Running an event involves a multitude of moving parts, so it’s no surprise that having a solid team of event staff behind you is the first step to success.
At Sidekicker we work with thousands of event staff, who have worked at events including Melbourne International Coffee Expo, The Night Noodle Markets and OpenAir Cinemas.
Here are 4 qualities to look at in your event staff:
1. Event Staff Must Have Experience
Experience is the difference between diffusing and aggravating an angry patron.
In the hospitality and events industry, being able to handle the inevitable tricky situations is a paramount skill for event staff.
Having a team that prides itself on customer service that is both empathetic but firm is something that all industries struggle with, and in a face-to-face setting, this is even more important.
When we onboard Sidekicks for hospitality and events shifts, we look at their overall experience, regardless on industry.
To us, experience is shown through people skills and ability to handle challenging situations tactfully.
“Sidekick Antonela was great at our event. It was so nice to work with someone who knew what they were doing and could take instructions and run with them.” – Jodie, Kur-ing-gai Council
2. Event Staff Must Be Flexible
Anyone who has organised an event knows how stressful it can be in the lead up and during the event. Flexibility is a important trait for event staff, as it translates to their ability to work well under pressure.
Event managers spend hours crafting contingency plans for a reason, and when they come into play, having a team that stays cool, calm and collected makes everything a lot less stressful.
3. Event Staff Must Be Available
It’s fantastic having experienced and flexible event staff, but they have to be available too.
The nature of the events industry means there are no set hours. Depending on the event, there can be early bump-ins, late night pack ups and multiple shifts.
Having event staff that are available to help you at the times that you need is crucial, because the last thing you need is to be stressed about being understaffed.
One of the reasons why we started Sidekicker is because we saw businesses struggle to keep up with demand when it came to staffing.
We also saw experienced workers who were looking to earn more money but didn’t know where to start. Starting our online marketplace with an on-demand workforce has united these two groups of people.
“Sidekicker has streamlined our staffing and made rostering a suitable team to each event so much easier. We can target the Sidekicks who work best with our brand; and create our own personalised pool of skilled staff.” – Victoria McNeice, Senior Event Manager, Blakes Feast
4. Event Staff Must Be Reliable
Being reliable means being punctual, accountable and seeing a job through. Event staff that have this quality can save you time and effort and give you peace of mind that you have a solid team behind you.
Even though event managers are natural multi-taskers, sharing the workload gives you more time to focus on your priority tasks, and reliable event staff are more than capable to handle the details.
These four qualities are by no means exhaustive, but they are the basics to look out for when hiring event staff.
Whether it’s a conference or a wedding, having experienced, flexible and reliable event staff that are available when you need them makes everything a lot less stressful.