Be particular about the staff you hire. They need to be motivated and enthusiastic, and not driven solely by the fact that they will be receiving money at the end of the day.
They should get a kick out of the events industry, or from being able to help and interact with people. Some of our staff enjoy chatting to and assisting attendees, while others like the planning aspect and helping to lay everything out neatly. Everyone is driven by different values, but still form part of a cohesive team that strives to make each and every event enjoyable for attendees and clients alike.
Most of our team are part-time staff, who help us out in-between their studies or full-time jobs – which is helpful if you do not yet have the budget which would enable you pay salaries to full-time staff.
Staff need to always be presentable, well turned out and pleasing to the eye – most of them have beaming smiles that could light up dark rooms, and this is one of the reasons for hiring them.
Staff also need to be able to make decisions on smaller matters, and be able to handle clients who are difficult or having issues, with a genuine grace and sense of care – people can pick up on whether you are genuine about their interests or not.
We train staff on various levels of responsibility, from basic registration, ushering and sales – through to more senior management roles such as overseeing registration, and venue set up.
Basic training covers elements such as what to wear on site, and why diligent registration is important. We cover basic sales training and how to use credit card machines, as well as administration processing.
Junior managers start taking responsibility for setting up the venue, overseeing the staff and making executive decisions on smaller events related decisions.
Junior managers are also trained to start noticing things such as water stations that need replenishing, if the air in venue is getting stuffy, or if supplies are running low and need replacing.
A big part of this industry is on-site experience, so train and guide your staff as best you can. The more they can handle, the less you have to – and this is the ultimate prize.
If you don’t run events that often, you can often hire staff through reputable companies, there are many in South Africa, see suggestions below. The rates are somewhat higher as you will be paying an agency fee direct to the agency who then in turn pay the staff. However it alleviates the stress of having to source, confirm, chase late arrivals etc – and in my experience all the hiring companies I have used in my time in the industry, the staff are on time, neatly turned out, helpful and eager.
Rent a Student: www.rent-a-student.co.za
Matchworks: matchworks.co.za
