In Manhattan the hard part is rarely finding people. It is getting them cleared into the building, badged past a security desk that answers to the landlord rather than to you, and standing in position before a freight elevator window closes. Dahlcore Security Guard Services supplies event staff who are used to that — registered security officers for the security posts, trained event staff for registration, ushering and guest services, and a supervisor who runs them so you are not managing a roster on the day. We are veteran-owned, were founded in 2018, and are led by Ian Dahlberg, who brings more than 23 years of security experience. Our Manhattan office is at 250 Park Avenue.
Two Kinds of People on Your Floor Plan
Most Manhattan events need both, and the difference matters when you are writing the plan — and when the venue asks who is standing where.
Registered security officers
For the security posts — the entrance, bag checks, the boundary between your event and the rest of the building, back-of-house access, and anyone who has to be asked to leave. These officers are registered under New York’s Security Guard Act with the Department of State and their training is DCJS-approved.
Trained event staff
For the guest-facing roles — registration and check-in, badge and list management, ushering, cloakroom, wayfinding and floor support. Screened and briefed the same way, deployed for hospitality rather than for enforcement, and told plainly to hand anything confrontational to an officer.
Close-protection agents
Where a named guest, executive or principal needs a personal detail rather than general coverage. Our agents include former NYPD, State Trooper and federal backgrounds, and female agents where that is the right fit for the principal.
A supervisor who runs them
On anything past a handful of people you should not be the one holding the radio. A supervisor briefs the team, holds the positions, deals with the building, and gives you one person to talk to instead of eleven.
The registration desk is the whole first impression
Whatever you spent on the room, most guests form their opinion of the event in the ninety seconds between the lift and their badge. A check-in desk that is one person short backs up into the lobby, and in a Manhattan building that lobby belongs to the landlord and is full of people who are not coming to your event. We staff the desk to clear at the rate guests actually arrive rather than the rate the guest list suggests, which usually means more people for the first half hour and fewer after — not a flat headcount across the night.
What a Manhattan Building Will Ask For First
Bookings here rarely fall over on the security plan. They fall over on building paperwork nobody chased. These are the gates our staff have to clear before they can stand anywhere.
Paperwork the building wants
- A certificate of insurance, often naming the building and the landlord as additional insured
- Proof the agency is licensed in New York State — verifiable at dos.ny.gov
- A named staff roster in advance for the building’s own security desk
- Photo ID matching that roster at the lobby desk on the day
- Confirmation of who the on-site supervisor is and how to reach them
- Sometimes a separate approval for anyone working before or after building hours
Logistics that decide the call time
- The freight elevator window, which is booked and does not wait
- A loading dock slot shared with the building’s other tenants
- No parking — staff and vendors arrive on foot or by transit
- Which lifts guests use and which ones staff and crew may not
- Where the building’s security desk ends and your event begins
- House staff and building security already on site, who need briefing too
Why Manhattan Planners Work With Dahlcore
An office on Park Avenue, paperwork that clears a building’s legal team, and staff who have done this in a lobby before.
Licensed, insured and documented
Dahlcore is a licensed New York State security guard agency. Officers are registered under the New York Security Guard Act (General Business Law Article 7-A) with the NY Department of State, Division of Licensing Services, and their training is DCJS-approved. Licensed, insured, and bonded, with a certificate of insurance on request and public verification at dos.ny.gov — which is what a Manhattan building’s management will actually check.
A Manhattan office, not a Manhattan phone number
Our office is at 250 Park Avenue, alongside our Staten Island headquarters. Ian Dahlberg owns the company and manages officers personally, in the office and in the field, and you get a named account manager as a single point of contact from the first call through to the post-event report.
Screened, briefed, and covered if someone drops
Every person is background-checked and trained before assignment, and officers are certified in CPR, AED and First Aid. We hold a backup and relief bench so a no-show is our problem to solve rather than a hole in your floor plan at seven in the evening.
Evidence rather than assurances
Positions are written into post orders before the day. Attendance and patrols are confirmed with GPS and geofenced verification, and you get a reporting portal login plus a written report afterwards — useful when the building, a sponsor or your own finance team asks who was actually on site and when.
You should not be holding the radio
The most common way a well-staffed Manhattan event still goes badly is that the organiser ends up running the staff. You booked twelve people and now you are the one telling them where to stand, fielding a question from the building’s security desk, and walking someone to a lift, while the thing you are actually responsible for carries on without you. A supervisor exists to take that. They brief the team, hold the positions, handle the building, and give you one person to talk to — so your attention stays on your event rather than on our roster.
