July 4, 2022 | By Warwick Merry
It seems like you can’t look at any event site or event social media page without seeing the large number of adverts for staff. This is particularly important for onsite staff.
So how do you make the most of the staff you have or are able to bring on board?
The secret is systems and education.
As I write, I am sitting in Sydney Airport. I just ordered a couple of things at the cafe using the QR code sticker on the table. After a while, a team member from the kitchen brought my food up to the counter and asked the server “Who is this for?”
They looked around and then asked, “Did you order curly fries?” And you know I did. Who can resist curly fries?
Here’s the thing: I love ordering using the table QR code. I don’t have to leave my stuff, I can pay straight from my phone, I don’t have to queue up and it is all done really quickly. Also, it has a table number and a reference for the order.
The system should be that the kitchen staff or wait staff know what table it is or, at the very least, know it is for my table. They don’t need to ask. The system is smooth – if you follow it.
The same can be said for events. The registration process, the bump-in process, the lunch process – all of these processes have been designed to make the event as smooth as possible. No doubt they are constantly updated to ensure they remain so.
But do you staff know and follow the process?
This is often where there is a breakdown. New staff may not understand and old staff may have missed the new process. We need to make sure that we continually update our staff with our systems to get the most out of them. It’s a constant small action which can have collectively significant results.
For some of us, it has been a fair while since we were on the event floor. Things have changed a bit, particularly with hybrid events. Do your team know, and more importantly do they follow your systems and processes? And do they understand the importance of the process?
For a smooth and effortless event, you owe it to your delegates, sponsors and customers to ensure that they do.
Warwick Merry is a Certified Speaking Professional, dual Certified Virtual Presenter, recipient of the 2021 Global Outstanding Intrapreneur award, the 2022 Breakthrough Speaker Award and 2022 Nevin Award for service to the speaking industry. For over 20 years he has been hosting and producing online, hybrid and in-person events. He is the host of the Making Events Awesome livestream and Facebook group.