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Salt Social People/Venue briefing checklist
Venue guide · The 48-hour brief

What to send your staffing agency48 hours before the event.

Agency staff are only as good as the brief they get. Send these details two days before, and the people who arrive will know your building, your menu and your running order before they walk in.

When to send it48 hours before
How long it takes20 minutes
Sections8
Who it helpsEveryone on shift
The checklist

Eight things to send, in this order.

Why 48 hours

Enough time to ask questions, not enough time to forget.

Two days gives an agency time to read the brief, ask anything that is missing, and pass it on to every person on the shift while they still have time to read it properly. Send it a week early and the details change. Send it the morning of the event and nobody reads it.

We brief everyone twice: once in writing 48 hours before, with everything above, and again on the day by phone. If your details change after the first brief, tell your account manager and it goes into the second one.

What to leave out

Keep it to what staff need.

A good brief is short. Staff do not need your contract with the client, the full supplier list or the budget. They need to know where to go, who to ask, what is being served, and when they can go home. If a document runs past two pages, put the running order and the allergens first.

For team sizes, see the staffing ratio guide and the bar staff ratio guide.

Questions

Straight answers.

What should a venue send an event staffing agency?

Arrival details, on-site contacts, the running order and finish time, the menu and allergens, the bar details and licensing rules, a floor plan, safety information, and uniform, breaks and transport notes.

When should I send the staff brief?

About 48 hours before the event. That gives the agency time to ask questions and brief each person properly.

Do agency staff need to know about allergens?

Yes. Send the menu and allergen information, name the guests or tables with requirements, and say who in the kitchen confirms allergen questions on the night.

Who is responsible for licensing rules at the bar?

The venue's premises licence and designated premises supervisor set the rules. Tell agency staff your age check policy and who the personal licence holder on duty is.

What if the details change after I send the brief?

Tell the agency straight away. We brief our people again on the day, so late changes go into that second briefing.

Related

Plan the rest of the event.

See the whole rate card and the instant estimate, or start a full quote. Looking for shifts yourself? Work with us.

Free: the Christmas staffing checklist for venues.

When to book, team ratios and what to brief, as a printable PDF.

One email with the PDF. No newsletter unless you ask. Unsubscribe any time.

Opening your PDF.

If it did not open, download it here.

Get a quote

Tell us the brief. We reply within 60 minutes.

Quick quote in 30 seconds.

Four questions. A person replies with a written quote within 60 minutes, 8am to 8pm.

Prefer to talk? 07414 494637 or WhatsApp us. Nothing here commits you to anything.

Got it. Quote on its way.

We will reply within 60 minutes between 8am and 8pm, or first thing tomorrow. Want it faster? Message us on WhatsApp.

WhatsApp us
Or give us the full brief below

Staff enquiry

Build the team you need, role by role. The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote. Nothing here commits you to anything.
1About you
2The event
3Dates and times
4Your team
Core£25/hr
Bar staff
Waiting staff
Runners
Kitchen porters
Event crew / stewards
Cloakroom / admissions
Skilled£28/hr
Cocktail bartenders
Baristas
Fine-dining waiters
Hosts
Brand ambassadors
Team leaders
Lead£34/hr
Supervisors / event managers
Chefs de partie
Senior chef£40/hr
Sous chefs
Head chefs
Priced on requestquoted
Drivers
Anything elsequoted
Team: 0 people
5Requirements
6Budget and paperwork
7Anything else
Or email hello@salt-social.co.uk

What happens next

Your brief lands with Tasmyn or Liam, not a queue. A written quote within 60 minutes (8am to 8pm) and a call if anything needs clarifying. A named mobile is given to every client at booking.

Compliance in one place

Every person paid through our PAYE payroll, so you carry no status risk. Right-to-work checks before day one. Employers' Liability £10m, Public Liability £10m. Certificates with your first confirmation.

Already have an agency?

Keep them. Use us for the shifts they cannot fill, or the ones that matter most. Overflow is where most first clients start.

Other agencies

Short on people for a big weekend? We supply overflow to other agencies on the same published terms.