Security is one of the most important things to get right when organising an event. From disorder at protests, injuries at concerts to fan disorder at sporting events, we’ve seen in the news recently how problematic it can be with poor or a lack of physical security. That means having a cost-efficient, effective security service is essential for your event’s success and reputation. Yet, it’s just as important to understand what’s factored into the cost.
Price is often the biggest dealbreaker. But it isn’t as simple as just thinking about the monetary factor. When scoping out the cost of hiring security for an event, there’s a lot you need to consider. Naturally, COVID-19 has made things more complex. Risk assessments have to cover more areas, the need for security is increased and ensuring everybody’s safety is more important now than ever.
To help you establish a cost that’s within your budget and works for you, we’ve outlined some of the key factors to take into account when looking for guarded security for your event.
- Types of event
- Venue considerations
- Time of event
- Demographic of attendees
- Risk assessment
- Insource vs outsource
Factors that influence costs
Types of event
The type of event you’re holding will naturally influence a change in cost for security. A music gig with 5,000 attendees is likely to cost you more than a daytime exhibition. In contrast, a sporting event may have more health and safety risks to consider, which, in turn, will impact the cost of hiring security.
Other factors such as ticketing, publicity, expected turnout, and whether high-value goods are involved are all elements you should think about when scoping out a cost. The best security providers will work through your requirements and event with you, so they can tailor the right solution to your needs with no hidden charges or nasty surprises.
Venue considerations
There are plenty of factors to consider when choosing your venue and how it will alter the cost of security. The size is the first.
The size of a venue will directly impact the number of security staff needed, which will proportionally affect the cost. Bigger venues will require more security as it means more attendees and more possible risk areas, but the size isn’t the only factor to consider.
You’ll also need to think about the location of your venue. Is it in a built-up area where more crowd management will be required to not affect others in the immediate vicinity? If it’s outdoors or in a rural area, will you need more security staff to secure the perimeter? Is it in a purpose-built setting?
As we’ve previously mentioned, COVID-19 and the changes it brings is something you now need to factor into decision-making. Social distancing may affect the ratio of staff required, crowd control may be more stringent and ventilation is now a key factor to manage.
This, alongside the regular checks of social distancing, masks and COVID passes, may impact the security needed to facilitate this.
Time of event
Whether your event is during the day or at night will affect the cost of the security you hire. Generally, events that occur at night rather than during the day can typically be more expensive. This may be down to several reasons, such as the higher risk of disorder, depending on whether alcohol is involved.
For nuances like this, it’s always best to speak to your security partner to determine the costs at different times of the day and throughout the year.
Risk assessment
Many of these discussed factors will be identified and accounted for in your risk assessment. The more complex the risks and the higher the likelihood that they might happen may directly impact the cost of hiring security for an event.
This is where many fall short. By rushing a risk assessment yourself or not completing one, you’re likely to miss key risk areas that could lead to much higher costs down the line due to oversight.
It’s safer and more cost-effective to have security experts attend the venue and conduct a thorough risk assessment themselves, so they can highlight certain points to focus on and what the right solution will be.
Insource vs outsource
While you might already have in-house options for security to consider, it doesn’t mean you should ignore the offering of outsourcing for your event. Sourcing in-house can lead to issues with turnover of staff, availability and trouble with meeting all your security requirements.
There are different pros and cons to think about when deciding whether to insource or outsource. For instance, you need to think about liability issues and expenses in sourcing and training staff when keeping it in-house.
But if you outsource to security experts like Kingdom Security, we can help you safely and efficiently protect your event without any hassle. You’ll benefit from plenty of flexibility, tailored solutions, innovative equipment and the latest training methods — not to mention various cost-effective alternatives.
Why Kingdom Security?
At Kingdom Security, we’re dedicated to providing you with the highest level of quality when it comes to security solutions. We’ll work collaboratively and closely with you to organise a solution that works for you, ensuring you have peace of mind when it comes to sourcing security for your event.
We cover everything from crowd management to stewarding teams and with the backing of our high-profile clients, you’ll know that you’re in safe hands.
A dedicated Event Manager will work closely with your team to ensure that you have a proactive and prepared team to deal with the unpredictable challenges of event security, keeping public wellbeing and safety as a priority.
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If you'd like to get in touch about our services, then don’t hesitate to contact our helpful team.
