Stewards and security often look alike at an event, but they do different work. Stewarding service keeps the programme running smoothly and safely: tickets, navigation, sectors, cloakrooms. Security protects people and property and is a licensed activity that only a licence holder may perform. For an organiser, the difference matters mainly for budget and responsibility.
What a stewarding service does
- checking tickets and accreditations at entrances,
- guiding visitors, information and orientation around the site,
- supervising sectors, the auditorium, cloakrooms and parking,
- keeping the regime of areas where the public does not belong,
- first contact with visitors and early reporting of problems.
A steward has no special powers beyond those of an ordinary citizen. They rely on the visitor rules of the event; the glossary entry powers of a stewarding service.
What security does
- protecting people and property, handling risk situations,
- entrance security checks and conflict resolution,
- protecting backstage, VIP zones and valuable equipment,
- working with police, medics and firefighters during incidents.
Guarding property and people is a licensed trade with staff qualification requirements. At larger events it is led by an event commander, who coordinates the security team and its link to the stewards.
The main differences in practice
- Purpose: stewards handle the flow of the programme, security handles safety.
- Powers: members of the stewarding team act under the event rules and general law; protecting people and property as a security service is a licensed activity.
- Conflicts: a steward hands conflict situations to the security team, not the other way round.
- Price: the budget should reflect the actual roles and risks; stewarding cannot replace duties that belong to licensed security simply to reduce the price.
How many stewards must an event have?
The law does not set an exact number. It follows from the event capacity, programme type, number of entrances and local by-law requirements; for larger events the number is consulted with the city and the police. In practice, staffing is set by entrances, sectors and risk spots, not as a flat rate per attendance.
When stewards are enough and when you need security
Smaller cultural events, balls or corporate programmes can often be handled by a stewarding service supported by a few security staff at risk spots. Concerts, festivals and sports events with emotions in the stands need a combination: stewards for the operation and event security for entrance checks, backstage and incident handling. In Brno and the surrounding area we combine both services on the event security page.
If you are not sure about the ratio of roles, send the date, venue and expected attendance through the contact form; we will return a team breakdown with an explanation of why it is built that way.
