When: October 08, 2026
Webinar Time: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM @ Zoom
Register here: IFCPP - Soft Target Hardening: From Theory to Practice
Attacks against crowded spaces, or soft targets, are on the rise worldwide, perpetrated by terrorists and other violent actors. This webinar will provide viewers with an overview of current and emerging soft target threats, examine past failures, and discuss unique hardening techniques, tactics, and best practices through completion of a scored assessment. Special topics of discussion will include psychological aspects of security adding to vulnerability such as fatigue, complacency and denial. The speaker will also explore ways to mitigate against insider threat and lone actors.
The session is for security practitioners, law enforcement, first responders, business managers, and cultural property administrators. As we rise to the challenge of increased workplace safety and security, these practices will help all of us mitigate similar concerns in our personal lives. How do we identify vulnerabilities and take a proactive approach to enhance our own safety? Do we pre-assess venues and discuss emergency plans before attending an event? How can we become security force multipliers?
This live event will challenge your existing security measures to see if they rise to meet current and emergent threats. We will provide prescriptive information, tools and best practice information to assist. We plan to ask tough questions about your approach to safety and security. What proactive measures do you take to protect your employees and your workplace? What systems are in place to protect infrastructure and people from attack? What are your emergency plans and how familiar are employees with procedures? Is there appropriate crisis response training and programmed drills?
Participants should attend the webinar with a specific soft target property or public event in mind. The presenters will assist with conducting a scored assessment to evaluate that target's vulnerability to attack. Come away with a greater knowledge of soft target threats and vulnerabilities, a scored instrument for any venue of concern, and unique ideas for hardening against attack.
Course Objectives:
• Identify the psychology of security such as fatigue, complacency and denial and impact on vulnerability and susceptibility to attack.
• Review the emergent threats and recent soft target attacks.
• Examine improvements made to strengthen soft targets.
• Discuss unique techniques for hardening soft targets against terrorist and violent criminal attack.
• Review best practices through the use of a scenario, assessment tools and government guidance.
Following the workshop, students will be able to:
• Understand soft targets and their inherent vulnerabilities.
• Conduct a vulnerability assessment of a soft target and enhance security measures.
• Utilize an assessment instrument to identify, deter, and mitigate attacks on soft targets in their community.
IFCPP's free monthly webinar series and live Q&A forum provides valuable educational content and resource-sharing throughout the year. Webinars will continue to feature recognized practitioners, subject matter experts, and industry leaders discussing current challenges, emerging threats, lessons learned, and innovative solutions for protecting cultural institutions and their collections. Stay tuned for a list of upcoming topics, with a wide range of timely presentations already scheduled each month into 2027...
About your presenter: Dr. Jennifer Hesterman is a retired Air Force colonel who served in three Pentagon tours and commanded in the field multiple times. Her final assignment was Vice Commander, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, where she led installation security, including protection of Air Force One. Dr. Hesterman is a counterterrorism and soft target hardening expert, working with businesses, sports venues, schools, houses of worship, malls, hospitals, convention centers, and critical infrastructure sites to identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities. She advises the Homeland Security Training Institute, the Crisis Response Journal, and 2 DHS Security Centers of Excellence. Her book Soft Target Hardening: Protecting People from Attack was the ASIS Security Industry Book of the Year in 2015. The second edition received the same honors in 2019 and was the Social Sciences Book of the Year for Taylor & Francis. Dr. Hesterman is an analog astronaut and participates in human spaceflight training and deep space simulations. She conducts human factors research and tests food, spacesuits, technology and tools. She is training for her lifelong goal of space travel.
Live Q&A
Following each 45-minute presentation, attendees are invited to participate in an Open Forum and Live Q&A, providing an opportunity to ask questions, discuss real-world challenges, and engage directly with webinar presenters and fellow professionals. The new member forum will include monthly Zoom gatherings, hot-topic discussion, member-to-member problem-solving, extensive resource-sharing, and recorded discussions for ongoing reference. Practitioners responsible for protecting cultural institutions, collections, visitors, and staff are encouraged to participate.
Register at: IFCPP - Soft Target Hardening: From Theory to Practice
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When Resources Fall Short: Supporting Museum Security Teams Through Technology
Thursday, October 15, 2026
12:00 p.m. Mountain / 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Museum security teams must maintain consistent collection protection even when staffing and budgets are anything but consistent. Presented in partnership with Art Sentry and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, this practical case study will explore how technology can help museums address staffing gaps, difficult gallery sightlines, and visitor concerns about security interactions.
Attendees will hear directly from museum representatives about their experience, lessons learned, and considerations for institutions seeking to strengthen security without compromising the visitor experience.
Would you please share this opportunity with museum security professionals, colleagues, regional groups, and others in your network who may benefit? You’re welcome to forward this email or share the registration link through newsletters, message boards, and social media:
Register Here
