When you’re running an entertainment facility, there’s going to be a multitude of operational risks you contend with on an hourly basis. When you open a facility to the public in any capacity, their risks increase by the second. And you need to know exactly how customers, employees, and the building itself can be at risk, so you can mitigate them and ensure everyone is safe at all times.
And for the most part, it’s not the big one-off disaster you might be thinking of, but more the ordinary, mundane type of problem that can occur daily or even multiple times daily in some cases.
Let’s take a look at some operational risks you need to be aware of in your entertainment venue.
A Customer Slips on a Drink Spill Near the Lanes
But not just the lanes — any areas where people are enjoying the activities you have on offer. But for a bowling alley, especially, people spilling drinks near the lanes is a common occurrence.
The risk itself isn’t the actual spillage itself; it is how long it goes unnoticed and how quickly it’s cleaned up, if at all. That combination of liquid on polished flooring is a recipe for disaster, and distracted guests just increase this risk.
And when a customer hits the floor after slipping, the situation will escalate quickly. It’s a heady combo of first aid, incident reports, and CCTV reviews to address any injuries and uncover exactly what happened. Even a seemingly small injury can trigger a formal insurance claim if the guest argues the hazard was visible to staff or poorly managed.
Having team members alert to potential spillages, cleaning equipment, hazard signs, and barriers, along with regular floor monitoring, can reduce this risk and protect staff and customers alike.
A Weekend Closure Following a Safety Incident
The thing with weekend closures is they’re very rarely planned, and when they are planned, they are done so in the most minimally disruptive way possible. But following a safety incident, you might find you’re closed for an entire weekend when you’re usually at your busiest.
And the knock-on effect from this can be huge. It’s cancelled parties, refunded bookings, a loss of walk-in customers, and you still have your overheads to pay for, too, including staff wages in some cases.
This is where you need the right type of coverage. You need to be able to claim for incidents such as this, especially if the closure isn’t directly related to your business but forces closure anyway. You need protection specifically designed for bowling-specific risks and entertainment venues, such as https://insurancebrokersofmd.com/business-insurance-frederick-md/bowling-center-insurance/ that address the issues you’re more likely to face, rather than generic wording or incidents.
A Guest Trips Over Poorly Routed Cables
Cables are a standard part of any entertainment venue. But how you cover them and protect guests matters here. You will need cables in kitchens, for lighting, lanes, for your HVAC, and any arcade equipment you might have. And not all of these cables can be hidden away.
And the thing is, guests don’t walk through venues scanning for floor-level dangers. They’re watching children, friends, screens, and carrying too many things from their party. And cables that are in the way or not properly secured or marked can lead to a fall claim and injury fast.
And the preventative measures here are relatively simple: using cable covers, improving routing discipline, and having clear marking in place.Operational risks in entertainment venues aren’t rare, obscure ones, but things that can and do occur routinely if enough care and attention isn’t given to the premises and customer behavior and flow.



