The main ways to get event security contracts are:
- Contact Venues
- Event Organizers and Promoters Directly
- Join Approved Vendor Lists
- Bid On Public Event Contracts
Each path puts you in front of companies that actually need event security. But the challenge is finding the right buyers and reaching them before they choose another security company.
That’s why we recommend hiring a cold calling agency. We will find companies that may need event security, contact the right person and qualify the opportunity. So, you can easily pass interested prospects to your sales team.
Where Event Security Contracts Actually Come From?
Event security contracts mainly come from 4 places:
- Public Procurement
- Commercial Venues
- Event Promoters
- Production Companies
You can also get jobs through referrals. But contracts for concerts, festivals, sporting events, and conventions are usually easy to buy. The primary pipelines are:
| Contract Source | Typical Buyer | Industry Terms |
| Public Procurement | Government agencies, municipalities, public events | RFP, RFT, IFB, SOW, bid award |
| Commercial Venues | Stadiums, hotels, convention centers, arenas | MSA, Preferred Vendor List, vendor onboarding |
| Promoter / Production Network | Event promoters, production firms, general contractors | GC, subcontractor, vendor roster, event portfolio |
The buying process is different for each type of event. For example, public events may start with an RFP, venues may ask you to join their vendor list or sign an MSA. Also, promoters work differently.
If you do a good job at one event, they may hire you again for their next events.
4 Steps to Get Event Security Contracts
Here is how you can get event security contracts:
Step 1: Prepare Your Business Fundamentals
Before you start pitching venues and event organizers, make sure you can actually handle the job. But before you knock, list a few things-
- Have your licenses and insurance in place
- Know how many guards you can put on-site
- Make sure you can cover payroll.
If a prospect wants to move forward, you don’t want to be scrambling to get those basics sorted out.
Keep your security licenses and business registrations current in every area you serve. Have your general liability, workers’ compensation, and Certificate of Insurance (COI) ready since many buyers ask for them during vendor onboarding.
Know your staffing capacity before bidding. If an event needs 25 guards and two supervisors, make sure you can cover all 27 posts without last-minute hiring.
Then price the job properly too. Include wages, payroll costs, overtime, insurance, supervision, and your margin when setting the bill rate.
Cash flow matters on larger contracts.
A Net-30 or Net-60 client may pay after your guards have already been paid. So, know how many weeks of payroll you can cover yourself.
Step 2: Target Private Event Venues
Private venues are a good place to start because they run events throughout the year. One relationship with a concert hall, convention center, banquet venue, or conference facility can lead to repeat security work. You don’t need to call every lead.
Now list active venues in your service area.
Then call or email and find out who handles security. You’re usually looking for the venue manager, security director, or operations manager. So, to figure them out, ask some simple questions like:
- Do you use outside security companies?
- Do you have a Preferred Vendor List?
- Who handles new vendor approval?
- Do you keep a backup company for overflow or short-notice coverage?
- What documents do you need from a new security vendor?
If they are open to new vendors, be ready with your COI, licenses, W-9, rates, and references. Don’t send a huge sales package unless they ask for it.
Find out what their onboarding process requires and give them exactly that.
Your pitch should also be specific to event work. Instead of saying, “We provide professional security guards,” explain what your team can actually handle: guest check-in, access control, crowd management, capacity control, restricted areas, and incident response.
And don’t automatically walk away because a venue already has a security company.
Ask if the venue needs a backup security vendor. Their regular company may be short on guards during large events, busy weekends, or last-minute bookings.
Your first target is to get on the approved vendor list. Once you are there, the venue can call you when extra coverage is needed instead of starting the vendor process from scratch.
Step 3: Bid on Government and Public Events
Government event contracts are usually public, but finding them takes some digging. Start with the procurement or purchasing page of every:
- City
- County
- Public Agency In The Areas You Can Serve
Check the open bids for festivals, park events, civic centers, fairs, and local community events. If an event draws a crowd, there is a good chance the organizer will need guards somewhere on the site.
