As an organiser you have a duty of care in law and a moral obligation to ensure that your event:
- complies with legislation
- is safe and secure
- supports (through documented planning, risk assessment and delivery) the health, safety and welfare of its visitors, participants, contractors, and staff
You must:
- be the named contact for all communications
- obtain appropriate licenses or temporary road closure orders
- accept the lead role, before and during the event, and for post-event debriefing
- consult throughout the planning with relevant bodies, and make decisions with staff, services and contractors
- have public liability Insurance to the minimum cover of £5 million, or £10 million for Category 4 firework displays and fairground rides
Please note: Wyre Council introduced a ban on the release of sky lanterns and helium balloons on council land to protect wildlife and reduce plastic waste.
What, where, when, who?
What is your event?
Decide carefully what your event will be all about. What is the aim of the event? Decide on its contents and activities. Identify any hazards or impracticalities. What infrastructure is needed? What will you require to ensure it is safe, secure and entertaining? What is the scale and size of your event?
Where will your event take place?
Decide whether it is best indoors or outdoors. Is it on private or public land? Either way, you will need to contact the landowner or the local authority. Conduct a site visit and make a list of things required, and potential risks.
When will it take place?
Consider the event: its content, audience or visitors. Does it need to take place at a time or season that will maximise impact and visitors?
Who will be involved in the planning?
Consider who needs to be involved. For example; an event management team, the local authority, emergency services, contractors and concessions, entertainers....the list will depend on the type of event. These people and organisations all play specific roles which must be described and understood.
Application process for outdoor events
For events to be held on private land you must obtain permission from the land owner.
For events on council land, you must read our guidance on hosting an event on council land before you apply for use of council land.
For all events, on private or council land, you must then:
- prepare an event management plan
- apply for a temporary road closure if needed
- if you want to serve alcohol, hot food or drink, or play amplified music you will need to apply for a temporary event notice
- if you will be organising outside catering or food concessions you will need to contact our environmental health team with the full details of each business so a food standard check can be carried out. You can do so by emailing food.standardsagency@wyre.gov.uk.
- carry out a risk assessment If your event is in the high risk category, you will need to attend
Preparing an event management plan
Every event large or small, needs an event management plan. It is used as a communication tool, a reference point, and a statement of intent. It needs to be brief, factual, accurate, and understandable.
The key features of an event management plan are:
- introduction - an overview of the event
- contacts - a comprehensive list of key event staff and their contact numbers
- roles and responsibilities - a detailed role specification
- event management structure – a description of the management structure including responsibilities and communication channels
- a safety policy – your general intention of keeping your event safe and secure for staff, contractors and members of the public
- safety, security and welfare- the main intention of good event management is ensuring your audience is safe, secure and looked after
- crowd management – for events that attract large crowds, managing crowds is key, ensuring there are good ingress, circulation areas, egress and evacuation routes
- site plan – to include location, infrastructure, information on access, circulation and exits, blue (emergency vehicle) routes and evacuation points
- event spaces – these can be described or drawn, and should include usage and purpose, infrastructure present, staffing and topography
- timings - to include event start, timeslots, event announcements and curfews
- risk assessment – as well as a written document, a risk assessment should also be an ongoing analysis before, during and after the event
- contingency plan – this is the ‘what if’, section. It should be based on any major risks identified, and include how to communicate with the emergency services, command and control
For help with writing your event plan, you can download the event plan template (pdf).