Dragon BodyguardsA good VIP visit is planned before the principal lands. Map every stop from arrival to departure, decide who needs to know the schedule, and book licensed protection early enough that the guards can be briefed. The checklist below walks through the advance work in the order it usually happens.
Start with the itinerary, then shrink the audience
Advance work begins with a full itinerary: arrival time and place, hotel, each meeting or event, meals, transport between stops, and departure. Write it down in one document. Then decide who sees which parts of it.
Most people involved in a visit need only their own slice. The restaurant needs a reservation time. The driver needs pickup points. The hotel needs arrival and departure dates. The full picture belongs to a short list: the principal, their chief of staff or assistant, and the protection lead.
- Keep one master itinerary and one owner who updates it.
- Share partial schedules by role, not the whole document.
- Avoid posting locations or times on social media until after the principal has left a stop.
- Use names or initials for the principal in shared calendars if discretion matters.
Arrivals and departures
Arrivals and departures are the moments when a principal is most visible and least settled. Bags, phones, greeters and cars all compete for attention. Plan them in detail.
- Confirm the arrival point, whether it is the airport, a train station or a private drive-in.
- Name a single meeting point and one person who will be there.
- Decide how luggage moves and who keeps eyes on it.
- Have a backup plan for delays so nobody waits in a public area longer than needed.
- Reverse the plan for departure, with extra time for checkout and traffic.
Hotel and venues
Whether the principal stays downtown near the Gaslamp, along the water in Coronado, or up the coast in La Jolla or Del Mar, the hotel is home base. Talk to the hotel's security or guest services team ahead of time about how they handle high-profile guests. Ask how they protect room numbers and how visitors are verified. Our post on protecting guest privacy covers the questions worth asking.
For each venue on the schedule, the protection lead should know:
- The entrance the principal will use and where the car drops off.
- Where the principal will wait, sit or stand.
- Restrooms, quiet rooms and a second exit.
- Who the venue contact is and how to reach them during the event.
- Any venue rules about outside security, which you should ask the venue directly.
Transport between stops
Movement is where plans slip. Build realistic drive times, and remember that traffic near the convention center or Petco Park on a game night can look very different from a quiet weekday. Decide in advance who rides with the principal, where the car waits, and how the driver and protection lead stay in touch.
- Confirm the vehicle, driver and contact number for every leg.
- Know the primary route and at least one alternate.
- Agree on where the car stages while the principal is inside.
- Keep the schedule loose enough to absorb a late meeting.
Protection: who, how many and how they are briefed
Decide what kind of coverage the visit calls for. Some visits need one person shadowing the principal through a single dinner. Others need coverage across several days and venues. Our guide to executive protection basics explains what unarmed close protection covers.
In California, anyone you hire to provide security guard services should come through a licensed Private Patrol Operator (PPO), and each guard should hold a current BSIS guard card. You can check both for free on the DCA License Search. Dragon Bodyguards is a booking platform launching in San Diego County. When you Summon a Dragon, your request goes to licensed partner firms; a partner accepts, assigns a carded Dragon, and employs, insures and supervises that guard.
Whoever provides coverage, give them a clear brief:
- The itinerary slice they need, with addresses and contacts.
- The principal's preferences, such as how close to stay and how visible to be.
- Known concerns, if any, stated plainly.
- Dress code for each stop.
- Who has authority to change the plan on the day.
The advance checklist
- Master itinerary written, with one owner.
- Need-to-know list agreed and schedules shared by role.
- Arrival and departure plans confirmed, with backups for delays.
- Hotel contacted about privacy and visitor handling.
- Each venue walked or called: entrances, exits, waiting areas, contacts.
- Transport confirmed for every leg, with alternates.
- Protection booked through a licensed provider and license numbers verified.
- Protection lead briefed, with the principal's preferences.
- Emergency contacts and nearby hospitals listed.
- A short debrief scheduled after departure to capture lessons for next time.
Ready to plan coverage? You can Summon a Dragon with the dates, locations and details, and see our ten questions to ask before booking security.