Thinking a bit about security does not only help visitors and yourself directly but can also save you from rather inconvenient liabilities.

Demands

• The event team needs a place to store things like the cash box, computers, networking equipment, badges, and so on.
• Exhibitors need to leave their goods and equipment at the event location over night.
• Speaker might need to leave their equipment at the event location over night, e.g., if somebody needs two computers or a large computer, he would be glad if he didn't have to transport it back to the hotel in the evening and again to the event location next morning.
• Visitors might want to leave things at the event location for the next day.

Obviously, some of the things mentioned above are quite valuable. So you should consider the local situation:

• Who has access to which part of the building?
  • Visitors
  • Speakers
  • Exhibitors
  • Event team
  • Location staff
• Are there parts of the building that are off-limit to
  • Visitors
  • Speakers
  • Exhibitors
  • Event team
• Which rooms can be locked?
• If rooms can be locked, who has access to keys, code, or whatever?
  • Visitors
  • Speakers
  • Exhibitors
  • Event team
  • Location staff
• Do the rooms have windows?
• Is there some kind of alarm system?
• Is there any security personnel, dogs, spring guns, mines?

Depending on the above situation, you have to decide how to handle the demands. The result of that decision has to be communicated! This especially applies to your insurance and exhibitors, but—at least partially—also to speakers and visitors. Otherwise, you might be in for rather unpleasant experiences if something happens.

A very good solution:

• The (part of the) building is locked over night, and it is protected by an alarm system.
• The rooms are locked over night.
  • Locking is done either by exactly one member of the event team or a known member of the location staff.
  • If locking is done by an event team member, that member hands the keys over to a location staff member for the night and this process is documented.
  • Nobody else has access to the rooms over night, including cleaning staff.
• The event team can leave things in an own room that can be locked at daytime.
• Exhibitors can leave things in a seperate room that can also be locked at daytime, and the actual exhibition room is locked over night.
• Visitors are not allowed to leave things at the event location.

An acceptable solution:

• The part of the building can be accessed by all guest of the hostel.
• The rooms are locked over night.
  • Locking is done either by exactly one member of the event team or a known member of the location staff.
  • If locking is done by an event team member, that member hands the keys over to a location staff member for the night and this process is documented.
  • The cleaning staff has access to the rooms.
• The event team can leave things in an own room that either can be locked at daytime or can be constantly supervised by the registration desk / info desk staff.
• Exhibitors can leave things in the exhibition room.
• Visitors are allowed to leave things in the user group room.
• Exhibition and user group can be the same.