Executive protection booking checklist
This checklist is for executive assistants, chiefs of staff, and family office staff arranging protection for a principal, whether for a trip across the country, overseas, or closer to home.
Start with the quick quote below. A few short questions, about 90 seconds, and you have a clean executive protection brief to send to us or print for your principal’s team. General answers are all we need to start planning the detail.
Keep sensitive details out of website forms. Exact flight numbers, full itineraries, hotel room details, and home addresses are shared later, by a secure method we agree on together, and never typed into a contact form, including the one on this page.
The full planning checklist follows for a deeper pass: what we cover on a first call, and what to hold back until there is an agreed, secure way to send it. It prints cleanly with your browser’s Print command (Ctrl+P, or Cmd+P on a Mac).
Get a quote in about 90 seconds
One question at a time. At the end you get a clean security brief to send to TB Defense in one step, or to print or save as a PDF.
Full planning checklist (optional)
Dates, cities, and venues
- Travel dates and the cities involved
- The kinds of places on the schedule: offices, hotels, conference venues, restaurants, private homes (general terms are enough for now)
- Whether the schedule is set or still moving
Arrival and departure
- Commercial or private aviation, in general terms
- Whether the principal should be met on arrival and driven to the first stop
- Luggage and traveling staff that move with the principal
Public and private schedule
- Public moments: speaking engagements, conferences, media, or appearances with an audience
- Private meetings and dinners
- Whether any part of the schedule has been announced publicly or shared widely inside the company
- Free time, and whether the principal wants coverage during it
Travelers
- Who is traveling: the principal alone, with staff, or with family
- Whether children are traveling, and whether they keep a separate schedule
- Anyone else who needs coverage, and for which parts of the trip
Transportation preferences
Vehicles and security drivers can be arranged as part of the detail. See what secure transportation is and when you need a security driver.
- Whether you want vehicles and drivers arranged, or the principal uses an existing car service
- Vehicle preferences: sedan, SUV, or a van for a group
- Whether an agent rides with the principal
Known concerns
Raise these by phone rather than in writing.
- Specific threats, harassment, or unwanted contact, and whether police have been told
- Public controversy connected to the principal or the company
- Incidents on previous trips
- Anything about the principal’s health the detail lead should know, shared only as far as needed
Principal preferences
- How visible protection should be: close and obvious, or discreet and at a distance
- Attire for agents: business, formal, or casual
- Any view on armed or unarmed coverage, to be settled during scoping (see armed vs. unarmed security)
- Anything the principal would rather not have, such as agents inside meetings or at the table
Hotel and venue contacts
- Hotel name and a contact in security or guest services, when you are ready to share it
- Event organizers or venue contacts for public appearances
- Host contacts for private meetings, particularly where the host has its own security
Points of contact
- Your name and the best way to reach you during the trip
- A backup, if you will be unavailable
- Who can approve changes to the schedule or the detail
- Whether the principal has a traveling security lead or team the local detail should coordinate with
What to share securely later
These details are needed to plan the detail, but they don’t belong in a first email or a website form. Agree with the provider how they will be sent, who will see them, and how they will be stored.
- Exact flight numbers, tail numbers, and arrival times
- The full itinerary, with meeting locations and times
- Hotel reservation and room details
- Home and office addresses
- Names and phone numbers of family members and household staff
- Photos or details of any person of concern
After you fill it in
Start with a call covering the general answers. Once the detail is being planned, the specifics above can follow by the method you agree. Our executive protection page explains how a detail is built and how itineraries are handled during scoping.