LSU chooses BEST Crowd Management for event security, guest services

By Atlas Watchline Staff · Corporate · August 11, 2026

Louisiana State University has selected BEST Crowd Management to handle event security, guest services and gate operations at LSU Athletics events starting Aug. 1, 2026.

Louisiana State University has selected BEST Crowd Management as its event security and guest services provider for LSU Athletics events, according to a company release published Aug. 11, 2026. The agreement takes effect Aug. 1, 2026.

BEST said it will handle event security, guest services and gate operations across about 270 LSU Athletics events each year. The work includes Tiger Stadium and the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

BEST, which describes itself as a GardaWorld company, said LSU is the fifth Southeastern Conference school to partner with the firm for event staffing. The company said it is hiring more than 550 event security and guest services positions for immediate placement at LSU and is opening a new branch office in Baton Rouge to support recruiting, training and operations.

In its release, BEST said it has more than 25,000 employees and serves more than 250 sports and entertainment venues in the United States. The company also said it works with four other SEC universities: Ole Miss, Texas A&M University, The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Tennessee.

BEST said the LSU deal gives it services work at six of the eight U.S. stadiums with official seating capacities above 100,000. The company did not list those other stadiums in the release.

Jeff Spoerndle, chief operating officer at BEST Crowd Management, said in the release that the company is excited to partner with LSU and aims to support fan, student-athlete and campus experiences. He said BEST wants to provide professional event security and exceptional guest services in a safe and welcoming environment.

The release does not say whether LSU issued a separate statement beyond the company announcement.

Hiring and setup tied to the Baton Rouge office are expected before LSU Athletics events begin under the new arrangement.

Sources

• PR Newswire release: Louisiana State University selects BEST Crowd Management as new event security and guest services provider

Editorial note: This article was prepared with AI assistance and includes source attribution for reader review.

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