The Right Person for the Job: 4 Things to Consider for On-Site Staffing
Mazda Miles, CMM
Savvy Event Planner-Producer creating unforgettable experiences while delivering measurable results.
The Right Person for the Job: 4 Things to Consider for On-Site Staffing
Staffing an event is one of the most important pieces of the planning puzzle. Planners spend months (sometimes years) planning the most perfect event possible, and your on-site team has to be able to successfully carry out your vision for the event to actually be perfect.
There are many variables to consider when planning your staff, including:
Hard and Soft Skills
Not all event professionals are created equally when it comes to skills. A seasoned pro with the right skills to manage the room during a 1,000 person sit-down awards gala with entertainment does not necessarily have the same skills as the person who is managing the traffic flow and patterns of 27 different vehicles shuttling people around to other venues and activities during the late afternoon in a major metropolitan destination.
Knowing the full-range of skills of each of your staff members is a key part of putting the right people in the right position.
Interpersonal Skills
There are a lot of interactions and on-site dynamics to consider when designing your staffing plan. On paper, someone may have the needed skills to manage a registration area but if their people skills are less than ideal, this may not be the best assignment for them. Unfortunately, sometimes you also must consider people who simply cannot work in the same area without causing unnecessary drama that needs to be managed.
Having written job descriptions that list the required skills for each position is one tool we use to identify who the best candidates are for each on-site role.
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Event-Specific Needs
There are a lot of things that could fall into this category, but one that is consistently near the top of the list is knowing what the challenge areas are.
As an example, I worked with one client whose hot button topic was ground transportation because it was consistently problematic at previous events with a different planner. The ground transportation was not terribly complex, but rather than assigning 1 lead (which was all that was needed based on the logistics), I included 2 transportation co-leads. One who primarily managed traffic flow and vehicle staging, and one who was very visible and accessible to attendees and my client.
Manager Material
Managing the event, managing the staff, and managing the client are 3 very different things, and while there are many events where I am the one serving in each of those roles, there are many occasions when I need additional manager-level roles to ensure that the event runs smoothly.
For very large or complex events, it’s difficult for someone to step into the role on-site with only the briefing materials for reference. In these cases, I have found that it’s most effective to place someone in this role as early in the planning process as possible so that they can attend all meetings and be part of the communications from the very beginning.
There are also certain events where I need a staff manager, in addition to the event manager(s). The role of the staff manager is solely to coordinate the logistics around the on-site staff and be the go-to resource for their questions, issues and concerns.?
I also sometimes assign a client manager, whose role is to shadow our client and liaise directly on all questions and requests that arise. A typical use case for this role may be a high-profile client or executive who requires near instant attention.
Your turn: what are the key concerns you have when assigning your event staff, and what is your best tip for addressing them?
Mazda T. Miles, CMM, is the owner and chief strategist at Perfection Events in Philadelphia. The firm specializes in design, planning and production of meetings and events for corporations, associations, nonprofit organizations and public sector entities. Learn more at perfection-events.com or call 888-267-1859.