Prom Safety Tips: Your Guide to an Exciting, Fun and Worry-Free Evening

A successful prom doesn’t just include music, food and dancing — it should also include a strong set of prom safety tips to ensure students and chaperones are prepared to handle unexpected issues and incidents. Make one part of your prom planning process easier with our sure-fire guide to prom safety. This list of tips — which you can edit, print, distribute and post for all attendees — provides steps you can take before, during and after prom to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.

Most of these prom safety messages are simply common sense, but if you communicate them often and consistently, everyone attending the prom will be aware of how to behave, what to look for and what to do in case something unexpected happens. Don’t forget this crucial aspect of prom planning! Create your own list of prom safety tips today. 

Merge Celebration and Safety with Our Free Editable Prom Emergency Plan Template

Prom night, a milestone etched in students’ memories. An evening of laughter, dance and moments that linger. But don’t forget the importance of safety on this special night. That's why we crafted this free template for schools to print and distribute. These guidelines ensure students make memories while making wise and safe choices. No need to labor over creating your own document. Get our free editable template today! 

Prom Safety Guidelines for Teachers and Chaperones to Ensure a Memorable and Secure Event

Prom is one of the most exciting events of the year and has the potential to be an unforgettable experience — if proper precautions are taken to ensure the event goes off without a hitch. Many people neglect the crucial prom safety tips necessary to create a prom that’s as memorable as it is secure. 

While you probably understand the importance of a safe prom, you might not know the proper steps to guarantee prom safety. Follow these prom safety tips so the night is packed with only the best experiences and memories that will last a lifetime! 

Before the Event 

Thorough prom safety tips don’t just cover the event itself — they include everything leading up to the big night. Here are some suggestions to prepare for a safe and secure prom. 

Conduct a Thorough Venue Inspection

A safe prom must be held at a secure location; locations without proper protocols are a recipe for disaster. Before the event begins, conduct a thorough venue inspection and determine whether the location complies with proper safety standards. Look for clearly labeled emergency exits that students can identify quickly. 

Hire Proper Security Personnel

Even if your venue is secure, you must take extra precautions to guarantee a safe prom. Before the event begins, arrange for trained security personnel to be on duty throughout the prom. Find personnel with experience in prom safety and who have worked in settings that are similar to your venue. 

Hire Equipped Medical Personnel 

Along with trained security personnel, you’ll need to hire experienced medical personnel for a safe prom. If you don’t have medical personnel for the event, ensure you have a full first aid station at the prom equipped with everything you need to address any medical concerns. 

Have a Safety Committee 

A team of dedicated parents, staff and other volunteers is critical to ensuring a safe prom. This safety committee is responsible for coordinating safety measures to be followed during the event and observing the prom to ensure these measures are followed. Choose committee members who have worked with similar events in the past or who show a thorough understanding of proper safety procedures. 

Build a Communication Plan

Once you’ve outlined all safety measures, you need to find a way to communicate safety protocols with staff members and student attendees. You can relay these messages through newsletters, school announcements and school-wide emails detailing each safety requirement to avoid misunderstandings. Also, mention penalties for failing to follow these measures — this makes it likelier that people will take safety procedures seriously and adhere to them during the event. 

At the Event 

Once you’ve followed the proper prom safety tips to prepare for the event, it’s time to plan for it. Here are some tips to guarantee prom safety during the event. 

Mark Emergency Exit Routes 

In case of an emergency, having exit routes is critical. Emergency exits should be clearly marked and noticeable, and you should begin the event by clarifying exit routes throughout the venue. Have signs and other indications of where the exits are posted throughout the venue so everyone knows the exit nearest to them. 

Have Security Checkpoints

Ensure the venue has security checkpoints for attendees as they enter the event. These checkpoints should include procedures like bag checks to find any prohibited items and prevent them from entering the prom. Make sure you communicate what items are prohibited before the event begins to avoid confusion or accidental violations. 

