Wonolo
When planning an event, you’re creating an experience. Naturally, one of the most important aspects of this experience is the people you plan to bring on to staff it. From those working the door to serving drinks to bussing tables, these individuals are collectively the face of your event. As a result, your event staff, trusted with this high level of responsibility, can truly make or break the outcome of your entire event. With stakes like these, you want to ensure that you find the right event staff in an informed way so your event is a hit talked about for ages versus a cautionary tale.
Read on for our guide with all the need-to-know tips for finding the best staff for your next event to make it the smash that it was always destined to be.
1. When possible, try to find staff with prior experience that meshes with the specific needs of your event.
This minimizes training and explanation needed on your side and ensures their work will be on point. When considering where to source your event staff from, consider avenues that let you easily see the past credentials of potential workers, such as previous types of jobs worked, average ratings in those categories of job, etc.1
2. Avoid hiring friends and family to staff your event.
This will make it harder to act as their boss and will decrease the professionalism of the entire event staff.2
3. Create a system of rewards or incentives for your event staff.
This will often encourage them to work harder, and it’s important to make your staff feel valued to ensure a better experience for everyone.
For example, you can offer your event staff food after the event, invite them to watch live entertainment off the clock, etc.3 Wondering how lasting of an impression this makes on an event staffer? This is just one example.
4. Mind your budget, but avoid cutting too many corners when it comes to staffing.
Sourcing the right event staff may seem like a costly proposition, depending on the provider, but it’s always worth the spend to eliminate any worries you may have about the quality of the event staff you find.4
Be sure to shop around – for the best all-around value, consider on-demand staffing platforms versus traditional routes, such as staffing agencies.
5. Make sure to put your ideal candidate’s desired behaviors in the job description.
Certain behaviors and personality traits (e.g., outgoing, responsible) are just as important, if not more so, than experience in the field.5
6. Finding staff with the right attitude trumps everything.
The guests at any event will remember how staff members made them feel far more than anything else, such as superficial traits like looks.6
7. Source staff that will work well with workers already on your existing event staff team.
A staff that cooperates and is cohesive makes for a seamless staffing experience; the last thing you want is drama or miscommunication amongst your team members.7
8. Always overbook your staff, in the event that the unpredictable happens.
Being understaffed is an event planner’s nightmare; it is far better to ensure your peace of mind by booking a few more staff than you actually need, as flat tires, transit delays, etc. happen, in spite of the best of planning.8
9. Be quick and decisive when making decisions regarding bringing on staff.
You don’t want to lose your top staff candidates to other events, and making quick decisions shows good leadership, not to mention the fact that it’s also a matter of professional courtesy.9
10. Technology is your best friend.
We’ve talked a lot about how to find staff, but here’s one last tip on how to make the most out of the staff you already have in place. Let’s face it. Event planning takes a ton of work, so your time (and your staff’s time) is at a premium. It’s all about simplifying where you can, and here’s where technology can save the day.
Following are some time-savers for different aspects of planning the perfect event, besides, of course, leveraging on-demand staffing platforms to quickly and easily find the event staff you need:10
- Venues: Stuck on where to start to find that dream event space? Try tools like Splacer, which lets you search by the type of event you’re trying to host and location.
- Counting Cash: Looking to simplify the hassle of cash changing hands at events? Companies like Fastbar and Intellitix make going cashless a snap.
- Swag Bags: Who doesn’t love a good piece of swag? But what folks don’t love is having to tote them around. The solution? Go digital with online swag bags from companies like Virtual Event Bags and Eventbaxx.
So there you have it. Our top tips for how to find the right staff for your event and have your whole team running at peak performance for the big day. For more info on how companies like you are finding smarter ways to staff their events, check out the stories of SoMa StrEat Food Park and Techweek.
