Martyn’s Law: what this means for venues and organisers
With the roll out of Martyn’s Law (Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025) over the next year and a half, Sean Spencer, Head of IET Venues, explains what practical steps venues and event organisers can be taking now to minimise risk and help ensure everyone is protected.
What is Martyn’s Law?
Martyn’s Law is designed to keep people safe at public events and venues. Specifically, it will “improve protective security and organisational preparedness across the UK by requiring that those responsible for certain premises and events consider how they would respond to a terrorist attack.” Once the law comes into effect in 2027, venues will have a duty to carry out risk assessments, submit these to a new regulator (the Security Industry Authority, or SIA), and appoint trained people to oversee compliance.
What are the common risks planners overlook when booking a venue?
Planners need to understand the demographics of their delegates and take allergens into account to safely plan the menu. Accessibility requirements should also be considered so everyone can move around the space comfortably. Room capacity should accommodate caterers, performers, film crews and other attendees - not just delegates and exhibitors.
What types of insurance should planners have before working with your venue?
Both commercial and private events must have their own insurance. Public Liability Insurance for up to £10m is our requirement – some have this within their annual company insurance, whilst a private booking may need to take out a single- or multiple-event insurance policy. Always check your own Employer Liability Insurance cover, and make sure your external contractors have the necessary insurance in place too.
What are the main security risks at events, and how do you mitigate them?
Everyone has a part to play in keeping events safe. Our teams are trained through programmes like Action Counters Terrorism (ACT), See, Check and Notify (SCaN), and other government-approved counter-terrorism training programmes. These help staff spot suspicious behaviour, unattended bags, or vehicles parked where they shouldn’t be, for example.
Strong event security can also be supported by clear identification of delegates and staff, and contractors being registered on arrival and within your event set-up, as well as wearing lanyards and uniforms. Venues may also use measures such as pass keys for organisers, supervised cloakrooms, secure backstage areas, CCTV at entrances and exits, alarmed fire doors, building-wide PA systems, and radios for key staff and contractors.
How do you recommend organisers brief attendees on emergency procedures?
For smaller events, the event manager should explain emergency procedures. For larger events, in auditoriums for example, the venue should provide a thorough pre-event briefing with the organiser. This should establish whether the organiser will explain emergency procedures, or whether a member of the venue team will.
When should planners hire additional security?
We recommend there should be at least one client event professional for every 50 delegates. There are various levels of additional support available from SIA-licensed staff, which may include measures such as bag searches or restricting access to certain floors or rooms. We can assist clients with booking these; however, clients should also take responsibility for crowd management by considering the profile of their attendees, and whether their subject matter or keynotes are likely to attract protestors.
Please note: this guidance is based on the size of our venue and does not apply to arenas or large exhibition centres, which may have different requirements.
Security checklist
- Confirm insurance
- Consider accessibility requirements
- Confirm food allergens amongst invited guests
- Ensure venue staff have completed ACT and SCaN training
- Review Martyn’s Law compliance requirements
- Assess need for additional SIA-licensed security
- Share emergency procedures with attendees
