An increasing number of our non-professional members are getting involved with displays for pubs and clubs. In this section we'll go through some important considerations for these types of displays.

It is important to decide whether your display is public or private. If the general public are able to attend then you need to consider the implications of this. Unless the display is for a private club, under private invitation only, and held on private land, it is likely that the display would legally be classed as a public one. Our Public display advice page will give you some more advice.

Some members have reported that they have displayed for a pub or club as a favour, but the public were in attendance, and therefore stewarding etc. was required. Unfortunately for amateur displayers, as soon as you move away from private or back garden displays, you run into a number of additional and important issues, whether you are being paid or not.

Insurance is a critical issue with any display for a pub or club. Even if it is a private display, what if a firework damages the pub (for example), who would be liable for this? Make sure these points are covered and agreed before the display.

If the public are invited, and this would apply to displays for Scout groups for example, you need to be fully insured. It seems that the days of £30 a display premiums are long gone, and you would need to budget for several hundred pounds for insurance. This is why many smaller community events were cancelled from 2003 and onwards.

It is worth speaking to your current club insurer to see if they can help. Several members have reported that existing policies covered a firework display. Displays on behalf of some groups (eg the Church) are often already covered.

Have a look at the other Display Advice sections which correspond to your chosen theme, eg. noisy, quiet etc.

As a general guide, be sure to keep the display short, tight and with high impact. This type of display works best to a larger audience. The New Year section gives tips for a short and sharp display.

Keep a pub/club display fast paced and short.

For a Scout display or any other display where the audience will consist of many youngsters, avoid all-out noise displays and instead try and reach a good balance between colour, noise and effects.

Here are some more suggestions and tips for you:

	A pub audience can often be more "hostile" due to the influence of drink, another good reason to keep the display short and sharp with maximum impact. In any case spectators will soon be thinking about their next drink or taking a leak. So keep your display short (5-10 mins).
	Displays for clubs such as Scouts are a good opportunity to fund raise too. Glow products are a good seller at these events, you can buy them fairly cheaply in bulk and get a good mark-up.
	Make sure the crowd are properly marshalled during and after the display. The Public display advice page has more information.
	Agree a start time beforehand but be flexible - landlords are prone to changing their minds more often than they change their beer, and if the display follows an event of some kind, there's nearly always a delay.
	NEVER be pressured by a rowdy audience into taking risks, compromising safety, or changing your plan of display.
	If you are charging for the display, always get payment up front!
	Consider employing a professional display company for larger events.

If you are displaying in an environment where alcohol is readily available, all firers MUST remain sober for the display. This is not just an important safety issue. If there is an accident and you were drinking, you could invalidate your insurance or even be open to criminal prosecution. NEVER mix drink and fireworks, EVER!

We hope that you have found the information in this section useful and wish you a safe and enjoyable display. Don't forget to read our extensive safety section for help setting up and firing your display.

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