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Martyn's Law by premises type

Martyn's Law for Exhibition and Conference Venues

How exhibition and conference venues should manage Martyn's Law evidence around changing layouts, organisers, exhibitors, contractors, staff, and attendee peaks.
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Where this is up to

It's law. No one's checking yet. You've got time to get ready.

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent in April 2025. The duties are not yet in force: commencement is expected no earlier than spring 2027, after a 24-month implementation period. Nothing has to be submitted to the SIA today, so the work now is recording your scope, your procedures, and your staff awareness.

  1. Apr 2025 The Act received Royal Assent
  2. Apr 2026 Home Office statutory guidance first published
  3. Jun 2026 SIA enforcement guidance in consultation (until 12 June)
  4. Spring 2027 Earliest the operator duties commence

Worth doing now

  • Confirm the number behind your tier, and keep the method you used to reach it.
  • Draft the four procedures (evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, communication) and brief your team.
  • Start building records now, so they're there before duties commence.

Exhibition Venues

Who's in the hall, and who's responsible

Every show rebuilds the hall, and three different organisations can be in the building at once: the venue, the event organiser, and the exhibitors with their own contractors. A 2,000-delegate conference and a smaller trade show have different capacities and, sometimes, different people in charge, so the first question is who controls the space at the time.

  • Three organisations in the hall at once

    Venue staff, the organiser's registration and ops teams, and exhibitors with their build contractors are all present at the same time. The capacity record has to add them up, not stop at visitors.

  • The layout changes the answer

    Capacity, movement, queueing, and procedure assumptions differ by exhibition, conference, banquet, or build and break layout. They change event by event.

  • Premises or event?

    Where the venue is already enhanced tier, individual shows are not separately qualifying events and the duty sits with the operator. A standard-tier hall hired for an 800-plus registered show can create a qualifying event for that window, with control shared between venue and organiser.

  • Build and break are the quiet windows

    Stand construction, contractor inductions, loading-bay traffic, and breakdown with tired crews and open doors are where access control and worker awareness matter most, even when they do not move the tier.

  • Handover evidence is the venue's job

    The venue needs evidence that organisers, exhibitors, contractors, and security teams received the relevant procedures and roles. Usually that is routed to exhibitors through the organiser.

  • Many of these halls cross into enhanced tier

    Many exhibition and conference venues cross 800 people, which makes a senior individual, documented public protection measures, and version-controlled records part of the workload.

Worked example

How capacity adds up for exhibition venues

Capacity check

Visitors (timed-entry cap)
700
Exhibitor stand staff
160
Venue, organiser, security and contractor staff at show open
80

Reasonably expected at the same time

940

Result Enhanced-duty scenario (800+)

A trade show with a 700-visitor cap

The ticketed visitor cap sits under 800, but exhibitor stand staff and the venue, organiser and security teams on the floor at show open are present at the same time, which pushes the number over 800. Record how you reached it. Because a hired hall can be a qualifying event, also record whether the duty sits with the venue operator, the event organiser, or both through coordination. Build and break crews are a separate procedure and access-control question, not part of the visitor-open count.

Illustrative example applying the official capacity method. It is not a determination, so record your own assessment and the data behind it.

Capacity checker

Your busiest moment is what counts

Count everyone on the floor at the show's busiest point, then work out who holds the duty: the venue or the event organiser.

Exhibition and conference capacity check

Count everyone on the floor at the show's busiest point, then work out who holds the duty: the venue or the event organiser.

Source: GOV.UK capacity methodology

GOV.UK says to determine the “greatest number of individuals reasonably expected to be present at the same time.” Its factsheet also says to include workers, and to consider immediate-vicinity areas for procedures rather than the threshold count.

Read the GOV.UK factsheet →

Records

What to keep on file for Exhibition Venues

  • Capacity assessment by layout and recurring event type: visitors, organiser staff, exhibitors, build and break contractors, security, and venue teams counted together rather than a visitor cap alone.
  • Venue-organiser responsibility matrix and per-tenancy handover sign-off, covering the floorplan, expected attendance, registration model, timed entry, and exhibitor numbers.
  • Exhibitor briefing evidence with acknowledgement, routed through the organiser at scale.
  • Contractor accreditation and induction records for build and break, including access gates, re-stocking, and manual version.
  • Procedure pack for registration queues, show open, keynote release waves, multi-hall circulation, loading areas, and breakdown.
  • Build and break access register with overnight-cover and valuables notes.
  • Event review log capturing layout, attendance, session crossover, and procedure changes.
  • Enhanced-tier document control where expected numbers reach 800 or more: documented measures, senior individual, and version history.

Related resources

Martyn's Law resources for Exhibition Venues

Martyn's Law questions for Exhibition Venues

Does Martyn's Law apply to conferences and exhibitions?

It can. Exhibition halls and conference centres are named premises uses. Whether a given site or event is in scope turns on the qualifying criteria and the number of people reasonably expected to be present at the same time.

Who owns the record: venue or organiser?

It is fact-specific and turns on who controls the space at the time. Where the venue is already enhanced tier, the duty stays with the operator and individual shows are not separately qualifying events. A standard-tier venue hired for an 800-plus show can create a qualifying event, with the organiser taking on duties for that window. Record the control position and the handover either way.

Do we count visitors or everyone in the hall?

Everyone reasonably expected to be present at the same time: visitors, organiser and registration staff, exhibitors, build and break contractors, security, and venue teams. A visitor cap on its own usually understates the real number.

Do we need a counter-terrorism risk assessment to host shows?

Event-industry practice, such as the AEV/AEO/ESSA eGuide, encourages a security risk assessment per show, and it is sensible. But a formal terrorism risk assessment is not a standard-tier statutory requirement. At standard tier the duty is proportionate procedures, awareness, and evidence.

Official sources

Other premises types

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