Why Every Activation Needs a Safety Plan
Any event with public attendance, temporary structures, open flame, pyrotechnics, food service, or alcohol requires a documented safety plan. Many municipalities and venues require this as a condition of permitting. Even when not legally required, having a plan protects the agency, the client, and the attendees.
Core Components of an Event Safety Plan
1. Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
- Emergency contacts: Local fire, police, EMS, nearest hospital (with address and drive time)
- On-site medical: Determine if EMTs, paramedics, or a medical tent are required based on crowd size and activity risk
- Evacuation routes: Clearly marked, ADA-compliant, communicated to all staff during briefing
- Rally points: Designated assembly areas post-evacuation
- Chain of command: Who makes the call to evacuate? Typically the Senior Producer or Event Director
2. Fire Safety
- Fire extinguishers: minimum 1 per 3,000 sq ft, plus 1 within 10 ft of any cooking/heating element
- Flame-retardant certification for all draping, tenting, and soft goods (keep FR certificates on-site)
- No blocked exits — ever. Minimum 44" clear width for egress paths
- Fire marshal walk-through: schedule before doors open, have all permits and FR certs ready
- Pyrotechnics/open flame: requires separate fire permit, licensed operator, and fire watch
3. Crowd Management
- Capacity limits: Know your venue capacity and have a plan to enforce it (clickers, wristbands, digital count)
- Ingress/egress flow: Separate entry and exit when possible, avoid bottlenecks
- Security staffing ratios: General guideline is 1 security per 100 attendees for low-risk events, 1:50 for high-energy/alcohol events
- Barricade plan: Bike rack, stanchion, or hard barricade depending on crowd density and risk
4. Weather Contingency
- Monitor weather starting 72 hours out, hourly on event day
- Lightning protocol: if lightning detected within 8 miles, pause outdoor activities and move to shelter
- Wind thresholds: most temporary structures rated for 25-35 mph sustained; know your tent specs
- Heat protocol: provide shade, water stations, misting fans when temps exceed 85°F
- Rain plan: drainage, non-slip surfaces, covered pathways, waterproof signage
5. Incident Reporting
- Document any incident (injury, property damage, security issue) within 1 hour
- Include: date/time, location, persons involved, description, witnesses, photos, actions taken
- Report to client and internal leadership same day
- Retain incident reports for minimum 3 years
Insurance Requirements
Standard Coverage for Experiential
- General Liability: Minimum $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate (most venues and clients require this)
- Workers' Comp: Required in all 50 states for W2 employees; verify freelancer coverage
- Auto Liability: If renting vehicles or using company vehicles on-site
- Umbrella/Excess: $5M+ for large-scale activations or high-profile clients
- Property/Inland Marine: For rented or owned equipment in transit and on-site
Certificate of Insurance (COI)
- Most venues require a COI naming them as Additional Insured — request this from your broker 2+ weeks before the event
- Clients may also require being named as Additional Insured
- Keep digital and printed copies on-site
- See the Sample COI in the Templates Library for reference
On-Site Safety Briefing Checklist
Every event should start with a safety briefing for all staff. Cover:
- Emergency exits and evacuation routes
- Rally point location
- Medical station location and who is staffing it
- Fire extinguisher locations
- Weather contingency plan
- Incident reporting process (who to notify, how to document)
- Security team introduction and radio channel
- Any venue-specific rules or restrictions