Any advertising you see for a nightclub focuses on a fun experience for the guests. Music, drinks, food, and ambiance all play into what your guests will expect from your club. Before you can have a good time, though, you need to focus in on safety issues. Crowded venues and alcoholic beverages can combine to cause fights and injuries to patrons and employees alike. Learning to think and plan like a nightclub security expert can go a long way toward mitigating some of the dangers lurking in your club.
Condition of the Club
One basic concern to address is the physical condition of your club. Problems can arise outside if you do not have good lighting in place. Keep the sidewalks and parking areas both well-lit and free of damage. An injury outside can ruin someone’s night, and can damage your club’s reputation. Before people come inside and when they are ready to leave, they should feel both safe and seen.
Staff Presence
Your staff on site should provide a sense of security as well. Any nightclub security expert will tell you that both quantity and quality matter here. You should have enough security personnel on site to let people know you will keep things under control. They should be trained not just to restrain or remove unruly guests, but to defuse tensions and de-escalate arguments. When tempers flare inside, you do better in terms of both atmosphere and finances by calming people down than by kicking people out.
Manage Your Crowds
A large crowd in your nightclub can be both a strength and a weakness. You want to get a large number of guests; you don’t make as much money in a sparse venue. Still, having too many people packed in too tightly can be a recipe for disaster. To help reduce some of your risk here, you should keep track of the maximum capacity, and make sure you are not letting more in at one time than you can safely hold. Make sure you are also set up with room for traffic in the club to flow from the entrance into the club, from the main areas to the restrooms, and then back outside at the end of the night.
Keep Track of Alcohol Consumption
Serving drinks in your club is important. It helps people loosen up and enjoy the evening. At the same time, you need to train your bartenders and your security team to watch for signs of trouble. You may not like the idea of refusing drinks for someone, but serving an already drunk patron will lead to fights and falls, either of which creates problems in your nightclub. Depending on where you live, you may also face legal liability if someone leaves your club intoxicated and causes an accident on the road. You want everyone to relax and have fun, but you need to be cautious in managing the bar.
Equipment Issues
Any equipment you have in the nightclub should be both up to date and out of the way. Live bands can be great for your atmosphere, but you need them set up in a way that does not leave cords lying in walkways or on the dance floor. Any sound or electrical equipment needs to be checked to ensure it is in safe condition and does not create dangers for your patrons. By keeping on top of these details, you keep your guests safe and make your club a better place for everyone.
Security in your club is about much more than bouncers and cameras. A nightclub security expert can help you identify some of the little things that most guests will never even notice. If you take care of the club and have your team trained correctly, you can avoid many problems that nightclub owners face every day.