WATCHFUL SKIES, SAFER NIGHTS: AI-DRIVEN VMS TRANSFORMING GULF MEGA-EVENTS

As the Gulf’s summer calendar fills with concerts, sporting events, and festivals, the region faces new and more complex security challenges. Managing crowd safety at large-scale public gatherings no longer depends on passive surveillance or security teams monitoring screens reactively. Instead, event organizers, law enforcement agencies, and technology providers are embracing AI-powered, integrated video management software (VMS) that helps security teams spot and address potential risks early, instead of only reacting after something goes wrong.

This evolution in surveillance comes at an important time for the region. From Dubai’s Disney on Ice, Lil Baby’s Wham World Tour, and the UNTOLD Dubai Festival at Coca-Cola Arena to Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season concerts, international sporting tournaments, and mega entertainment festivals, large-scale spectacles have emerged as cornerstones of the Gulf’s rapidly expanding tourism and leisure economy. In 2024 alone, Dubai welcomed 18.72 million overnight visitors, up 9% from the previous year, while Riyadh and Jeddah continue to post record event attendance.

But as visitor numbers climb, so too does the complexity of keeping these spaces secure.

For years, video surveillance largely served as a passive, forensic tool by capturing footage for later review. Today, advanced VMS platforms are changing that model. AI-powered analytics embedded directly into VMS systems can automatically monitor crowd density, spot unusual movement or congestion, and raise alerts when early signs of trouble appear. This proactive approach transforms how security teams operate, allowing real-time interventions that help reduce risks while improving crowd flow and overall visitor experience.

Multiple Technologies brought together

At major venues across the Gulf, this shift is well underway.

Consider a sold-out concert at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena. Thousands of attendees filter through multiple entrances, while drone surveillance monitors crowd flow around parking areas and public transport hubs. Inside, thermal cameras quietly scan for signs of overheating electrical equipment or early-stage fires. All these data streams feed into a mobile command center, often set up in temporary trailers near the venue, where security teams and public safety agencies collaborate in real-time.

The advantage is not just faster incident response, but smarter prevention. AI-powered analytics embedded in Milestone’s platform can automatically count attendees in critical areas, flag unusual movement patterns, or detect crowd density risks long before they escalate into safety issues.

This type of command structure has become increasingly important as summer temperatures and high humidity, and seasonal surges, add an additional layer of risk for both attendees and emergency response teams.

A Region That Moves Fast and Safely

The wider regional momentum behind these events is just as significant.

The Gulf’s appetite for mega-events shows no sign of slowing. Dubai International Airport processed 92.3 million passengers in 2024, its highest annual traffic ever recorded, while major Saudi airports continue to scale operations under Vision 2030. These same smart infrastructure principles are now being extended to public events.

Open-platform VMS technology fits naturally into these ambitions, offering a flexible backbone that can scale from one event to another, integrate with emerging analytics tools, and support the kind of cross-agency cooperation that large public gatherings increasingly require.

The New Normal for Event Safety

Event organizers, venue operators, and government agencies across the Gulf are now approaching security not as a series of separate systems, but as a fully connected environment. At the heart of this lies open VMS platforms. These provide stakeholders with the ability to overlay venue maps, integrate drone surveillance, plug in temporary thermal sensors, and coordinate multiple responders, all through a shared video management interface, which reflects how the region is redefining public safety as part of its global event leadership.

Ultimately, securing the Gulf’s signature events that boost its tourism will increasingly rely on proactive, AI-enhanced surveillance models. Today, video management is about using real-time intelligence to help protect visitors, keep events running smoothly, and give the Gulf’s major showcases the safe, seamless experiences global audiences expect.