Mass Audio VisualAlerting System
Physical security reduces likelihood. Communication determines the outcome.
MAVAS — the Mass Audio Visual Alerting System — is Handy AV's intelligent safety and compliance platform, designed to help organisations meet Martyn's Law requirements with speed, clarity and control. One platform. Every zone. Every channel.
~1s
Local alert delivery via Edge Server
6+
Alert channels per incident
25 yrs
AV & communications expertise
The challenge is not a lack of technology. It is fragmentation.
Access control, digital signage, public address systems, fire alarms and CCTV often exist in isolation — procured at different times, from different vendors, for different purposes. When an incident occurs, no single person can say with confidence how those systems will work together, who validates them, or how untested scenarios will run.
Martyn's Law does not prescribe specific technologies. It holds duty holders accountable for outcomes: that every person on site can be warned, directed and kept safe through proportionate and reasonably practicable measures. That is a communication capability question — not a paperwork exercise.
“Clarity in communication saves time — and time saves lives.”
What the Act means in practice
One platform. Every channel. Every zone.
MAVAS unifies audio, visual and emergency technology to streamline emergency response and safeguard every person on site through centralised AV and systems control.
Multi-Channel Alert Delivery
A single trigger activates every relevant channel simultaneously: PA and voice announcement, digital signage overlays, SMS, WhatsApp, desktop and mobile push notifications, and access control lockdown — ensuring no zone and no person is missed.
Edge Server Resilience
On-site EDGE servers process and deliver alerts locally in approximately one second, independent of internet connectivity. Your alerting capability continues to function even under network failure — the moment when it matters most.
No Rip-and-Replace
MAVAS connects to the systems you already own via open API, webhooks and standard IP, wireless and Bluetooth protocols. Existing AV, access control and signage infrastructure is reused and orchestrated — not replaced.
Pre-Built Alert Templates
Configurable templates cover every required response type: Evacuation, Invacuation, Lockdown, All-Clear, External Hazard and Terror Threat — with per-zone messaging, priority routing and drill mode built in.
Accessibility by Design
Combined audio and visual alerts, text-to-speech and induction loop support ensure every person on site — including those with hearing or visual impairments — can receive, understand and act on an alert.
SIA Audit Evidence
Every alert trigger, device acknowledgment, drill and system event is logged automatically. Alert and audit logs are exportable, providing the evidenced capability the SIA and insurers expect from duty holders.
Centralised Cloud Dashboard
Manage all locations, zones, devices and users from a single secure dashboard. Supports single and multi-site deployments, role-based access control, and remote health monitoring — accessible from PC, tablet or smartphone.
Access Control & Lockdown
HandyCHECKPOINT integration enables targeted zone lockdown and controlled egress — supporting invacuation and shelter-in-place responses, alongside CCTV triggering and body-worn camera feeds in a single operational view.
Multi-Agency Coordination
Aggregated zonal status, CCTV feeds and message logs support coordination with emergency services — designed to help align internal messaging with responder instructions in real time and at the boundary of your premises.
What people on site actually see
Compliance is judged on whether every person present can be warned, directed and kept safe. That is decided on the wall, not in the dashboard.
Seen and heard
Screens and voice announcement carry the same instruction at the same moment — so the message lands whether or not someone can hear it, or see it.
Lockdown, per zone
Invacuation and shelter-in-place instructions differ by zone. A lobby, a ward and a loading bay each get the message that applies to them.
And the all-clear
Standing an incident down is part of the procedure the Act asks you to document. It is one action, and it is logged like every other.
Screen layouts shown are configurable per zone and per alert template.
Built for the person on shift
Not a control system that needs an engineer. The people who trigger alerts are duty managers, receptionists and security staff.
The drill is not an afterthought
Every alert starts by declaring itself: live incident, or test drill. Drills exercise the real routing without firing the real alert — and they are logged as drills, which is precisely the evidence the Act asks a duty holder to keep.
Written down while you work
Every trigger, all-clear, login and configuration change is recorded with a timestamp and a name against it. Export the trail to CSV when the SIA, your insurer or your own board asks what happened and when.
Decisions made before the incident
Which zones, which message, which priority, which channels — settled in advance and reviewed on a schedule. During an incident nobody is composing wording or working out who needs telling.
From audit to operational resilience
Best practice front-loads understanding what already exists. For most venues, the first step is discovering the gaps — not procuring more hardware.
Discover & Map
A site-wide audit catalogues existing AV, access control, signage and PA infrastructure — identifying coverage gaps, dead zones and reusable assets. For most organisations, the start point is understanding what already exists, not procuring more hardware.
Connect & Configure
MAVAS integrates with your existing systems via open API and standard protocols. Alert templates are configured per zone and per incident type. The platform adds an intelligent orchestration layer over infrastructure you already own.
Test & Validate
A dedicated testing mode supports live drills without triggering real alerts. Every test is logged, producing the audit trail and evidenced capability record that the SIA expects from duty holders — particularly at the Enhanced Tier.
Operate & Maintain
Authorised personnel trigger alerts from the dashboard, mobile application or a physical button. The cloud platform provides continuous remote health monitoring, usage analytics and a living evidence base for ongoing compliance assurance.
MAVAS supports both tiers of duty
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. The Home Office published its statutory guidance in April 2026, and the duties are expected to come into force in spring 2027. Named in honour of Martyn Hett — one of the 22 people who lost their lives in the Manchester Arena bombing of 2017 — the Act establishes a legal duty for publicly accessible venues to take proportionate and practicable measures to protect every person on site.
200 – 799 persons
Requires notification to the SIA and reasonably practicable public protection procedures covering evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication. No physical security measures are mandated.
- ✓Documented emergency procedures
- ✓Staff training on how to respond
- ✓Regular testing of procedures and systems
- ✓Evacuation, invacuation and lockdown planning
- ✓Clear in-incident communication capability
800+ persons
All Standard Tier duties, plus a requirement to reduce vulnerability so far as reasonably practicable and to document measures for the regulator. Applies to large venues, stadiums, arenas, campuses and transport hubs.
- ✓Everything in the Standard Tier
- ✓Documented vulnerability reduction measures
- ✓SIA-ready audit evidence and reporting
- ✓Multi-zone alert management and control
- ✓Real-time device and system health monitoring
- ✓Integration with existing security infrastructure
Enforcement: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) enforces the Act and may issue compliance notices, restriction notices and monetary penalties. Standard tier penalties are capped at £10,000. For enhanced tier premises and qualifying events the maximum is the greater of £18 million or 5% of qualifying worldwide revenue — so for a large organisation there is no effective ceiling. Daily penalties of up to £500 (standard) or £50,000 (enhanced) may also run for each day a contravention continues. The Act sets the outcome; the duty holder is responsible for demonstrating that measures taken are proportionate and reasonably practicable.
About MAVASBuilt on nearly 25 years of AV and communications expertise
MAVAS is an intelligent safety and compliance platform developed by Handy AV — a specialist in digital communication, signage and audio integration with nearly 25 years of industry experience. Our white paper, Martyn's Law: Security, Sound and Vision — the Missing Layer, identified the communication gap at the centre of venue security and informed the development of MAVAS from the ground up.
We are uniquely positioned to help organisations transform existing AV infrastructure into effective, auditable communication networks — connecting the systems you already have, addressing the gaps that place people at risk, and producing the evidenced capability that regulators and insurers require.
Ready to protect your venue?
Speak with a Martyn's Law specialist. We will assess your existing infrastructure, identify coverage gaps and demonstrate how MAVAS can support your compliance journey — without replacing the systems you already own.
Contact us at info@mavas.net
