Who it's for
A venue management plan (VMP) is the written plan of how your venue runs: serving alcohol, security, patron behaviour, noise, incidents and staff training. In Victoria, a venue management plan is often needed with a liquor licence application, and Liquor Control Victoria (LCV), police and council all read it. We write yours around how your venue actually works.
- You're applying for a new liquor licence and need a plan to go with it.
- You're changing hours, capacity or the licensed area and your plan no longer matches.
- Police or council have raised concerns about how the venue is run.
- Your current plan is a template, or was written for someone else.
Not you? If you want the whole venue looked at, start with a compliance check.
What a venue management plan in Victoria covers
Every plan is different, but most cover:
- Serving alcohol — how staff serve, when they refuse, and how intoxication is handled.
- Security — door procedures, crowd controllers if the licence needs them, and closing time.
- Patron behaviour — entry, queues, outdoor areas and people leaving at night.
- Noise — music levels, any noise limiter, doors and windows, smokers.
- Incidents — what staff do, who they call and how it's recorded.
- Staff training — who needs which training and where it's recorded.
Crowd controllers are usually linked to music above background level and late trading. For noise, a noise limiter is often the better answer.
A VMP and your liquor licence
A VMP lodged with a licence application shows LCV and police how the risks will be managed. A clear plan can answer a concern before it becomes an objection, or form the basis of conditions agreed with police. If an objection is already in, see police objections.
Why not use a venue management plan template?
Templates are written for no venue in particular. They describe procedures nobody follows and miss the risks you do have. If an incident happens and the plan says something your staff don't do, it counts against you.
Write what you do, then do what you write. Inspectors and police compare the plan with what they see on the night.
How it works
Most plans take four steps.
- 15-minute call We confirm what the plan is for and fix the fee.
- Online form You tell us how the venue runs and upload your licence, red line plan (the plan showing where liquor can be served) and any current policies.
- We write it, you review it You and your managers check it says what you really do. Nothing goes to LCV until you approve it.
- Lodged or put to work If it's part of an application, we lodge it with the application. If not, it's ready for your team, and we can train your staff on it.
Changed something? Update the plan. New hours, a new layout or a new manager can leave it out of date.
Speak with Jacob
Principal. Twelve years running venues and working inside local government.
The first conversation is free.
Book a 15-minute call(03) 7064 8477We reply within 24 hours.
Fees and timing
A venue management plan is a fixed fee, quoted before we start. If it's going with a new licence application, we prepare it alongside so it doesn't hold up lodgement.
- Fee
- Fixed, quoted before we start
- With a new licence
- Lodged within 10 business days of receiving your documents
- Updates
- Fixed fee, quoted before we start
- First call
- 15 minutes, free
What we need from you
Most of this comes through our online form.
- Your liquor licence and conditions, or details of the licence you're applying for
- Your red line plan
- Trading hours, capacity and layout, including outdoor areas
- Entertainment: live music, DJs, functions
- Security and staffing on a busy night
Questions
What is a venue management plan?
A venue management plan is a written document setting out how a licensed venue manages the risks of selling alcohol. It covers service, security, patron behaviour, noise, incidents and staff training. LCV, police and council read it when they assess an application or look into a concern. Your staff should be able to read it and recognise their own venue.
Does my venue need a venue management plan?
Often, yes, especially if you're applying for a new licence or changing hours, capacity or the licensed area. Whether it's formally required depends on your licence type, your conditions and what LCV or police ask for. Even when it isn't required, it gives your managers one set of rules.
What should a venue management plan include?
It should include how you serve alcohol responsibly, manage security and entry, handle patron behaviour, control noise, respond to incidents and train staff. It should also say who is in charge on each shift and how things are recorded. Late-trading venues and venues with live music need more on security and noise.
How often should it be updated?
Update it whenever something important changes, and review it at least once a year. New trading hours, a bigger licensed area, more patrons, a refit, live music or a new manager should all trigger an update. If a licence condition requires you to follow an approved plan, changes may need to go to LCV first.