Legal considerations when planning events
You have booked the speaker, hired a room, hired a team of volunteers, and prepared a marketing plan. If that wasn’t enough, you also need to make sure your event doesn’t breach various legal issues. The exact legal requirements of the event vary from place to place and the rules that apply depend on the type of event. The list below points out the main issues to think about, but you should also check with the administrator of the organization (s) involved in your event. If you are unsure about any of these items, you can discuss them with your niche, as they must have experience with them.
Local license
If you are going to invite the public to see a play, watch a movie, listen to live or recorded music, or something similar, you must do it in places that have the corresponding license. The license will determine exactly what activities are allowed and between what hours. Don’t assume you can have a concert past 11pm without checking that the license allows it. If the venue doesn’t have the correct license, you can get what’s called a Temporary Event Notice, which is effectively a short-term license. For more information, contact your local council.
Serving alcohol
The sale or supply of alcohol is also regulated by the establishment license. Not only do you need to have the correct license agreement, you also need to ensure that someone present is a personal licensee. The penalties for breaking the rules on the supply of alcohol can be very severe, so be very careful in this area.
Health and safety requirements
It is essential to understand who is responsible for health and safety matters and to perform the correct risk assessments.
The site will be responsible for facility-related health and safety, such as tripping hazards from worn flooring or emergency evacuation. But event organizers take responsibility for event equipment, such as tripping hazards from loudspeaker power cords or other equipment brought to the venue.
You will need to conduct risk assessments and document them. Think about what kinds of things could go wrong and the possible results.
Public liability insurance
You need to have liability insurance for your event. What happens if an older visitor to your event slips in the parking lot and breaks his leg? Or if a team falls on someone and hurts them? These things happen, so you must have the proper insurance. Contact your place to see what is covered by your insurance and what is not.
Noise levels
You’ll generally only have volume issues if your event features a particularly loud band or is taking place late at night. Some facilities are subject to noise reduction orders, which means that they are legally required to measure noise and keep it below a certain level. Other locals need to give due care and attention to their neighbors.
Access disabled.
All newer premises must provide full access and facilities for the disabled, but older premises do not. Event organizers do not have to guarantee access for disabled people, but it is good practice to do so whenever possible. Where this is not possible, advertising should point this out.
Food hygiene
If you are serving food to the public, it must have been prepared and stored in accordance with food hygiene regulations. Someone with a food hygiene certificate must take responsibility for the management of the catering service. Premises that are routinely used for food preparation are inspected by the city council from time to time.
Parking lot
If you are planning an important event and hope to have enough space to park your car, it is advisable that you speak with the Police about what other arrangements might be possible. If you need to keep curbs clear on certain roads, you can hire Police traffic cones for this purpose.
Child protection
Your organization must have a Child Protection Policy and your event must comply with it. If not, or if it is a privately organized function, you should be aware of child protection issues. At a minimum, any volunteer working with children must have had a Criminal Records Office (CRB) check.
