We all know planning an event is a challenge. However, hiring event staff is one way to reduce the weight off your shoulders. Whether you have a small or large event, calculating the team members required for an event is critical to providing an excellent experience to the attendees. So, how much staff do you need for an event? Here you will find some guidelines to help you estimate.
Factors that alter the number of staff you need.
The general rule is to hire one staff member per 50 guests. However, to calculate the number of contractors or additional staff you require, you have to analyze the roles most relevant, the logistics, the event’s target audience, the venue resources, in-house help, and the experience of your hires.
The roles in your event.
You can divide the staff required m by function. For example, the registration staff, trade show booth staff, management team, technical staff, etc. Following, you will find some rules of thumb that can help you estimate how many people you will need to hire for your event:
- Management team: a good rule of thumb is to have a professional per 50 to 100 attendees.
- General staff: you require approximately five professionals per 100 attendees.
- Security staff: you require a security agent per 100 attendees in an indoor event. You may need a security guard per 50 attendees in more complicated events.
- Food servers staff: you will require one server per 25 guests, one bartender per 50 guests, and one bartender assistant per 75 attendees.
The logistics.
The specific logistics arrangement on the particular day of the event defines how many teams you require.
Take the registration staff as an example. As a general rule, you can estimate you require a person to help with registration per 50 attendees. But if the event hours are precise, for example, if guests arrive in a 1-hour to 2-hour window, you will need more staff to handle all registrations simultaneously. Whereas if your guests arrive throughout the day, you may need less staff because they can perform the activities in 6 hours up to 10 hours.
The number of attendees.
The specific amount of people you will need to serve affects the number of people you will need to hire—for example, trade show booth staff. The bigger the booth, the higher the staff number. The general rule in the event staffing industry is to hire two staff members for a 10×10 booth and add another member for every additional 100 square feet (9.29 m²) of booth space.
The target audience.
If you have a VIP or exclusive event, you will need more staff to guarantee the attendees receive the service they expect from these luxury events. Other than the customer service staff, you will need additional staff such as security.
Venue Resources.
If you rent an external venue, sometimes the service includes some venue personnel that can help you in your event. In general, four and five-star venues have an entire staff of help ready to assist you in the circumstances you require.
Consider that not all the venues include this service, so ask before your event. If you have previously celebrated events in that location, you can count that staff out of your budget. But if it is the first time you organize an event in that property, have an extra team at hand in case you require them.
Company in-house help.
If you have internal staff from your company that can help you with specific activities in your event, you can avoid hiring additional external staff. An internal supplemental team is an excellent alternative since they know the company internally and can discuss its activities and mission.
Remember, an event requires time and exceptional customer service abilities. Therefore, the people from your company you choose must have their schedule free to give superb service and have the skills and aptitude to meet the tasks successfully. They will need additional training to perform the activities you need them to do.
Experience of your hires.
If you rely on volunteers or inexperienced staff, you will need to hire more staff to perform the same activities an experienced team can do in less time. Also, be mindful that if you hire very young or elderly staff, you will need to hire more help.
Do you require help staffing your event?
These guidelines give you insight into calculating the number of people you need to hire for your event. If you need to hire a professional crew for your event, RMG Staffing can help you. We can screen and recruit the team you require for your event. Contact us!
We look forward to working with you.
