Festivals, concerts and other live events peak in summer – putting high pressure on event organisers to hire, train and manage the teams of skilled professionals who make it all happen. Experts from Coople, the platform that helps businesses plan and manage their flexible workforce, have prepared practical tips on onboarding and managing these staff, to efficiently deliver a flawless event.
Hiring
-
Avoid overlapping responsibilities: Narrow down the job descriptions when hiring. Limiting each role’s number of responsibilities will help keep things simple and avoid overstaffing, especially when team members are only on a short-term contract.
-
Trusted networks and flexible talent platforms: You and your colleagues may already have go-to crew members in your professional networks, and people you have worked with before may also be able to recommend trusted staff. Flexible talent platforms can also connect you with pre-vetted, trained professionals who are ready to step in straight away.
Training and onboarding
-
Health and safety requirements: When it comes to festivals and events, there are specific health and safety requirements. Make sure that all new hires receive any required relevant training for their role. For instance, stewards will need training on emergency evacuations based on the layout of the event space. You can also prepare a standardised training pack for all new starters.
-
Use a buddy system for new starters: Pairing up highly experienced staff and workers who are newer to this industry might help new starters learn quicker, as well as integrating them into the team and helping to facilitate teamwork.
Overseeing
-
Support your team leaders: Check in with your team leaders. It’s important that they have the right number of trained workers, enough support and direction from their own managers, and the autonomy they need to lead their team. If you are overseeing multiple teams, make sure nobody is overlooked.
-
Careful reporting and evaluation: Detailed reports and evaluation of how events go help create a clear picture of what’s going well and what could use improvement. Track things like whether there were any staffing issues or opportunities to reduce costs, and any feedback from attendees.
To run a successful festival or live event, a diverse range of professionals must work together, from hospitality and technical crews to security teams. Event organisers need to ensure that all shifts are staffed appropriately and that all workers receive any necessary training.
Jess Lee, Head of Operations at Coople, comments:
“When you’re running multiple events at once, the biggest challenge is getting every crew aligned fast. That means briefing them clearly on the schedule, key responsibilities, and the venue setup so they can hit the ground running. At the same time, event managers must keep a tight grip on budgets, bringing in exactly the right number of flexible staff for the right amount of time. That’s how you avoid costly overstaffing while still delivering a great experience for every attendee.”
