A cloakroom might seem like a minor detail in the context of running an event, but it has an outsized impact on audience experience. At a winter music event, attendees arrive in heavy coats that they do not want to carry all night. At a festival, people bring bags with essentials they do not want to take into the arena. Without a cloakroom, they are uncomfortable, they take up more space in the crowd, and they worry about losing their belongings.
A well-run cloakroom solves all of this. Here is how to set one up.
Deciding whether you need a cloakroom
Not every event needs a cloakroom, but many more events would benefit from one than currently offer it. Consider a cloakroom if:
- Your event is in autumn, winter, or early spring when attendees arrive in coats
- Your event involves standing, dancing, or physical activity where bags are a nuisance
- Your venue does not have natural storage points (like tables with space underneath at a seated dinner)
- You have a bag policy that restricts what can be brought into the main event area
- Your event runs for several hours and people may bring items they do not need throughout
Even at summer outdoor events, a baggage store is useful. People arrive with camping chairs, blankets, and bags that they want to stash once they find their spot.
Location and layout
Position the cloakroom near the main entrance, after the ticket scanning point but before the main event space. This catches people on the way in. The location should be easy to find, well signed, and accessible without going through the main crowd.
Your cloakroom space needs:
- A counter -- Where items are handed over and collected. The counter should separate the public from the storage area for security
- Storage space -- Rails for hanging coats and shelving or floor space for bags. Calculate space based on expected uptake. A typical coat on a hanger takes about 10cm of rail space. For 500 coats, you need roughly 50 metres of rail
- Organisation system -- A numbered system that allows staff to find items quickly. The most common approach is numbered ticket stubs (one given to the customer, one attached to the item) with items arranged in numerical order on rails or shelves
- Lighting -- Staff need to read ticket numbers and find items quickly. Good lighting is essential, especially for evening events
- Security -- The cloakroom stores people's valuables. The storage area must be secure, with controlled access. Only cloakroom staff should enter the storage area
Ticketing and tracking
The most common system uses numbered two-part tickets. The customer receives one half (the claim ticket) and the other half is attached to their item. When they return, they present their claim ticket, the staff matches the number, and returns the item.
This system is simple, reliable, and requires no technology. However, it has limitations: lost claim tickets cause delays, and there is no audit trail if a dispute arises.
Digital cloakroom systems are available for larger events. These typically use QR codes or NFC wristbands linked to a database. The customer's event ticket or wristband acts as their cloakroom claim, eliminating separate paper tickets. Digital systems are faster, provide better tracking, and reduce disputes, but they have a setup cost and require reliable connectivity.
Pricing
Cloakroom services are typically charged at £1 to £3 per item. This covers the cost of staffing and equipment and can generate meaningful revenue at high-volume events. A 2,000-person event where 60% of attendees use the cloakroom at £2 per item generates £2,400.
Some events offer the cloakroom as a free service, treating it as part of the overall experience rather than a revenue stream. This is more common at corporate events and conferences where the ticket price is high enough to absorb the cost.
If charging, make the payment process fast. Cash is quickest for small amounts. Card payment at the cloakroom counter creates delays. Some events sell cloakroom tokens in advance with the event ticket, eliminating the payment step entirely at the cloakroom itself.
Staffing
Cloakroom staffing needs mirror the entry and exit patterns of your event. You need maximum staff at the start (when everyone arrives and deposits items) and at the end (when everyone collects). During the event, you can reduce to a skeleton crew for any mid-event drop-offs or collections.
For a 1,000-person event with a busy cloakroom:
- Opening peak -- 4 to 6 staff (2 to 3 taking items, 2 to 3 storing them)
- Mid-event -- 1 to 2 staff
- Closing peak -- 6 to 8 staff (collection is slower than deposit because staff need to locate each specific item)
Staff should be honest, trustworthy, and calm under pressure. The closing rush can be intense, with hundreds of people wanting their coats immediately after the final act. A panicked cloakroom team slows everything down. Brief staff to stay methodical: one ticket at a time, check the number, find the item, hand it over.
Managing the closing rush
The end-of-event cloakroom queue is the biggest operational challenge. Everyone wants their items at the same time, and many have been drinking. Strategies to manage this:
- Multiple collection points -- If space allows, open more than one collection window during peak times
- Queue management -- Use barriers to create an orderly queue rather than a scrum at the counter
- Communication -- If the queue is long, have a staff member at the back of the queue managing expectations: "Current wait is approximately 10 minutes"
- Early collection option -- Allow people to collect items before the event ends. Some will take advantage of this, reducing the final rush
- Efficient storage layout -- The faster staff can find items, the shorter the queue moves. If items are stored in strict numerical order, retrieval is quick. If items are jumbled, every retrieval takes minutes instead of seconds
Handling problems
- Lost claim tickets -- Have a process for this. Ask the customer to describe the item and provide identification. Some cloakrooms require a lost-ticket fee. Whatever your policy, decide it in advance
- Disputes -- Occasionally someone claims an item that does not match their ticket, or two people present tickets with the same number (which suggests counterfeit tickets). Have a supervisor available to resolve these calmly
- Unclaimed items -- After the event, you will be left with items nobody collected. Store these securely and have a process for people to reclaim them (an email address or phone number posted at the venue). Unclaimed items should be kept for a reasonable period before disposal
- Prohibited items -- Your cloakroom staff may encounter items that are not permitted at the event (bottles of alcohol, for instance). Brief them on what to accept and what to refuse
A good cloakroom is one of those services that makes your audience's evening noticeably better without them thinking much about it. They arrive, they hand over their coat, they enjoy the event unencumbered, they collect their coat at the end, and they go home happy. That smooth experience reflects well on your entire event operation.
