Look at the awesome stuff that
@ZenRigs Man has available to protect your FM9. Check out
https://zenrigs.com/fm9-shop to see what he has available. In general, I think the most vulnerable part of any pedalboard is the jacks. They're often PC-board mounted, so if you have something plugged into them, and some big ol' boot comes down on the plug, it's possible that strain will be translated to the PC board itself.
I use a RJM Mastermind GT16 as my controller for my AxeFX III. While that means my $2500 AxeFX III is safely at the back of the stage (yay!), my $1500 controller is out front (not yay!) in the area inhabited by dangerous filthy animals such as musicians. My MMGT16 is mounted on a pedalboard, and all of the connections are routed to jacks on the side; this also provides a "sacrificial" connection point so if those plugs are ever damaged (or stepped on), I just replace them without any worries to the actual connections on the MMGT16. I try to use the stage monitor as a defensive bulwark but it's a dangerous world out there in gigland, and I recommend battle-hardening your rig as much as reasonably possible.
Fortunately, Fractal gear is incredibly tough and reliable. I have toured with my FM3, AxeFX III, and other FAS gear, and it's been bulletproof. I'd consider putting ZenRigs screen guards on your FM9, and if possible, mounting it on a board so that you can wire the connection points to a more easily-protected patch panel on the side. Do this for the XLR connections too... put all of the wear and tear on easily-replaceable jacks that are not on the unit itself. This way you can protect all of the back-of-FM9 connections from danger.
Only slightly related, but useful information comes from an interaction I had with of my favorite hair metal guitarists when I tech'd for him in the 90's...
Me: "Your guitars with the reverse pointy headstocks are a big drag to keep in tune because of the string break angle from the nut to the tuner"
Metal Dude: "I know. But they're great for crowd control"