Event entrance security in Dubai is determined by four decisions: the type of accreditation to be applied; the scope and extent of screening; the number of lanes; and the procedure to be followed when a guest is denied access. The latter four determine the former one, and the gate stops being the bottleneck. Most issues with entrances arise due to poor planning, not lack of personnel.
| At a glance
The entrance sets the tone for the whole event. It is the first security interaction every guest has, and the only one most of them will remember. Lane count is arithmetic, not guesswork. Expected arrivals divided by your arrival window divided by throughput per lane gives you the number. Screening depth should follow the risk assessment, not the venue next door. Over-screening a corporate dinner costs you the arrival experience for nothing. VIP, artist and staff entrances need separate plans. Running them through the main gate is where most schedules slip. Agree the refusal and re-entry policy in writing before doors open. Guards need a decision they can apply, not a judgement call at the barrier. |
What does event entrance security actually cover?
Event entrance security is comprised of a series of actions taken from the moment a guest reaches the premises until he or she reaches the event floor. These include accreditation and ticket control, screening of baggage and persons, prohibited items management, queuing and transferring incidents to internal security.
Venue crowd safety inside the venue is different from entrance security. Crowd safety deals with such parameters as density, sight lines and evacuation. They should work together, but crowd safety and entrance security are planned independently, and the entrance is the part which is planned the last. Our crowd safety recommendations for Dubai events can be found here.
Accreditation: who is allowed in, and how guards can tell
Every event requires an accreditation hierarchy that the guard can identify at the glance and in the dark. When the guard needs to examine a pass, the procedure fails.
| Pass type | Who holds it | What it should grant | Design note |
| General admission | Ticketed guests | Event floor and public areas only | Printed or scanned ticket, validated at the gate |
| VIP or hospitality | Hosted guests and sponsors | Event floor plus hospitality areas | Distinct colour, readable from two metres |
| Artist and talent | Performers and their teams | Stage, dressing rooms, their own access route | Separate colour, usually photo-bearing |
| Crew and production | Build, technical and catering teams | Back of house and service routes, often time-limited | Should show valid hours, not just zones |
| Contractor | Third party suppliers on site | Named areas only, escorted where appropriate | Issued against ID on arrival, returned on exit |
| Security and medical | Guards, first aid, venue staff | All areas | Should be the only all-areas pass in circulation |
There are two solutions which solve most of the accreditation issues. Minimize the number of passes which cover all areas of the event. Any pass must differ from any other pass in color and shape, not just by a few words on it.
Screening: matching depth to actual risk
The depth of the screening is determined by the threat level presented by the event itself. Awards banquet and grounds events are two different things that do not have to be screened equally; otherwise, the former gets no benefit from being screened as the latter does and wastes twenty minutes of each person’s time.
- Visual and Bag Check. Visual examination of the visitors to the venue and manual checking of the bags they carry. Fastest way to do the job, good for low-threat corporate or private events.
- Wand Screening. Wand metal detector screening accompanied by the bag check. A slow process that needs enough number of lanes to make up for the slowness.
- Walk-Through Detection. Walk-through metal detectors plus the secondary screening station. Most effective method per lane once installed, but takes up space, energy and people.
- Enhanced screening. Complete bag check and detection procedure.
At whatever depth level you decide to choose, make sure you familiarize yourself with the list of the banned items in advance, include it with the tickets and have somewhere to store the banned items for the guards.
How many lanes do you need?
This is math. There are three variables that will give you the answer.
- Total arrivals = Total number of attendees – those who are already there like staff and volunteers.
- Arrivals’ time period = Realistic period of time in which the people are going to arrive. If it is a timed event, the arrivals time period will be shorter than the organizers think and the last thirty minutes will see maximum number of arrivals.
- Throughput per lane = Guests per hour per lane at your screening depth.
