
Since we're good sports and we learn from the security flaws these whistleblowers point out, here is a list of the most common gatecrashers in the events industry.
And also how to avoid them.
The mix-up with a first name on the list, success rate: 10%
This classic technique works just as well at a friend's party the hacker wasn't invited to as at a more organized event. The idea is to pass yourself off as someone else by betting on the popularity of a common name. There's always an "Alexander," a "Thomas," or a "Julian" somewhere, whatever the time. "There's probably one on the list," the hacker tells himself. The host or the guard at the door has no choice but to believe it. That said, email confirmation with a QR code scanned at the door often stops this kind of low-effort trick from working (hence the 90% failure rate).
This minor impersonation rarely carries any legal risk for the person using it, but more importantly, it even more rarely gets them into the event. One variant is to confidently claim your name is on the list.
Impersonating someone on the list, success rate: 85%
It's midnight, the line is long, the gatecrasher isn't on the list, which is also very long. After managing to make out the name of an actual guest, the impersonator claims that's them. Security has its weak points, and impersonation is one of them!
This technique, as old as cheat sheets on a ruler, actually works quite often. Provided the list is visible and the event hacker shows no sign of nearsightedness.
The boldest will go as far as posing as a speaker, a well-known DJ, or the son of a public figure they know for a fact will be attending (all to score free drinks, purely on nerve). This classic technique works just as well at a party the hacker wasn't invited to as at a more organized event with security guards and an overworked staff. Event agencies are of course used to this kind of trick and are ready to deal with these impersonators.
There's often a chance the event organizer knows the person whose name was borrowed. That's what causes the 15% failure rate.
Creative nerve, success rate: 30%
This time the hacker poses as an exhibitor at a trade show, a journalist covering the event, or even a celebrity. Compared to the previous case, the gatecrasher invents a whole persona.
This type of entry fraud rarely works, since it depends so much on vocal delivery, physical appearance, or a certain spark of madness in the eye.
Misusing a fake identity depends heavily on the gatecrasher's personal magnetism.
This technique has a better chance of working at a fashion week afterparty than at a new-build real estate trade show. And when it does work, it feels more like performance art than an incident. It boils down to this: I'm not invited, but please let me in, I'm hungry and I want to join this dinner.
Sheer nerve, success rate: 5%
Security usually turns away what amounts to the height of audacity for a gatecrasher. But sometimes, mysteriously, the technique works.
This type of hacker is very charismatic.
The commando operation, success rate: 5%
Become the crowd, blend into the mass of people at a packed convention center. Hug the walls behind the security guards, climb over gates and walls.
A few camouflage devotees, masters of infiltration, can boast having slipped right under the nose of an imposing security setup.
There's also the old technique of slipping into a group and getting to know them.
Very few people manage to pull it off though, and the penalties are severe: broken legs, a night in the security office.
Bonus, the fake shareholder, success rate: 100%
First featured in Merci Patron, this event hack is especially spectacular and activist in nature. As a reminder, François Ruffin had bought LVMH shares, then, as a shareholder of the group, showed up at the general meeting to confront Bernard Arnault. More than an event hack, this gatecrashing is a legal hack of corporate law. The variant is Elise Lucet's at Kering's general meeting.
The result: getting kicked out of the event.
Organizers can rest easy: few people are motivated enough to buy shares just for one buffet a year.
To organize your event with peace of mind, there's Digitevent.
There are more and more events, and above all, increasingly creative surprise guests. Some have even teamed up to hunt down the best deals.
Gatecrashing is usually harmless. That said, it can tarnish the reputation of professional event organizers (in the most extreme cases). Beyond that, it always pays to brief your security teams properly, and above all to equip yourself with recent event technology that lets you run your event without a hitch.
With Digitevent, you can scan attendees at the entrance and digitize every check-in point. That solves both the timing problem and the geographic one. You can also do away with paper lists, which waste both time and energy.
Now it's up to you to keep the event hackers out!
