Planning security for an Edinburgh event
Begin with the people, not the barriers
How many people are coming, how will they arrive, and how will they move through the space? Answering those questions shapes everything else: entrances, search arrangements if any, and where staff should stand.
A venue that fills gradually over an hour needs a different approach from one where two hundred people arrive in ten minutes.
Make the entrance work hard
The door is where tone is set. A confident, welcoming presence at the entrance reassures genuine guests and quietly discourages those who should not be there.
Think about queues, ticket checks, re-entry arrangements and what happens when someone is refused. A clear, agreed process avoids difficult moments being improvised on the night.
Agree the escalation path in advance
Decide before the event who makes which calls: who speaks to a difficult guest, who contacts venue management, and at what point the police are involved.
Write it on one page and make sure everyone working the event has seen it. Calm on the night comes from clarity beforehand.