When do we need security at an event?
Security is valuable at an event to:
- Prohibit unwanted guests from crashing your function
- Ensure underage drinking does not go on
- Prevent drugs from being used on your event premises
- Make sure that you event does not violate any fire marshall permits (e.g. number of guests in the room, fire exits being blocked, etc.)
- Oversee move in, set up, day off, teardown, and move out procedures
- Make sure that no unauthorized personnel have access to your space
- Help to direct traffic flow
- Show “duty of care” and social host responsibility (in case any legal issues arise or any guests go wild or overindulge, which has happened)
You never know when something unexpected will happen. At one tented event, the organization had security in place overnight to ensure that rented tables, chairs, and decor etc. were not damaged or stolen. What the organization did not foresee was during the middle of the night the tent blowing away. Security was on hand to alert the organization immediately – there was nothing physically they could do to stop the tent from blowing away (it had not been anchored securely) but they were there to do damage control.
Check with your legal representatives to see what they recommend, e.g. if they want you to have it in place to help show the above-mentioned “duty of care”. It is always a good idea to make sure that your event conforms to your lawyer’s requirements.
There are two different types of security you can hire. There are professional security companies that are skilled in guest security and safety measures, and off-duty pay police. You can hire one or the other or hire a mix of both. What you may want to find out from each is in an emergency situation how much authority and experience do they have; this might be your determining factor. For example, you would not necessarily want to hire a security company that does not have a trained team of professionals but instead is made up of part-time student help. In a serious situation, you need to know exactly what your security team can and cannot do from a professional and legal standpoint.
Judy Allen is the author several bestselling books about event planning: Event Planning, The Business of Event Planning, Event Planning Ethics and Etiquette, Marketing Your Event Planning Business, and Time Management for Event Planners. For paid professional event planning consulting – event design, site selection critique, venue and supplier contract review, budget analysis, strategic planning, event logistical and timing requirements, and on-site orchestration – contact Judy directly at Judy Allen Productions.
