How to Make the Most of Your Event Staff – A Client Guide

September 6th 2021

When planning an event, there is a lot to do and a lot to remember. Big or small, formal or casual, so much goes into the planning and execution of events to ensure expectations are met, guests are happy, and great memories are made.

It is so important to have the right people on your team on the day to ensure that your event is a resounding success, front of house, and behind the scenes!

Here at Event Staff Scotland, we want to make sure that our clients make the most of the teams / staff they have booked, and actively try to utilise their skills to get the very best value for money.

Here are a few of our suggestions on how to make the most of your event staff for maximum results and satisfaction. These tips are for all different levels of staff from basic hospitality staff to hired event managers and can be used as a little guide!

1: Being clear in the type of staff you need, and what you want them to do

Be crystal crystal clear about the type of staff you are looking for when enquiring / booking. We always encourage our clients to try and be as specific as they possibly can be about what exactly they ‘want’ from their team during the booking process. This allows us to offer up our experience and guidance about the ‘type’ of staff that will be most suited or required for your event as well being able understand and manage your expectations from day one.

Our team at Event Staff Scotland HQ are extremely experienced and knowledgeable and their goal is to ensure clients get what they ask for!

2: Pre – Event Planning

With any event, meticulous planning is required for it to be a roaring success! But when you have a team of staff involved, it’s even more important to plan everything down to the last detail.

Details such as the order of events, the number of guests, seating plans, risk assessments, allergens, special requests etc really are the starting point and should all be planned well in advance as opposed to on the day.

There is no such thing as ‘too much information’ when it comes to events. What we can tell you from our experience is that a lack of advance planning is probably the thing we see most commonly that can let an event down on the day.

We recommend creating an easily accessible / well positioned document in the back of house area which is identified to and available to all team members throughout the event which acts as a ‘need to know guide.’ Documenting this information cuts down on unnecessary communication and questions from your booked team on the day and encourages proactive problem solving.

3: Team Briefing

A good briefing meeting before the event itself is also an incredibly useful tool as it gives you the chance to communicate properly with your staff without the pressure of the event being underway!

This is your chance to make it very clear what your desires are as to how you need things to be executed. It also gives the team a chance to communicate any concerns, issues or questions they may have with you pre-event service commencing.

If you think it will take 15 minutes, book it in for 30 minutes! This will give you a really strong foundation for the success and effective execution of your event from the outset.

Another thing to think about on this point is if there is any other information you’d like to be shared with the staff before the event? We encourage as much information pre-event as possible so we can communicate this with the teams pre-arrival to cut down on time wasting upon the job commencing.

4: Delegation

You can’t do it all yourself, that is why you have booked a team in the first place!

They’re there, they’re ready and they are expecting delegation.

Be clear and concise in your expectations and the requirements of the tasks. Visual demonstrations are always fantastic too. We also suggest that you give the team a person or point of reference (as recommended above in the documented suggestion) that they can refer to if they get ‘stuck’ on anything to encourage synergy.

Delegating effectively is a key factor in making the most of your event staff and will contribute to the event being a success.

We can tell you from experience that the events which have a clear, nominated person delegating tasks clearly and effectively are the ones that have the best success!

5: Strengths and Weaknesses

We find that the quickest way to find out ‘who is good at what is by ‘asking’ the booked team members questions such as ‘Ok, who wants to go and do (insert task?)’.

It is a super effective method of getting the most out of them as it allows team members to put themselves forward to tasks most suited to them and their skillset. The result? Increased productivity and increased morale!

You will very quickly be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses in your booked team when seeing them at work. If someone isn’t quite doing what you’d like them to be then feel free to tell them. The delivery of this however dictates the outcome…

A positive but direct approach is the key here. Here is an example;

‘Sarah, you were great during the drinks reception in ensuring all guests were constantly topped up and happy. We need the same sort of fast-paced approach during dinner service is that ok? Thank you!’

This type of communication will work wonders and get the results you’re looking for.

6: Keeping Up Morale

As important good attitude is to have from your staff, it is equally important that they feel supported, communicated with, and understood by you.

By building up a good rapport with your booked team, you can help keep morale high and ensure that they are giving you their best.

It is a very basic principle but the ‘Treat your event staff how you would want to be treated’ approach is the one we promote!

As mentioned in point 5, constructive feedback is welcomed and is a really powerful tool if utilised in the right way.

Remember the event staff will play a big role in helping your event run successfully so you should treat them with kindness and respect. If staff have a positive experience working with you, they will be more inclined to perform well and want to return to work with you on future events.

So there you have it, our 6 top tips on how to make the most of your event staff.

A mixture of good planning, delegation, communication, and respect should guarantee the staffing of your event is everything it needs to be!

If you’re reading this and thinking ‘OH GOODNESS, we need more help’ then feel free to contact us at Event Staff Scotland HQ to discuss how we can help you further.

We supply experienced event supervisors and management if the thought of running your booked teams yourself seems a little too much like hard work!

Thanks for reading, Team ESS ☺