Have an Emergency Contact List

Sometimes, there’s no way to prevent emergencies from happening, but there are ways to prepare for them. Have a list of emergency contacts available for each attendee, such as their parents or guardians. Along with these contacts, provide volunteers with contact information for local authorities, emergency lines, event staff and medical personnel to make navigating emergencies easier. 

Follow a Guest Control List 

To guarantee a safe prom, you must have a strict guest list that’s monitored during the event. Guest list control prevents unauthorized individuals from entering the prom, which is a massive safety concern for many parents and attendees. Have a copy of the guest list for each volunteer so they can easily check to see if someone is allowed inside. 

Monitor Alcohol and Substance Abuse 

One of the biggest concerns parents have about their children attending the prom is the presence of alcohol and other substances. Beyond expressly prohibiting alcohol and illegal substances, have a plan for addressing violations and communicate this plan before the prom and with signs throughout the prom. During the routine bag check, have volunteers look for these items specifically. 

Provide Safe Transportation

Driving during prom season can be incredibly stressful and dangerous, especially if attendees are using alcohol or other substances. Encourage all students to arrange safe transportation to and from the event, such as designated drivers, guardians or trustworthy transportation services. If your budget allows, you can also arrange transportation to the event or between the event and the after-prom party. 

Practice Crowd Control  

Prepare volunteers to monitor and manage crowd density. If an area becomes overcrowded, have protocols in place to instruct attendees to spread out. Prepare staff with this knowledge beforehand so they know exactly how to identify overcrowding and address the situation. 

During the Event 

Now it’s time for the real deal: the prom itself. Here are prom safety tips to practice during the event. 

Have Emergency Announcements 

In the case of an emergency, you need to have clear ways of communicating with attendees. Designate a volunteer to make these announcements and equip them with information on providing instructions beforehand. You might also provide them with a sheet outlining the proper announcements to make in different situations. 

Prepare a Lost and Found 

Prom is usually a big event, and its size alone increases the chance that people will struggle to find belongings if they lose them. While you can’t prevent items from being lost, you can set up a designated lost and found station and assign volunteers to monitor the station if attendees can’t find their belongings. Post signs indicating where the lost and found station is located so attendees know where to go if they lose something. 

Promote Behavioral Expectations

Before the event, you should inform all attendees about behavioral expectations for prom. During the event, you must ensure volunteers promote this behavior and maintain a zero-tolerance policy for bullying, harassment or aggressive behavior. Enforce the violation protocol for any attendee who doesn’t follow these expectations. 

After the Event 

The prom is over, but safety procedures aren’t complete yet. Here are some final prom safety tips to guarantee safety once the prom ends. 

Conduct a Post-Event Check

A post-event check is necessary to ensure the venue is in good condition and not damaged. This process is also necessary to guarantee that all safety measures were followed and addressed during the event. Even if you can’t fix any issues you notice, you can learn and prepare for the next prom. 

Prepare Incident Reports

No matter how carefully you plan the event, sometimes accidents happen. If safety protocol is violated during the event, you need to provide volunteers with a way of reporting these incidents. Establish a thorough procedure for attendees and staff members to report safety concerns or violations during the event so proper steps can be taken to mitigate these risks. 

Collect Feedback 

There’s always room for improvement and developing clear and reliable prom safety tips that will be effective for years to come requires feedback from staff members and attendees about what you could do differently. This feedback allows you to evaluate safety measures and make essential improvements for future events. Consider distributing an anonymous survey to all attendees asking for feedback about safety procedures and how safe the attendees felt during the event. 

Free Prom Kit: Your Ultimate Guide to Safe and Memorable Celebrations

Imagine the prom night of your wildest dreams, not just a dance but an epic event that everyone will remember for years. That's what we're offering here. This isn't about just picking a theme or a playlist; it's about crafting an experience. Our Free Prom Planning Kit isn't just a bunch of papers; it's your secret weapon to a night that's safe, spectacular, and stress-free.

Packed with everything from nifty decoration ideas to crucial safety guidelines, Vanco's kit ensures not a single detail is missed. So, what are you waiting for? Snag your free kit now and start creating the prom that will make history!