How Much Should You Budget for Event Security?

Planning an event budget likely isn’t among your favourite things to do, but we can assure you that allocating a budget for your security needs won’t be the most difficult part.

Whether you’re planning a corporate holiday party, grand opening, concert, conference, or something else entirely, Blackbird Security has your security needs covered, including understanding just how much you should budget for your event security.

Factors that Contribute to Event Security Costs

There are several factors to consider when planning your event security needs:

Type of Event

The type of event will determine the level of security service required and in turn the costs. If the type of event you are planning inherently has more risk associated, it will typically require more security personnel or more specialized guards, thus increasing the budget. For example, there is a difference in the requirements of a guard that is stationed at the entrance of your holiday party to welcome and monitor guests, and a guard who is providing crowd control for screaming fans at a concert, or protecting VIP talent. 

Time

Ensure you are clear on the start time and end time of your event to account for all the labour hours you will need to fulfill. This includes identifying if event security will be required on-site to support before attendees arrive, or when it has ended to support locking the venue. 

At Blackbird Security, we highly recommend building out an event schedule that will maximize the use of security services during your event window, without hiring more guards. For example, our team may suggest combining the role of guards that are greeting guests, opening doors and tracking capacity with a clicker. This allows you to hire a single security team member for a part of your event venue, versus two or three.

Venue

The layout of the venue can have a huge impact on the size of your budget. A larger venue with multiple points of entry or areas of interest for event attendees is generally considered a higher risk and may require more crowd control. As a result, it will often require more security staff, and in turn a larger budget. However, a small venue with a limited flow of traffic will require fewer personnel and usually a smaller budget. 

The experts at Blackbird will familiarize themselves with your venue and determine the number of security personnel needed to minimize potential risks during your event while keeping your budget top of mind. 

Location

As with any service you hire out, location can affect the cost and sometimes your ability to hire event security. Some companies are not equipped to support in more rural locations, and others may be too costly for your chosen venue location. 

Blackbird security provides professional event security services across Canada in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba, and our experts are ready and able to support at most event locations. 

Optimize Your Security Budget

Whether your event is indoors or outdoors, large or small, our event security team has the training and expertise to ensure it succeeds. 

Blackbird security experts are well-versed in helping clients plan events that optimize their security services. We’ll work with you to determine the type of security that best fits your event while minimizing risk and remaining within budget. 

Optimize your budget and consider Blackbird Security partners for your next event.