Tips for hiring epic event staff

Published: December 2021

Event staff can make or break an event, so having your ducks in a row when recruiting your staff can really help further down the line. Not only do good event staff help in making things go right, but they can often play a crucial role when things go wrong. Hopefully, that won’t be needed if you follow this handy list.

1. Know what you need

You’ll be surprised at some of the skills you can hire in an experiential event team, from jugglers to mixologists to waiters. The important thing is to know what you need them for and how many people it’s going to take. Try and envisage your event and what types of skills you’ll need before heading into your discussions with your agent.

2. Be specific

To continue the last point, your staffing provider will likely have access to lots of different types of staff, so being specific will help to narrow down your requirements. This can be broad requests such as ‘Male’, but you should also think about if you require a certain type of look. Don’t be afraid to ask for a certain gender or ethnicity if it is for a certain type of event.

3. Attitude over experience

For us, attitude trumps experience every time. You can teach someone a skill but you can’t teach someone to have the right attitude. Well, you can try, but if they don’t want to be there then you’re going to have a hard time persuading others that they do. Finding event staff with the right attitude is paramount to communicating the right message to your attendees.

4. Be flexible

There will likely be changes to your assigned team in the run-up to your event, such as the nature of casual staffing. This shouldn’t be a worry as long as you are willing to be flexible and thorough in your training. Your staffing partner will be able to advise on the changes and is something that you as the event organiser shouldn’t need to worry about.

5. All people are different

Each member of your assigned team will have strengths and weaknesses, and the best way to find them out is usually to ask them - before it’s too late. By knowing what each of your member of staff is good at, you can assign them to tasks accordingly, knowing that you’re likely to be getting the best out of your team.

6. You’re all on the same team

Happy staff will create a happy environment, so do your best to make sure they’re comfortable and they’ll pass on the good vibes to your attendees. This element of staff management really shouldn’t be overlooked in events, as they are the face of your project. If your team are happy, it will pass on to anyone that comes into contact with them.

7. Communicate

Some staff will have done many events before, but what’s equally likely is that some of them won’t. It’s important to give your staff a proper briefing and give them the opportunity to ask questions. For larger, more complex events, it’s a good idea to have a supervisor or manager that can help in getting your message to the team.

8. Put your money where your mouth is

Increasing your budget per staff member will help to attract more experienced workers. You’ll be surprised how many other events will be competing for the best staff, so a little extra pocket can go a long way. This is one part of your event worth investing in, as a positive interaction with a staff member will stay in the memory of your attendees and can be just as powerful as the event itself.

9. Know the law

It’s worth knowing what the legal requirements and entitlements of your staff are before the event to allow you to prepare and schedule for things like breaks. It's worth doing your research on this so you can be ready in advance.

10. High fives

If you have a good experience with a member of staff, make sure you make a note of their name and feed that back to the agency. The agency will be able to put them back in touch with you for future events and if nothing else, it’ll be a morale boost for the team member who will inevitably look forward to working with you again.

So there you have it, our top 10 of things you need to know when hiring experiential event staff. Whilst these tips remain trend agnostic, it's always important to understand that their priority will change with the changing brand landscape. Keep on top of adapting innovation, stay up to date with virtual event trends - and you'll be sure to hire the correct A team for the job.

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