Top 10 Tips for Choosing the Right Event Staff

The success of your next event largely depends on the event staff you hire. Have you ever hired event staff to stir up excitement, only to see them lounging in the shade with a cup of water? If the answer is yes, then you know just how important event staffing is. To ensure participants will have a blast at your next event you must find the perfect hires and location to set the right mood.

This guide shares useful tips for choosing the right events staff. Following these steps will ensure that you hire event staff members that can relate to your audience, not turn them off.

1. Hire Staff That Represents Your Brand’s Image

If you want to find those perfect people, you must open up a line of communication with them. The events staff you hire for your next seminar, promotion, conference or exhibition have to do more than just smile and answer questions. They represent the face of your brand and, assuming they are successful, they will help you build new relationships with potential clients.

Failing to communicate your vision and desires may result in the events staff representing you negatively. Ask potential candidates how they will represent your brand, or what approach they would take to see if your ideas are aligned.

2. Ask Around for Recommended Agencies

Nothing can beat a recommendation from a friend or trusted company. Before you start searching for Events Staff in your area, why not ask around for recommended agencies? You’re probably not the first of your business friends to host a large-scale event. The first-hand experience of a close friend should make the selection process easier.

3. See If There Are Extra Perks on Offer

Special events staff should have a certain level of experience in event planning, strong decision-making skills, knowledge of protocol, positive and outgoing attitudes as well as the ability to negotiate with musicians, contractors and caterers. But professional events staff agencies can offer so much more.

For example, they could acquire intimate knowledge about your products in order to educate potential customers or they could engage with your audience in creative ways. You should keep your eyes peeled for these ‘extra perks’, as they have the power to change the way that your next event is perceived.

4. Hire Staff That Will Work Well With Existing Team Members

Before hiring an Events Staff agency it is important to consider the members of your team who will be working alongside them. Keep in mind that these teams have to work together at all times. Do they have the same mentalities? Will their personalities complement one another? Is your team comfortable with your decision?

These are questions you need to find an answer to, prior to hiring, because there is nothing worse than having to plan an event with teams that don’t see eye to eye.

5. Choose a Service That Caters To Your Specific Needs

Don’t even think about hiring event staff before you have determined the size, length and audience of your event. Once your goals are clear, so will your needs. This will enable you to determine the ideal number of events staff. Try to also think about the gender, age, cultural diversity and experience level of your target audience.

You will want to hire events staff with similar demographics. For example, younger staff will do a much better job at engaging millennials at your event because they have a better understanding of their behavioural patterns.

6. Choose People that Have Worked in the Industry Before

Events staff that has experience in a certain industry understands the tastes, expectations and values of a specific audience. You should always choose people who have worked in your industry before because they have a better understanding of the market. Experience in a certain industry can also mean that the events staff has created important connections.

7. Interview and Communicate with the Events Staff

Like any job, you should interview the events staff to determine if they are a good fit for your company. I would suggest having a short phone conversation and setting up a Skype call to get a sense of their personality. If you’re interviewing multiple agencies you should create a checklist or list of possible questions.

Of course, some questions may vary, but it’s generally good to inquire about work background, knowledge of your business or product, notable events, availability and flexibility and willingness to advocate for your brand.

8. Hire on Attitude over Looks

Many companies make the mistake of hiring event planners or staff based on their looks. While looks are indeed important if you want to attract attention to your booth, they do not give you too much to work with. Attitude, personality and experience are a hundred times more important than it looks. Statistically speaking, events staff that were hired simply to look pretty are less likely to produce the results that you want. Read more about this on our blog about the importance of culture to your event staff.

9. Research the Agency Online

Open your browser, and google the agency that you are interested in. Let’s be serious, what business doesn’t have a website, or at least a Facebook page, in today’s day and age. Take a look at the agency’s about information, previous work, reviews and employees. Are their photos and resumes updated? Are they active online? The online image of an agency reflects its behaviour in real-life or formal settings.

10. Get the Logistics Right & Invest Enough Money

The quality of the Events agency you hire is directly correlated to the amount of money that you are prepared to invest. You might think that searching for events staff on Craiglist is a good idea, but they will probably not exceed, or even meet, your requirements and expectations. I suggest working with a professional staffing company that has a proven track-record of its achievements, even if you have to stretch your budget a bit.

Don’t wait too long to make a decision. There is a lot of planning and execution that has to go into an event, and delaying your decision for more than two weeks will result in poor results. Upon hiring the company make sure you get the logistics right. Discuss number of attendees, type of occasion, goal, venue, event budget and other organizational information that the staff will need.

In the end, the events staff should become an extension of your own team, perfectly reflecting your brand’s image. Communication and respect are essential for a fruitful collaboration. Keep these tips in mind before hiring an Events Staff company and you will surely have an excellent experience.

Image Sources: depositphotos, teamwork