Securing a global art fair in an era of converging risk

In an increasingly complex environment, Control Risks delivers a fully integrated security solution for the world's premier art fair.

An event built on visibility

Each year, The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) fairs in Maastricht and New York bring together the world’s most valuable works of art, an international audience, and a level of scrutiny few events experience. Over ten days, objects insured for around USD $5 billion move through a single venue. The visibility is intentional. The risk is unavoidable.

Control Risks has worked alongside TEFAF for many years. That continuity matters. As the fair evolves in scale, profile and exposure, the security environment grows more complex. A focus that once centred on physical protection alone, now extends to digital systems, activist disruption and reputational impact –often unfolding simultaneously and in real time.

Staying aligned with a changing threat picture

Planning begins months in advance with a refreshed threat and risk assessment, developed alongside Control Risks’ geopolitical analysts. The focus is not hypothetical extremes, but how risk is evolving: organised theft, hostile reconnaissance, terrorism considerations and reputational drivers.

These insights shape mitigation measures designed to protect people, property, information and the fair’s standing, without undermining the experience that exhibitors and visitors expect.

Digital risks as a security dependency

Digital exposure has become inseparable from physical event security. Registration platforms, accreditation systems, onsite connectivity and supplier access all create dependencies that significantly broaden the attack surface. A cyber incident can rapidly trigger operational disruption, safety risks and reputational harm, especially in high-profile environments where continuity and perception are critical to success.

Control Risks’ team works alongside TEFAF’s security team to assess how these systems intersect with physical operations. Treating digital risk as part of the same operating picture allows potential issues to be addressed before they escalate.

Operating through partnership and presence

TEFAF’s security posture is reinforced by longstanding co-operation between the fair, local and national authorities, art crime specialists, insurers, venue teams and protection providers.  Those long-standing relationships deliver operational advantage. They streamline communication, clarify roles and allow teams to function as a cohesive, integrated network during build phases, live operations and incident response.

During buildup and live days, continuous operational “pulse checks” combine behavioural observations, incident trends and intelligence updates, supported by Control Risks’ 24/7 Global Risks and Operations Centre. This provides threat monitoring and context, to keep decision making aligned with conditions on the ground and maintain a real-time operating picture.

Early intervention in a crowded environment

In high-footfall settings like TEFAF, early intervention depends on experience as much as visibility. Control Risks’ behavioural detection experts are embedded within roving teams and monitoring functions, applying trained judgement to identify out-of-the-ordinary behaviour and potential hostile reconnaissance indicators. Discreet engagement resolves concerns early, reducing the likelihood of escalation without disrupting the atmosphere of the fair.

This approach is grounded in established behavioural detection principles for high-footfall environments: understanding what “normal” looks like, identifying deviations, applying professional engagement techniques, and reinforcing safeguards that prevent bias or discriminatory profiling.

Where preparation becomes confidence

Year after year, the fair operates under intense scrutiny and changing pressures, yet continues to deliver the experience that its exhibitors and visitors expect. By combining intelligence-led assessment, digital risk and resilience planning, proactive behavioural detection and rehearsed crisis response, Control Risks delivers a fully integrated security solution for TEFAF. This ensures a secure environment for exhibitors, visitors, staff and partners, while safeguarding operational continuity and reputation in an exceptionally high-value and high-visibility setting.

The approach is designed to keep pace with an evolving threat landscape, where physical, digital and reputational risks are increasingly inseparable, and to ensure TEFAF’s security plan remains fit for purpose, year after year. In that environment, effective security is measured not by what happens, but by what never needs to happen.

“Control Risks has been an integral part of TEFAF’s security operations for over a decade. Its Security Managers play a pivotal role in connecting the TEFAF organisation with its various security partners and suppliers.

Their strength lies in co-ordinating multiple disciplines and ensuring clear, continuous communication between all parties involved. This level of alignment is essential for an event of TEFAF’s calibre, where security must operate seamlessly and at the highest possible standard.

The experience, oversight, and calm leadership of the Control Risks security management team contribute significantly to creating a secure environment in which exhibitors, visitors, and stakeholders can operate with confidence. Their role is a key factor in maintaining the integrity and reputation of TEFAF as one of the world’s leading art fairs.”

- Head of Finance & operations, TEFAF.

Around the world, Control Risks is helping events of all sizes bring protective intelligence and operational security into one integrated security provision, so they can anticipate threats early and respond decisively when conditions change. If you’re reviewing how you protect people, operations and reputation across complex event environments, we can help you strengthen governance, improve readiness, and deliver security that keeps pace with converging physical and digital risks.