Manhattan Event Staffing FAQ
Answers specific to staffing an event in a Manhattan building. For roles, ratios and booking lead time, see our main event staffing page.
Our building needs a certificate of insurance naming the landlord — can you provide that?
Yes, and it is the first thing to ask for rather than the last. Dahlcore is licensed, insured and bonded, and a certificate of insurance can be issued on request, including the additional-insured wording Manhattan buildings commonly require. Send us the venue’s requirements sheet early — a COI sitting in someone’s inbox is the most common reason a confirmed booking stalls in the final week.
Building security wants our staff roster in advance. How early do you confirm names?
We work to the building’s deadline, so tell us what it is at the briefing stage. Named rosters are provided ahead of the day and staff carry photo ID matching the list. If the building requires anyone working outside normal hours to be approved separately, that needs flagging early too — it is the detail most often missed on an evening event.
Do all our event staff need to be registered security guards?
That is a question for you and your venue, and we will not pretend to answer it for your event. What we can tell you is what we supply: registered officers for the security posts — entry, bag checks, back-of-house, removals — and trained event staff for registration, ushering and guest services. When we build your plan we will say plainly which posts we think want a registered officer, and why.
Our load-in is a freight elevator window early in the morning. Can staff work to that?
Yes, and the window usually sets the call time rather than the other way round. Tell us the freight and dock slots and we build the shift pattern backwards from them, so the team is cleared through the lobby and in position before the window opens rather than queuing at the desk while it runs.
The venue already has its own security desk. How do your people work with them?
They are briefed on where the building’s responsibility ends and yours begins, which is a boundary worth agreeing out loud before the day rather than discovering at the lift. Our supervisor introduces the team to the building’s desk on arrival and stays the point of contact for them, so building security is not calling you every time something needs a decision.
Can one team cover registration in the morning and a reception the same evening?
Yes, and for a conference day into an evening reception it is usually the better answer — the same people already know the floor, the lifts and your team by the time the room changes over. Where the day is long enough to need a genuine break or a shift change we will say so upfront rather than quietly running people past the point where they are any use.
What happens if someone does not turn up?
We hold a backup and relief bench so a no-show is ours to solve, not a gap in your floor plan. The supervisor covers the position in the meantime and tells you what happened rather than leaving you to notice. That is one of the real differences between a security agency and a general temp supplier.
Do you staff events outside Manhattan too?
Yes — the whole of New York City, Long Island and New York State, run from our Staten Island headquarters and this Manhattan office. If your event moves between boroughs across a few days, the same account manager stays with it rather than handing you off.
Manhattan neighbourhoods we staff
Midtown office towers and hotel function space, SoHo and Tribeca showrooms and lofts, Financial District boardrooms and lobbies, Upper East and Upper West Side clubs and cultural venues, and Harlem and Central Manhattan community and corporate events. Different buildings, the same three gates every time — insurance, a roster, and a lift that will not wait. Our office at 250 Park Avenue means the walkthrough usually happens the same week you ask for it.
What Clients Say About Dahlcore
Explore real feedback from people who dealt with Dahlcore staff directly at Manhattan sites.
“I had a great experience with the security team, despite an unfortunate situation. I lost my wallet, and Raven, one of the security guards, went above and beyond to assist me in trying to locate it. Although we weren’t able to find it, his empathy and dedication truly stood out. It’s clear that he is well-trained and equipped for the role, and his professionalism made a stressful situation much easier to handle. I really appreciate the effort and support!”
“I like to give credit where credit is due and, I must give credit to the security guards that are employed by Dahlcore Security Guard Services. They are professional as well as helpful.”
“I was coming out of elise rooftop bar located above qube and a group of men was harassing me and my friends and instead of just staying inside the security guard came out and approached the men harassing us. I never got his name but he was very helpful and respectful and I’m beyond grateful that he was there otherwise i don’t know what would of happened.”
Staff Your Manhattan Event
Tell us the building, the date, the running order and what the venue has asked you for, and we will walk the space, sort the paperwork, and put a staffing recommendation in front of you before you commit. Consultations are free, and our team is reachable 24/7 for events already on the calendar.
Manhattan Office
212-208-0900250 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10177
Office Hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM · Dispatch available 24/7
Our Offices
250 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10177
1110 South Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10314
Manhattan · Brooklyn · Queens · The Bronx · Staten Island · Long Island