Event Staffing - Necessity or Unnecessary Expense?

Considering hiring event staff for your event? Check when their presence truly enhances event quality and when it's just a perceived benefit.

Event Staffing - Necessity or Unnecessary Expense?

Why Rethink the Question of Event Staff?

In the events industry, hiring promotional staff sometimes evokes extreme emotions. For some, it's an absolute necessity and an element of event professionalization; for others – an unnecessary expense or even an outdated practice. Stereotypes? Yes, but they have their roots in real experiences.

As an event organizer, you've likely faced this dilemma many times: should you hire event staff? How many people? What tasks should you entrust them with? And most importantly – is it really worth it?

In this article, we'll approach the topic rationally, without prejudice, based on real experiences from the events industry. Our goal is to help you make an informed decision that suits the nature of your event.

How Do Event Staff Actually Help?

Let's start with the facts – well-prepared event staff can genuinely support your event in several key areas:

First Impression

Are you aware that attendees form an opinion about your event within the first few minutes of arrival? Professional staff welcoming guests can significantly influence this first impression. It's not just about the smile – it's the ability to efficiently direct, provide precise information, and resolve potential problems before they develop.

Efficient Registration and Check-in

You know perfectly well that registration is one of the most critical moments of an event. Queues, confusion, lost attendees – these are factors that can ruin even the best-planned event. Well-trained staff can efficiently:

  • Verify attendees in the registration system
  • Issue badges and conference materials
  • Resolve non-standard situations (e.g., attendees not on the list)
  • Provide basic information about the program and logistics

Example? At a medical conference where we registered over 800 attendees, a team of six staff members processed the entire queue in less than 45 minutes – without stress, without confusion, with professionalism that was appreciated in evaluation surveys.

Navigation and Information

For complex events, especially those taking place in multiple rooms simultaneously, event staff become living information points. They direct attendees to the right rooms, inform about changes in the program, help locate catering areas or restrooms.

Importantly – they can do this in multiple languages, which is invaluable for international events.

Logistical Support

Extra hands during an event are always valuable. Event staff can support you in tasks such as:

  • Distributing and collecting simultaneous interpretation equipment
  • Controlling access to VIP zones or spaces with restricted access
  • Assisting during Q&A sessions (passing microphones)
  • Assisting with raffles, contests, or surveys

Promotional Activities

For trade shows or promotional events, staff can actively support marketing activities – distribute materials, encourage visitors to visit stands, collect contacts, or conduct short surveys.

Myths: When Event Staff Presence is a Perceived Benefit

Now let's move to the other side of the coin – situations where hiring event staff may be unnecessary or even counterproductive.

Myth 1: "Staff Always Increase the Prestige of an Event"

Unfortunately, unprepared or unprofessional staff can do more harm than good. Imagine this situation: an attendee asks about the location of a workshop room, and the staff member doesn't know the answer or, worse, provides incorrect information. The result? Attendee frustration and a negative impression that can affect the entire event.

Prestige is built on competence, not just the presence of "pretty faces" at the entrance.

Myth 2: "Looking Good is Enough"

This is the myth that most strongly influences the negative perception of the role of event staff. The professionalism of staff has nothing to do with their appearance – what matters is:

I remember an event where an agency sent two models with no training whatsoever. They looked stunning but couldn't answer the simplest questions from attendees. The result? We had to reassign our own employees to help, which disrupted our work.

Myth 3: "Event Staff are Always Needed"

If you're organizing a small workshop for 15 people or an internal company meeting, you probably don't need additional support. Similarly, if you have your own experienced team that can handle registration and information.

Representatives of certain industries, such as IT or scientific fields, sometimes consciously choose not to hire event staff, preferring a more substantive approach where even technical support can answer industry questions.

How to Assess Whether You Need Event Staff?

When deciding whether to hire event staff, ask yourself the following questions:

What is the Scale of Your Event?

If you expect over 100 attendees, especially arriving at similar times, additional support at registration can be invaluable. For smaller events, you might consider handling it with your own team.

What About Logistics and Space?

An event in a complex venue, with many parallel rooms and a complicated schedule, will likely require additional people directing attendee traffic. However, for a simple seminar in one room, event staff may be unnecessary.

Do You Need Language Support?

If your event is international and you don't have enough employees who speak foreign languages, staff with language skills can be invaluable.

What Internal Resources Do You Have?

Realistically assess your team's capabilities. If everyone has critical tasks assigned during the event, delegating them additionally to registration may reduce the quality of the entire undertaking.

What is the Nature of the Event?

For promotional, marketing, or sales events, staff can actively support the achievement of business goals. For scientific conferences or specialized training, their role may be more limited.

Practical Examples

Let's see how hiring event staff looks in real scenarios:

Scenario 1: International Medical Congress

Imagine a three-day congress with 1,200 doctors from around the world. The event takes place in a convention center with a plenary hall and eight smaller rooms where parallel thematic sessions are conducted.

In this case, a team of 12 staff members proved essential. Their tasks included:

After the first day, when the main registration wave passed, some staff were reassigned to other tasks, including supporting poster sessions and assisting with audience questions.

The key to success? All staff underwent thorough training the day before the event, received detailed instructions, and maintained constant contact with the event coordinator.

Scenario 2: Industry Conference with Exhibition

A two-day conference for 300 attendees combined with a mini-exhibition where 25 companies presented. In this case, the decision was made to hire:

Interestingly, more staff were initially considered for the exhibition area, but ultimately, exhibitors preferred to manage their booths independently as they wanted direct contact with potential clients and substantive conversations.

What are the Best Practices for Working with Event Staff?

If you decide to hire event staff, it's worth taking care of several key issues:

1. Quality Over Quantity

It's better to have fewer but well-trained staff than an army of unprepared people. During recruitment, pay attention to experience in serving similar events and language skills.

2. Detailed Briefing and Materials

Prepare a thorough description of tasks and work schedule. Provide staff with:

  • A venue map marking key points
  • Event agenda including changes and exceptions
  • List of frequently asked questions with answers
  • Contacts for persons responsible for specific areas

3. Ensure a Dress Rehearsal

If possible, organize a short training at the event venue the day before. Show staff the entire facility, explain the specifics of working with the registration system, practice potential problematic situations.

4. A Coordinator is Essential

Designate one person from your team for direct communication with event staff. This person should be easily accessible throughout the event and have the authority to make decisions in unusual situations.

5. Briefing Just Before Start

Even if you organized earlier training, conduct a short briefing just before opening the doors. This is the last chance to convey current information and remind everyone of key aspects.

6. Feedback

After the event, find time for a brief summary with the staff team. Learn what problems attendees encountered, what can be improved for future editions. This is valuable knowledge you won't acquire any other way.

Summary – What's Worth Remembering?

The decision to hire event staff should be well-thought-out and tailored to the specifics of your event. Remember a few key principles:

  1. Event staff are not decoration – their value lies in skills and competencies, not appearance.

  2. Attendee service quality matters – professional staff can significantly improve attendee comfort and overall evaluation of your event.

  3. Not every event requires staff – for smaller, simpler events or when you have your own team, you can confidently skip this element.

  4. Proper preparation is essential – even the best staff won't help if they don't receive proper information and guidelines.

Ultimately, the question "is it worth hiring event staff?" doesn't have a universal answer. Everything depends on the nature of your event, budget, and attendee expectations. The key is making a conscious decision based on real needs, not stereotypes or habits.

In my next article, I'll tell you whether it's better to hire event staff from an agency or recruit a team yourself!