HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire event hosts in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Event hosts need no register, but minimum wage law applies and security roles need an SIA licence. Here is what to check.

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  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring event hosts in five steps

  1. Agency or freelance?It decides who pays, insures and handles tax for the event hosts.
  2. Check pay ratesAt least the National Living Wage or the minimum wage for their age.
  3. Keep security separateDoor or guarding roles need SIA-licensed staff.
  4. Agree shifts, breaks and mealsIn writing.
  5. Brief themUniform, product knowledge, run sheet.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Working as an event hosts needs no licence, registration or qualification in any part of the UK. Whether the staff are agency workers or self-employed changes who handles their pay and tax.

Check two recent reviews or references for the event hosts, then ask for the contract.

National Minimum Wage

From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over; the National Minimum Wage is £10.85 for 18 to 20, and £8.00 for under-18s and apprentices. The rates apply in all four nations, to agency workers too; self-employed hosts handle their own tax with HMRC.

Ask the event staffing provider what each host is paid per hour, and check it against the rate for their age. gov.uk →

Security roles need an SIA licence

Event hosts check guests in, staff cloakrooms and hand out passes; that needs no licence. Contracted door supervision or security guarding does, under the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

If any event host will control entry or guard the venue, ask for their SIA licence and check it on the register. gov.uk →

Trader status, cancellation terms and insurance

A firm that hires out event hosts for money is a trader, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes reasonable care and skill part of the deal. Do not count on a 14-day cooling-off period: regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes catering and leisure services booked for a set date from the cancellation right, so the event hosts's own written terms usually decide what happens to your deposit. Insurance is not a legal requirement here; it is the venue that usually decides how much public liability cover a supplier must carry. Venues commonly ask the event staffing provider for it.

Ask the event hosts for the booking terms in writing and check the refund rules for cancelling and postponing. Check the event hosts's certificate covers the event date and at least the venue's figure. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Supplying event hosts and staff is standard-rated at 20%. Event staffing providers with more than £90,000 of taxable turnover must register for VAT, charge it, and itemise it on every quote and invoice.

Ask the staffing agency for its VAT number and whether the hourly rate is before VAT. gov.uk →

“Are the event hosts employed by you or self-employed?”

A good answer: A clear answer from the event staffing provider.

“What hourly rate do the hosts receive?”

A good answer: At least the legal minimum for their age.

“Will any event hosts control entry or do security?”

A good answer: If yes, SIA-licensed staff.

“What are the minimum shift hours?”

A good answer: A figure in writing.

“Who provides uniforms and training?”

A good answer: Stated and priced.

“Is the event staffing provider insured?”

A good answer: Public liability cover named.

“What happens if a host does not show?”

A good answer: A replacement plan.

Getting the quote right

  • Roles, number of event hosts and shift times
  • Hourly rate and agency margin
  • Uniforms, training and meals
  • Travel and accommodation
  • Cancellation terms
  • The agency's VAT number, and VAT under the hourly rate and margin
  • Who actually attends: agency staff or freelancers, and whether they are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • Pay below the legal minimum
  • Hosts asked to do door work with no SIA licence
  • No minimum shift stated
  • No insurance certificate
LOW
£11
TYPICAL
£15
HIGH
£25

What event hosts costs: £11–£25 per staff

Event hosts and staff are priced per staff member, usually by the hour with a minimum shift, plus agency margin, uniforms and travel. Event Staff & Hostesses price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Event staffing providers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. BriefThe event staffing provider agrees roles, numbers and the run sheet.
  2. ArrivalEvent hosts arrive, are briefed and in uniform.
  3. ShiftRegistration, cloakroom, guiding guests.
  4. BreaksTaken as agreed.
  5. Sign-offTimesheets signed, staff released.

National Living Wage
The legal minimum for workers 21 and over.
Agency margin
What the agency adds on top of staff pay.
Minimum shift
The fewest hours paid per booking.
SIA licence
The licence needed for contracted security roles.
Timesheet
The record of hours worked.
Brand ambassador
A host promoting a product.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the booking and timesheetsHours worked by the event hosts against the invoice.
Check the invoiceAgainst agreed rates.
Feed backNote hosts you would book again.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked jobs, which is why one about the event staffing provider carries weight. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the event staffing provider is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the event hosts in writingSend the event hosts a short written account — no-shows, short shifts, untrained staff — with the remedy you want. Reasonable care and skill is an implied term of the booking under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015; a service that cannot be done again can be compensated by a price reduction.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the event hosts below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Getting Trading Standards involvedComplaints about event staffing providers have no regulator to go to. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about event staffing providers to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the event hosts will not returnIf the event hosts still will not pay, you can claim yourself: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring event hosts: questions people ask

No — unless they do contracted door supervision or security guarding, which needs an SIA licence under the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

From 1 April 2026: £12.71 an hour for 21 and over, £10.85 for 18 to 20, £8.00 for under-18s and apprentices, in all four nations.

£11 to £25 per staff, typically around £15. The event staff & hostesses price guide breaks the range down, and the search above lists event staffing providers in your area.

An agency handles cover and admin for a margin; freelancers can cost less but you manage more.

Yes; controlling entry as door supervision is a licensed role.

The run sheet, venue layout and who to call if something goes wrong.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Event SecurityHow to hire: Corporate Event PlannerHow to hire: Event PlannerHow to hire: Cocktail BartenderHow to hire: Mobile Bar HireHow to hire: CatererHow to hire: Mascot HireHow to hire: MC / ToastmasterAll 701 hiring guides →

Event staffing providers near you

Event staffing providers in LondonEvent staffing providers in ManchesterEvent staffing providers in BirminghamEvent staffing providers in GlasgowEvent staffing providers in BelfastAll event staffing providers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
  2. gov.uk — check security staff have a licence
  3. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  6. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  7. nidirect — small claims process
  8. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register