Staffing is the line item where new organisers most often guess. Too few people and the event grinds, too many and the budget bleeds. The right answer is not a flat ratio, it is a function of capacity, layout, alcohol, and how complex your check-in is. This guide walks through the staffing decisions that make the difference.
The roles you actually need
Most events run on six core role types, regardless of size. Bigger events add layers, smaller events combine them, but the work itself is the same:
Event manager. One person with the radio, the supplier list, and the authority to make decisions. Not on the door, not on the bar. They walk and watch.
Door staff and check-in. Greeting attendees, scanning tickets, handling queue flow. Separate from licensed door supervisors, who are a regulated role.
Licensed door supervisors (SIA). Required by law for many events serving alcohol or with a public entertainment licence. Their badge number is checked at audit, and your licence depends on having the right number for your capacity.
Bar staff. If the venue does not provide them, you do. Plan for service speed, not just headcount. A two-deep queue at midnight ruins a night.
Front of house and information. The people who answer "where are the toilets" 800 times. Often combined with door or stewarding for smaller events.
Stage / production crew. If there is live performance, you need at least one runner, one stage manager, and an audio engineer, even for a single act.
Ratios that work
The shortest honest answer is "it depends", but useful starting ratios for a typical mid-size UK event:
Door scanning: one scanner per 200 attendees expected in the first hour. Three scanners doing 200 each is faster than one scanner doing 600.
SIA-licensed staff: this is set by your premises licence and your own risk assessment. A common starting ratio is one SIA per 100 attendees with adjustments for late-night, alcohol, and crowd profile. Your venue or licensing officer will have a documented number, follow that.
Bar: one bartender per 50 to 75 attendees in active drinking time. If you are running a fast cocktail menu, bring that down to 1-per-40. If you are pouring beer and wine only, you can stretch to 1-per-100.
Stewarding and floor: one steward per 100 attendees as a baseline. More if your layout has multiple rooms, outdoor areas, or anywhere a queue can form unsupervised.
Casual staff versus regular staff
Most one-off events run on casual staff hired for the day or weekend. Casual staff are usually sourced through events agencies (covers London and the major cities well), local hospitality networks, university students, or your own contact list.
Agency staff cost more per hour but turn up reliably and have experience. Direct-hired casual staff cost less but require more management, and you carry the no-show risk yourself. For a first event, the agency route is usually the right answer. By your fifth event, you will have a list of names you can call directly.
For SIA-licensed roles, always go through a registered agency unless you personally know and trust the individual supervisors. The badge alone is not a guarantee of someone you want at your door.
Briefing matters more than recruiting
An event runs well not because the staff are great, but because they were briefed. A 20-minute briefing on arrival, with a one-page printed sheet covering site map, key contacts, what to do in a medical incident, what to do if a fire alarm goes, and where to find the event manager, will outperform any amount of "experienced" staff who turn up cold.
Cover the small stuff: are guests allowed back in if they leave; what is the wristband policy; where are the toilets, the cloakroom, the bar, the smoking area; what to do with lost property; what happens at the end of the night. Most attendee questions are answered by the same five points, so make sure every staff member knows them.
Build a staff schedule with hand-overs
For events longer than four hours, schedule staff in shifts, not for the full day. People get sharper after a 30-minute break. Build in a 15-minute hand-over between shifts so the next person knows what is happening, what has gone wrong, and which guest is on their second warning.
Pay matters: pay above the casual market rate for the role and you will see better people, fewer no-shows, and a better mood at 11pm. Trying to save 10% on staffing costs is the single most common false economy in events.
One thing that buys back hours
If you are running a ticketed event, use a ticketing platform with a fast scanner app. Door check-in time falls dramatically when staff can scan with a phone instead of looking up names on a printed list. Some platforms (tickts among them) have offline-capable scanner apps that work even when the venue Wi-Fi gives up. Worth checking your provider supports it before you finalise your door staffing plan.