How to get your Nightclub ready for Freshers Week
Every year, millions of 18 year olds begin their first week at university. Many of them are eager to start their nightlife experience; UCAS recommends a £350 budget for students just to properly experience Freshers Week. Nightclubs need to be ready for Freshers Week, a period that’s key to setting up your venue as the place to go for the rest of the school year.
Improving nightclub profitability and making the most of Freshers week is all the more crucial considering the current outlook for the sector. The 2025 Night Time Economy Monitor from the NTIA revealed that a quarter of all late-night venues have shut their doors since 2020. A total of nearly 800 businesses disappearing, only 2424 late night venues still operate. Never before has preparation for Freshers week, the sector’s biggest week in the commercial year, been so crucial. Any incident and business interruption could be disastrous.
So – alongside recruiting reps to offer marketing materials on campus, and adopting promotional tools for both physical and digital advertising – nightclubs and bars need to employ effective risk management tools and procedures. Assessing your venue and improving your business’s risk aversion is key to avoiding claims and reducing issues throughout the year. It is essential for businesses to document their risk management measures, proving they’ve done their due diligence in the event of a claim.
Nightclubs, bars and nightlife businesses need to think about what may cause harm to staff and customers and also their property. The key framework involves audience profiling, installing signage, managing crowd safety, security, fire safety, first aid kits, PAT tests, noise risks and asbestos. Many of these concerns involve a separate risk assessment – however in preparation for Freshers there are a few procedural changes which can be immediately implemented that would prove beneficial for your club.
Nightclub Risks to identify before Freshers Week
Crowd Safety and Overcrowding
Determining the number of people within your venue at all times is essential to avoid overcrowding. Tally counters which don’t require batteries are ideal and can help manage capacity. Effective crowd safety should involve barrier placement at the entrance, exit and smoking areas; as well as clear signage for exits, toilets and bars. Identify areas where there will be bottlenecks, such as in corridors or at the bar – and look at solutions. Perhaps strategically place members of staff to help move people along. Don’t allow customers to loiter or obstruct entrances when they are perhaps waiting for friends.
Crushes are a very real safety risk that needs to be managed. Anti-social behaviour inside your venues such as pushing or grouping needs to be handled. With entertainment on stage, keep an eye on the front of the crowd for any customers finding themselves in difficulty. The reputational damage following injury resulting from a crush is severe and can pose a serious risk of business closure.
Risk Management Training for Nightclubs
Ensure your staff understand their responsibilities and let them know the most likely risks that need spotting and stopping. Staff should each be able to perform hazard identification, risk mitigation actions and emergency procedures. These will differ depending on the placement of staff, from bar staff to lighting teams to security.
Business leaders should note down the best practices that they have taught their employees during the training. From fire safety to first aid procedures, all new employees should be given an appropriate initial training period. In the nightclub sector in particular, training is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process. Keep on top of emerging risks, such as the risk of drug use or violence or theft, and let your employees know who to contact should they witness these situations.
Reducing falls, slips or injuries at nightclubs
Nightclubs should take measures to proactively defend against the likelihood of slips and trips. Spotting when drinks are spilled and having equipment on hand to clean up is key. Place signage to inform of temporary slip hazards as well as informing customers to report any spillages. Consider reviewing and improving the lighting to help reduce the likelihood of trips and injuries.
Ultimately spotting when customers have had too much to drink will help to reduce incidents, including falls, property damage and disputes. Review any uneven surfaces present on your premises and rectify if possible. Cables or obstructions need to be kept clear of pathways. Wherever possible, avoid customer accessible areas, but if it’s unavoidable then cover cables and ensure they are fixed in place.
If anyone falls or injures themselves, it’s imperative that staff members complete and incident report. This should detail the location, time, cause, and contact details of any witnesses. CCTV can then be reviewed to discover exactly how the incident happened.
Check your Nightclub CCTV is operational
It is mandatory, as per the liability cover provided by insurers, that nightclubs and bars have CCTV surveillance present at all hours of the day. Insurers may differ on which areas of the premises need to be covered by CCTV.
Double check the suitability of your CCTV – there may be areas such as the queue, bottlenecks, corridors or entrances which need improved coverage to protect against busy periods.
Many CCTV systems wipe their stored footage after 30 days on default, yet some insurance policies require a longer period of 60 days of footage to be kept. Hence nightclub operators should check their policy wording carefully and understand their obligations.
Protect equipment from theft or damage
Assess all equipment at your venue and identify risks – be it risk to your customers, staff or to the equipment breaking. Ensure scheduled maintenance of equipment is up to date, which will reduce the cost of repairs in the long run. PAT test your electrical equipment, ensuring they are safe to use, preventing the risk of electrical shocks or fires. Review wall plug sockets for damage and check they work.
Update any equipment before the Freshers period that is outdated or old to ensure there are no interruptions. Check any loose equipment such as remote controls, speakers, musical instruments; or bar equipment such as shot jiggers, glasses, ash trays or bottle openers; as these will be prone to theft from young customers.
Stock increase and Cash Increase on-site
For popular events such as Freshers week, consider increasing your drinks stock and cash on site. This should improve the experience for bar staff, help to speed up serving at the bar and reduce crowding or grouping.
Fire Safety for nightclubs
Business owners should double check their fire safety functions ahead of Freshers week. Functions include fire extinguishers, fire detection systems and sprinklers. Fire safety systems need to be regularly checked, the recommendation is every six weeks.
Common fire risks include improperly disposed smoking materials, and also arson. Rubbish disposal locations need to be closely monitored. Ensure all your staff know the smoking policy and are actively enforcing and obeying it.
Business leaders need to assess fire safety drills, such as their emergency plan and escape procedure. Fire drills should be carried out regularly to ensure employees understand their obligations, being mindful of potential customers with disabilities. Document all your fire safety implementations and reviews.
Emergency procedures and first aid
Create an emergency plan, which should include drawings of the layout of the venue to review easy access for emergency workers. First aid kits need to be available, and businesses should have a number of staff members who are first aid trained. Train staff to identify customers or fellow staff members who could be having an emergency.
Nightclub emergency plans need to include evacuation procedures, emergency services phone numbers, management contact details and staff registers. Secure your entryways and also on-site cash. Manage access to keys and inform staff not to duplicate keys. By taking the right precautions and proactive measures, business operators can minimize the risk and also hopefully the damage. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice on buildings an effective emergency plan.
Employment Law Services for Nightclubs
Before the important Freshers season, nightclubs should look at reviewing and tightening their employee contracts. Ensure all employees are settled, trained and ready for work, as to not disrupt the busy period. Before the Freshers period is a good time to review and familiarise yourself with your business’s discipline and discrimination procedures. Sickness and absence procedures should be understood by all management teams and staff.
At NDML, we provide a HR Plus package which includes access to our partners, Sentient. Sentient are HR and employment law experts, allowing nightclubs and bars to outsource their HR services. We will provide templates, emails, documentation and guidance on difficult employment situations. 24 hour access to a dedicated phone line could be the difference-maker in times of need for nightclub operators.
