Security for Hospitality and Venues

The pressure points in a venue

Alcohol is the common factor in most venue incidents. Over-crowding, queues that turn tense, and disputes inside the venue all escalate faster when drink is involved. Early, friendly intervention by door staff is more effective than reacting once a situation has escalated.

Licensing and compliance matter. Your licence conditions may specify door staff numbers, capacity limits and search policies, and using unlicensed door staff puts both the licence and your insurance position at risk. SIA-licensed door supervisors can be checked on the public SIA register.

Hotels and larger venues face a different problem: multiple entrances, guests who are not regulars and events that bring in outside crowds. Access control and a calm, professional approach to guests are as important as dealing with incidents.

How we approach hospitality security

We ask about capacity, opening hours, clientele and any past problems before recommending a team size and shift pattern. Door supervisors are briefed on your entry policy and report to your duty manager, and incidents are logged after each shift.

We can supply female door supervisors alongside the rest of the team, which some venues find helpful for searches and customer relations. For one-off nights, private parties and events we can supply teams on a short-term basis, subject to availability.

Hospitality and venues in our area

The region has a wide range of venues, from Newcastle’s Bigg Market, The Gate complex and Quayside bars and hotels to the Middlesbrough Empire, a nightclub since 1993 in a building dating from 1897, and the cultural venues of Stockton, including the ARC, the Georgian Theatre, opened in 1766, and the Globe Theatre, which reopened in 2021. Match days at the Riverside Stadium and St James’ Park, and race meetings at Redcar and Newcastle racecourses, bring large crowds into the surrounding streets.

A late-licence city-centre bar, a theatre with a bar and an event-day venue are very different jobs. Your premises licence conditions set the minimum for door staffing, and we start from those, then recommend what your capacity, hours and recent incidents suggest.

Before you hire door staff

• Check your premises licence conditions for door staff numbers and search requirements.
• Confirm that every supervisor holds a current SIA Door Supervisor licence.
• Decide your entry policy, dress code and capacity limits and make sure staff know them.
• Agree how incidents, refusals and ejections will be recorded.
• Think about a mixed team if searches or customer relations call for it.

If you are opening a new venue or have had a difficult period, tell us what has happened. A short conversation about your recent incidents is the quickest way to the right team size.

Services for this sector

Frequently Asked Questions