Dividing the number of expected arrivals by the time in hours, and dividing by the number of people served by a single lane gives the number of lanes needed to serve arrivals within the required time. Also add a buffer because there is no such thing as an all-day working lane, and peaks are always larger than averages.
| The peak, not the average
A 2,000 guest event over a two-hour window averages 1,000 guests an hour. If half of them arrive in the last forty minutes, the real requirement is closer to 1,500 an hour. Plan lanes against the peak. Planning against the average is the most common cause of a queue that never recovers. |
VIP, artist and staff entrances
Individuals who cannot stand in queue have to have their own entry. Typically, this category includes VIPs and hosted guests, performers and their crew, and any staff arriving in the public period.
Separate entries means separate guard stations, separate accreditation check, and briefings, which is why organizers are always trying to do without them. And when they happen, the only thing left to hope for is that there won’t be a performer held up at the general admission checkpoint or a sponsor waiting behind the general admission line. And when a separate discreet entrance is used as well, both plans must be coordinated.
There is yet one more thing to clarify in advance – who from the organizers side can make exceptions at the checkpoint, and how the guards will contact this person. Because otherwise, each decision will cause a delay.
Refusals and re-entry
The guards need a procedure that works and decisions that do not require being made on the spot. There should be three decisions made prior to opening the doors.
- Criteria for rejection: The criteria for rejection, explained, and the individual or group that guests may be referred to in case of a difference of opinion.
- Re-admittance: If there is re-admittance, what qualifies as proof of re-admittance.
- Escalation: The individual the guard escalates to and the criteria for escalation to venue management/authorities.
These should be all mentioned in the event security plan and briefed in the shift start briefing at the gates. Security plans without proper communication of policy lack any policy.
The gate briefing
The last point in the process would be the shift start briefing. With just fifteen minutes before doors, each security guard at the gate should know the pass hierarchy and what each color pass entails, the level of search, the prohibited items list, the rejection policy, the re-admission policy, who to contact through what means, and where the amnesty box and the secondary screening station are located.
Landmark Security has been covering events in UAE from 2004 including concerts, private events, corporate and venue events. Our guards are composed of ex-veterans who have served both in military and police forces. We will brief our gate staff according to your event plan and not according to some pre-made templates. We will tell you that some lane numbers in your plan will be not enough at peak periods.
Frequently asked questions
What is event entrance security?
Event entrance security covers all activities between the moment when guest enters event grounds and he/she proceeds to the floor – accreditation and ticketing check, bag and personal searches, prohibited items management, queuing control and passing incidents to the internal security team.
How many security guards do I need at an event entrance?
Lanes are calculated according to the number of expected guests but not vice versa. The number of lanes should be determined by taking the expected arrival number divided by arrival window period and divided by the throughput per one lane, and then positions on the lanes should be assigned depending on the depth of the search process – that is usually a pass or ticket check, bag search and secondary search position.
How early should the gate team be briefed?
Fifteen minutes before doors as a pre-shift briefing concerning the pass hierarchy, the depth of the search process, prohibited items, refusal and re-entry policy, escalation process and the location of amnesty bin and secondary search position.
Do VIPs need a separate entrance?
All those who can not wait in queue should have separate entrance – that is all your invited guests, sponsors, performers and crews who arrive during the public window time. Each separate entrance should have a guard position and accreditation check.
What should the prohibited items list include?
Everything depends on the kind of event, the policy at the venue and the risk assessment. No matter what the situation is, make sure that it is included on the tickets, announced at the entrance and there should be an amnesty box available. The point here is that the dispute of entrance arises due to the list that the attendees see at the entrance for the very first time.
When should entrance planning start?
The moment when you know the number of attendees and the venue is clear, it helps to decide about the lanes to open and the power needed for the detectors too, so any late decision about it means sacrifice at least of one of the three mentioned aspects.
Planning an event entrance?
We just need your venue, number of attendees and your schedule, and we will figure out how many lanes to open and how many personnel should be allocated before you allocate your budget. Find out more about our event security services in Dubai or read about the Dubai event security legal checklist.
