Work out who handles each local event approval
Outdoor space, amplified sound or food service are involved, and nobody knows who asks whom for what.
…
The short answer
The planner turns the exact site and the features of your event into a question pack for the venue, your suppliers and the authority itself, and an evidence checklist showing who is meant to hold each approval and what you hold in writing.
The tool does not decide which authority applies or whether a permit is needed. A postcode or suburb is not enough. Without an exact address and the exact areas used, it names no authority and tells you which site details to find first.
What to enter
- The exact site: street address and venue name, plus the exact areas used, such as the ballroom only or the ballroom plus the car park and pavement.
- Each event feature that might involve an approval, such as amplified sound, a temporary structure, food service, alcohol or use of a road or public space.
- Who is meant to hold the approval for each feature: organiser, venue or supplier, and the party's name if agreed.
- Any authority the venue, a supplier or the authority itself has told you about, with its reference, and any official page or letter you opened yourself with the date you checked it.
What you get back
A question pack with three site questions and three questions for each feature: who holds it, which authority is involved at this exact site and what must be submitted, and what written evidence you will hold.
An evidence checklist with one row per feature showing the holder, the named party, any authority you were given, the reference and the evidence, with gaps spelled out.
Why a postcode is not enough
Which authority is involved depends on the exact land and building, who manages it and what happens there. Two events in the same postcode can have different answers.
So the tool shows no authority unless you typed one, and even then asks you to confirm it with the authority and to record its current guidance and the date you checked.
Limits
Ask the venue and the authority itself, and keep their replies as evidence. Write the responsibility of the organiser, venue and suppliers into the agreements.
Record answers in the venue visit evidence log and decisions in the decision log.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional approval-ownership plan
Fictional site and parties, to show the output.
A fictional association plans a conference in a hall with a car park queue. The site and areas are given, so the tool produces three site questions. Amplified sound is meant to be held by the venue and a question to the venue is still waiting for a reply.
Food service is meant to be held by a named caterer with nothing in writing, and use of the pavement has no agreed holder and an authority named only by the venue, so it is flagged as the biggest gap. With only a postcode, the same plan would list no authority and ask for the site details first.
Use this yourself
Approval ownership checklist
One row per feature. Fill the last columns only from written replies.
| Feature | Meant to hold the approval | Named party | Authority named by venue or authority | Reference | Written evidence held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- The venue manages everything on site and has confirmed in writing what it holds.
- The event is held entirely inside the building with no outdoor or public-space use.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several parties could hold approvals and nobody has agreed in writing who does.
- The event uses space beyond the venue's building, such as a car park, pavement or road.
- Questions to the venue, suppliers and authorities need coordinating against a fixed date.
Want approval questions followed through?
A conference project lead can coordinate the approvals workstream: sending the questions to the venue, suppliers and authorities, keeping the written replies together and keeping dates visible to your committee. Send us your site and event features. We will reply with the level of support that fits and what it would cover. What is required and who approves it stays with the venue and the authority concerned.
Questions organisers ask
Does the tool tell me which permit I need?
No. It gives questions and an evidence checklist. Only the venue and the authority itself can say what applies at your exact site.
Why not use my postcode?
A postcode or suburb cannot identify the land, the building or the activity, so it cannot support an authority or permit answer.
Where does the authority name come from?
Only from you. The tool shows an authority if you typed one that you were told about, and asks you to confirm it.
Related resources
Content record: Written by the EventConsultant team to our editorial rules. Sources are listed on pages that rely on them.