Alchohol Management

Hosting an event comes with inherent risks and serving alcohol can compound these. This guide is designed to help manage the risks

Shanelle Barrett avatar
Written by Shanelle Barrett
Updated over a week ago

Alcohol management is relative to what your policies are and whether you are providing alcohol to patrons, whether that be for sale or for free. 

If you are providing alcohol to patrons, it is your responsibility to provide an environment where alcohol is served responsibly.  It is important to ensure that the licensee and all event staff, such as managers, bar staff and security, meet their obligations under applicable legislation including any special license conditions and host responsibility requirements.

As an event that contains liquor, it is important to ensure that patrons are not encouraged to consume alcohol to excess and to put in place strategies designed to decrease the experience of alcohol-related harm associated with the supply and/or sale of alcohol.

It is a good idea to speak to people with experience in managing events with alcohol. Use their knowledge and don’t feel like you need to be the expert. They may have different ideas and thoughts on how to manage your venue. 

Policy considerations

  • What is the event policy regarding alcohol? Is it zero tolerance?

  • Who will the tolerance apply to? Staff, participants or both?

  • Will you have a separate policy for staff compared to participants?

If you have alcohol onsite

  • Will you be selling alcohol or is it being supplied free of charge?

  • Sell - you may have more control over how much people drink with the ability to monitor them when they come to bars to purchase 

  • Supply - how do you manage and monitor consumption of attendees (and back end stocktake)?

  • What are the local government permit/license requirements?

  • Will you have specific areas/zones for your event where alcohol can be consumed? How will these be segregated and managed?   

  • How will you identify who is legally allowed to consume?

  • What security will you have in place? 

  • What plans do you have for social unrest?

  • Do you have enough security personnel for the number of patrons?

  • Have the police been involved with the development of your plan?

  • What medical are on board?

  • What food will be onsite, are you able to accurately estimate quantity?

  • Will you have alternative drink options, such as free water?

  • What alternative transport options will there be post event?

  • What plans will you have in place for intoxicated patrons?

  • Site area/ dry zones/ support zones 

  • Medical onsite?

  • Emergency access into venue

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