Safety and Security

At Waterfront Hall, we remain committed to ensuring the safety and security of our team, clients and customers and pride ourselves on the safe delivery of events across our venues.

A range of procedures and checks are carried out to ensure our buildings, equipment, systems, team members and visitors are safe whilst working in our buildings and attending our events. These procedures and plans are monitored and reviewed frequently to ensure they are up-to-date, accurate, and fit for purpose. Our team also completes all necessary risk assessments for each event to ensure due care and consideration is given to each event in our venue.

We have a number of forums and platforms we engage with to ensure we are compliant and adhering to all relevant regulations and standards, and that we are coordinated across the different facets of the event operation. This ensures that as far as is reasonably practical, our events are planned and managed safely. We also engage with and participate in a number of working groups involving venues, council, emergency services and other key stakeholders to ensure we are working to best practice standards in the industry.

We continue to closely monitor the developments around ‘Martyn’s Law’, new laws to keep people safe will scale up preparedness for, and protection from, terrorist attacks. We will consider the recommendations and guidance as part of our ongoing emergency preparedness efforts.

Our venues are fitted with CCTV which is monitored and recorded for the safety of team members and visitors.

At our events, we have a team of dedicated and accredited security and stewarding staff who are highly trained and experienced in event security. We also engage event medical staff to provide different levels of medical support and care at our events.

We regularly hold emergency exercises with our teams and contractors. Running exercises allows us to test our building, knowledge and procedures, and to learn from any gaps so that we can consider them and make improvements across our operation where possible.

Everyone entering our venues is required to clear the security checks and customers are asked to arrive early to allow time for these checks to be completed. On entry, customers may be subject to a bag or personal search by a member of our security team and should be aware that withholding consent to such searches may result in entry being denied.

Ask for Angela

We are proud to join together with licensed venues and security staff across Northern Ireland to support the ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign. This is an initiative from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) enabling people who feel unsafe, vulnerable or threatened in a hospitality setting to discreetly ask for help. Information and training on the initiative is being rolled out to bars, clubs and other licensed businesses across Northern Ireland. 'Ask for Angela' is a support mechanism to inform and educate hospitality industry staff about customer welfare and vulnerability.

If you are visiting the venue and are feeling unsafe, vulnerable, or threatened you can discreetly seek help by approaching our staff and asking them for ‘Angela’. This code phrase will indicate to our members of staff that you require help and they will look to support and assist you. Support and assistance can include reuniting them with a friend, accompanying them to a taxi, or calling venue security and/or the police.

All venues that support ‘Ask for Angela’ have been given access to specific training packages, provided by the PSNI. This provides our staff with the ability to help customers who may be in a situation that makes them feel vulnerable or unsafe. The training explores what vulnerability is, how to identify it and the appropriate interventions to take.

For more information on the ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign visit PSNI.

Challenge 25

Our hospitality partner, Hospitality Belfast, operates ‘Challenge 25’ across the bars in our venues. This is a scheme that encourages anyone who is over 18 but looks under 25 to carry an acceptable ID when they want to buy alcohol.

In summary, here’s what you need to know if you are attending an event.

  • Arrive Early: We ask you to arrive with enough time to pass through security checks. We thank you for your courtesy and cooperation with our staff.
  • Have your ticket/e-ticket ready: Ticket scanning will be in place at our venues. Please have your ticket/e-ticket ready for inspection.
  • Large bags are not permitted into the venue: There are no cloakroom facilities available so please make alternative arrangements before arriving at the venue, we encourage you to bring bags which are no larger than a laptop bag.
  • Be vigilant: Please alert our security or stewarding team if you notice anything you feel uncomfortable with or wish to report. It’s better to be safe and report!