You can also go to SAM.gov and search using NAICS 561612, Security Guards and Patrol Services. But don’t rely on the NAICS code alone. Try several searches, including:
- Event security
- Security guard services
- Festival security
- Crowd control
- Security staffing
Found an RFP that looks promising?
Then go straight to the Scope of Work (SOW). That’s where you’ll see what the job really involves:
- How Many Guards Are Needed
- When They’re Needed
- What The Buyer Expects From The Security Company
Also keep an eye on the required experience, insurance, pricing format, and bid deadline. You’ll usually know pretty quickly if the job is worth bidding on or one you should pass over.
If you’re new to government contracting, don’t limit yourself to contracts you can win as the prime contractor. Look at previous award notices to see which security companies are already winning public contracts in your area. Finding out security guard contract renewal data also helps you close the deal.
Step 4: Hire a Cold Calling Agency
If you don’t have time to call venues and event staffing companies every day, hire a cold calling agency to do the prospecting. We help you win security guard contracts for you by finding the right decision-makers, qualifying opportunities, and booking meetings for your sales team.
Our team handles the prospecting and qualification. We find the right decision-maker, start the conversation, confirm there is a potential need, and book a meeting. So, your sales team handles the proposal, pricing, and closing the security contract.
Give the agency a clear list of businesses you want to reach. For event security, that could include:
- Event venues and convention centers
- Concert halls and entertainment venues
- Event management companies
- Festival and event organizers
- Production companies
- Hotels and banquet facilities
Tell us who you want them to reach. We will handle the rest.
But don’t judge the campaign by call volume. Look at the qualified appointments it produces. Ten conversations with actual security buyers are worth far more than hundreds of calls that go nowhere.
The agency handles the prospecting; your job is to step in when there’s a real opportunity to discuss.
Who Signs an Event Security Contract?
An event security contract is usually signed by 2 sides:
- The Organization Hiring The Security Company
- The Security Company Providing The Guards
The signer must have authority to agree on behalf of that business or organization.
On the client side, the signer depends on who is running the event. It could be:
- Event organizer for a privately managed event
- Promoter for a concert, festival, or entertainment event
- Corporate officer or authorized manager for a company event
- Private host when an individual is directly hiring security
On the security side, the owner, manager, corporate officer, or another authorized representative of the security company normally signs the agreement. That person is committing the company to provide the staffing and services stated in the agreement.
The venue may be involved without being the company that hires. A promoter, for example, might sign the security contract while the venue only asks for your COI, staffing plan, and approval before the event.
So, before sending an offer: “Who is authorized to sign the security contract on your side?”
It saves you from going back and forth with someone who can plan the event but cannot sign the agreement.
What Disqualifies a Bidder Before Pricing?
Sometimes the buyer never gets to your price. Your proposal can be rejected during the first review because of a small mistake in how you submitted the bid.
This happens more often than people expect. For example:
- The RFP included an addendum, but you priced the original version.
- The buyer provided a specific bid sheet, but you sent your own quote instead.
- You left a required signature or acknowledgment blank.
- You sent the proposal by email when the buyer required it through their procurement portal.
- You planned to use a subcontractor but didn’t disclose them when the RFP required it.
- The bid arrived after the deadline.
One thing worth watching is the word “shall.” In an RFP, “shall provide,” “shall submit,” or “shall acknowledge” usually means the buyer expects you to do it. Don’t treat those lines as suggestions.
Have someone who didn’t write the proposal check it against the RFP before you submit. Forms, addenda, submission instructions, deadline, everything.
A good bid can still get rejected over one missed checkbox.
Conclusion
Event security contracts rarely come from one call. They come from consistent outreach and being visible when a buyer needs coverage.
You still handle the proposal and close the deal. We help keep your sales calendar filled with conversations worth having.
