Running the gate at a sold-out show: a crowd-flow checklist

Every guest's night starts at the gate, and most of the bad stories start there too. A sold-out show means everyone arrives in the same two hours, a few of them with the wrong ticket, and all of them in a hurry.

Here's the checklist we use to think through a gate before doors open. It works for a 3,000-seat hall and scales up for a festival ground.

1. Before the day: plan the lanes, not just the headcount

• Count your entry points and your lanes. Ask the organiser how many people they expect in the peak hour, then work out how many scanning lanes you need to clear them. Headcount follows lanes, not the other way round.
• Separate the tiers early. If there's General Access, VIP and a fan pit, give each its own lane and signage well before the gate, so nobody queues for 40 minutes in the wrong line.
• Plan the outside queue. Where does the line go when it's longer than expected? Mark the overflow route, and put shade, water and washrooms on the people waiting, not only inside.
• Walk the route from transport. Metro exit, cab drop-off, parking: whichever way most people arrive, walk it and put a marshal at every point where someone could turn the wrong way.

2. The gate team, post by post

• Queue managers at the head of each lane, keeping the line moving and checking that people are in the right lane before they reach the scanner.
• Scanners and pass checkers for tickets and wristbands. Two per lane at peak, with spare devices and a charged power bank.
• Frisking and bag check, run with the security agency, with separate lanes where the brief needs them.
• A help desk next to the gate, away from the lanes, for the ticket that won't scan, the name that's not on the list and the guest who lost their phone.
• Floaters who can open a new lane or cover a break without leaving a post empty.
• One gate supervisor with a radio, who decides when to open overflow lanes and talks to the organiser.

3. Handle ticket disputes away from the lane

Fake, duplicate and resold tickets are part of every big show now. Some ticketing platforms say passes bought from third parties can be invalidated at the gate. Whatever the rule, the person who hits it is usually upset and has travelled a long way.

• Never argue in the lane. Step the guest aside to the help desk so the line keeps moving.
• Give the help desk a clear script and a direct line to the ticketing partner on site.
• Make sure the supervisor, not the scanner, makes the final call on refusals.

4. Re-entry, wristbands and zones

• Decide the re-entry rule before doors open, and brief every gate on the same answer.
• Check wristbands at every zone boundary, not just the front gate. Upgraded tiers are only worth paying for if the boundary is staffed.
• Brief crew on what each pass looks like, with photos.

5. Plan the exit as carefully as the entry

The last set ends and everyone leaves at once. Open every exit, put marshals on the route to transport, and keep crew in position until the ground is clear. Plan how your own crew get home after a late finish too.

6. After the show

Note peak queue times, lanes that jammed and the questions people asked most at the help desk. That's the brief for the next show.

Need a gate team? Tell us the venue, expected crowd, tiers and timings, and we'll plan the posts with you: request crew. On Lastrope Crew, every crew member checks in and out with a live selfie and GPS, and is paid directly to their bank. Crew can find gate and crowd-flow shifts on Lastrope Crew.