A Comprehensive Guide to Hiring a UK Event Security Company

If you are planning an event, you’ll have a long ‘to do’ list. Prioritising this list means you deal with all the important stuff, like engaging a leading, reliable and professional UK event security company. With our free guide, you’ll have all the information you need to make sure this happens for your event.

If you’re organising an event in the UK, you’re in good company. As an industry, organised events including music festivals and business conferences account, it is on the rise. Valued at over £42 billion, it’s easy to see why. With over 7,000 outdoor events and thousands of conferences organised in the UK each year, it is a sector that is expected to keep growing. For music events alone, 27.7 billion people cram through the doors and festival gates to see their favourite acts.

There are many factors that combine to make an event successful, one of which is choosing the right UK event security company. But it’s more than just hiring security guards to stand at the entrance or to manage the crowd.

Event security is about the bigger picture but if you don’t know what you this means, you’ll find some of event planning lesson hard. And that’s why we’ve taken the pain out of event security planning with this free, comprehensive guide to event security (and how to get it right!).

The event running order

If you have different activities happening across your event at the same time, you need a running order for event security staff. This way, the security team will know where they are needed if there is an emergency, vital information for your first aiders too.

Risk asses everything

Health and safety is, in large, common sense but this by definition makes it a moveable feast. This means you need to asses everything, no matter how small or obvious the hazard or risk is deemed to be. If you need help, our expert event security managers are the people to call.

Crowd management is essential

Crowd disasters are rare but not uncommon. Swarming crowds of people can soon turn tom fun into a nightmare. And that means effective crowd management is an essential component of event security. Hiring professional and experienced event security teams should mean disasters are avoided because numbers (and therefore behaviour in a crowd) are managed.

Highly trained staff

SIA licensed event security staff are essential but you also want a security team that brings even more skills to your event – first aid trained security staff, for example, are a must. You also need people who are trained in other areas too including health and safety at events, crowd management, fire training and so on.

Barriers

If your event is large, preventing surges of queuing attendees is an important part of controlled access and egress. Barriers are effective but you’ll need trained staff to make sure that they are used properly (and the crowd managed).

Visible information points

Clearly identified areas where people can seek help mean that so many problems and issues are avoided. Clear signage is important no matter what size your event is. It could be as simple as making sure exit points are clearly signed as well as where refreshment points are and so on.

Car park management

Just as important as managing crowds in your event, you need to manage car parking and venue traffic too, especially if people will be arriving and leaving your event at more or less the same times.

Entry points and bag searches

It’s a sad fact that at more events, limiting bag size is now common and bag searches are also essential. But knowing what to look for is difficult which is why event security checking bags and tickets etc. at entrance points is an essential part of a smooth-running event.

Accessibility

Your event should be accessible to all and that means thinking through access for people with disabilities. There are various organisations and agencies who can help you if you are unsure how to make your event truly accessible.

Plenty of bathroom facilities

Lines and queues of people wanting to buy refreshments or use the toilets are potential flashpoints and so the more you can provide, the better. This type of thing should be picked up in your risk assessment too.

Emergency services

You should notify emergency services in your area that your event is going ahead. They’ll want information such as location and access points, as well as what type of constructions and security arrangements you have in place.

We have been providing effective event security solutions and staff at events across the UK for many years. Professional and experienced, our SIA licensed event staff will be an integral part of the successful running of your event.