ALL ABOUT YOUR TEAM ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT – By Asif Zaidi

“Teamwork makes the dream work.”

Bang Gae

The quality of your team determines the quality of your event. It is better to appoint one of your team as the production manager to manage lighting, setting, staging, sound, and security. Here, let’s talk about how to facilitate effective event team management on site to execute different functions you may require on the day of the event.

YOUR TEAM ON THE DAY

BACKSTAGE

This includes all those people who your guests will not know about if your event goes well. These are the people who make everything happen as you desire. The size of the backstage team involved usually depends on the size of the event. Some of these are:

Lighting and Sound Technicians

Almost all events have some elements of lighting design and sound effects. Find out if the venue has their own lighting and sound team or you have to bring your technicians. Make sure to perform a mock execution of your sound and lighting plan before the event day.

Graphic Designers

Graphic designers help design and create content for your event. However, not every event requires a graphic designer. They are mostly needed for corporate or branding events. Make sure that your graphic designer gets everything ready at least two days before the event and has an operator on site on the day of the event to make sure that every time you need a certain display, it is on screen.

Riggers

Riggers help you put your setting and your stage together. When you need to assemble your own stage, they help you build it. Even on an all set venue you need riggers because there are always things that you may want to move from one place to another.

Event Controller

Event controller is a must for large outdoor events, with multiple radio communication channels, where someone needs to make sure that all messages are reaching the right people. However, smaller events do not need an event controller. Generally, the event controller is stationed in a booth with all communication channels open to liaise with all concerned staff, particularly security staff. She records all activity throughout the event, including security incidents, number of visitors, and anything else that you want to know about after the event.

Show Caller

A show caller is needed at events with speakers or audio-visual content. The show caller makes sure that everybody keeps to time in accordance with an already established running order. ShEvent team managemente is backstage with a clipboard and a microphone directing the crew. For a stage show this person makes the calls for varying sound, music, lighting, and videos as required.

Helper

Your event team management should include a helper who handles all the little jobs that come up during the course of the event. Regardless of the extent of planning, there are always small things that need to be handled on the spur of the moment. The number of such people you need for an event depends on the size of the event.

In-House Staff

If you have hired a venue then generally they provide you with some of their own staff. Sometimes they are there to merely ensure that you adhere to the contract with the venue and some other times they are available to carry out some of the functions you need performed on the day of the event. They need to be supervised by one of your people to make sure that they complete tasks as per your expectations. A technical meeting with the venue staff prior to the event is helpful in preventing any surprises.

IN THE FRONT

These are the people from your team who interact with guests and the audience. Depending on the venue, some of these people may be provided by the venue and some may be your own people. Some of these folks are:

Hosts

Hosts are an important part of your team as these are the first people who your guests meet and, thus, they carry the image of your brand. Anyone who handles your guests on the day of the event has to be a good representative. While selecting hosts you have to opt for people who can sustain or enhance your image and are trained to speak to guests. Hosts can have different roles such as welcoming people, making registrations, showing around, providing expert advice, or roaming with microphones. Make sure that you organize a briefing meeting with the hosts to explain their roles and what they should convey while talking to the guests.

Announcer

This is the person making announcements to your guests on the public address system but not the MC or the anchor. The idea is to provide clear guiding information. This is a simple and small task and can be performed, without training, by anyone with a clear voice.

Waiters

Make sure that the waiters used at your event are properly trained and dressed. For better coordination, it is advisable to source the waiters from the caterer at the event.

Security Personnel

If your event requires security staff who may have to interact with your guests, make sure you have people who know how to behave properly with your guests.  

EVENT TEAM MANAGEMENT ON THE DAY

You will enjoy leading your team on the day. Event team management is all about the hard work you have put into the preparation, it will feel worth it as you see it all coming together. Whether you have only one person with you or a large team handling the event, teamwork is essential for your plans to come through. Event teamwork

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

You need to ensure clear and timely communication with your team during the live event. Here is how you go about it:

Prior Team Briefing

Get your team together prior to the event day and make sure that the roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and are understood by all concerned. Set aside a few minutes for a quick meeting with the team just before the event, especially if there have been some late changes in the plan.

Security Briefing

Make sure that all security points are understood by your team to be able to handle any emergency. These points may include:

  • Security Procedures in accordance with the law and the venue and your business’s policies.
  • Emergency and fire exits in the venue.
  • The numbers to reach out to in the event of an accident.
  • Who is the trained first aider to contact, if required.
  • Any specific security or safety issues.

Communication Channels

People must know who to talk to for what and how the person can be reached. For bigger and well spread out events, walkie-talkies are a must. You can also set up several channels on radios for the different teams so that each team can freely communicate among themselves, with conversation limited to those who need to hear.

Personal Identifications

It is important for all involved in organizing a big event so that people can recognize one another. Simplest way of ensuring identification is to have people wear their name badges or lanyards. If you want to get some branding mileage, then you can have them all wear identical branded T-shirts.

TAKING CARE OF YOUR TEAM

The number one event team management tip? Only a happy team can deliver the performance you envisage on the day of the event. Your team may be working long hours and doing hard manual labour, the least you can do is to provide food for them. Add crew catering in your production schedule. Make sure that they work in a dry, warm, and conducive environment.

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Asif Zaidi

Asif has authored four widely selling books -Happiness: A way of Life, The Stuff of Life, Sell to Excel, and Face Time. He also blogs at masrif.net and he also blogs about logistics . Subscribe and get Daily Life Tips from this Youtube Channel The Stuff Of Life

25 thoughts to “ALL ABOUT YOUR TEAM ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT – By Asif Zaidi”

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