06.14.21
By Lisa Major
When planning an experiential marketing event or brand activation, effective event staffing is essential. Having a dedicated team of enthusiastic event staff to engage consumers and attendees is the key to a successful activation because, without them, your efforts will fall flat. However, with so many other things on your plate, taking the time to source and hire the right people can be overwhelming.
Whether you decide to take on staffing an event yourself or partner with an experienced event staffing agency, the following tips will help you stay on track.
You spend countless hours planning every detail of your experiential marketing activation to make it spectacular, from scouting out the perfect venue to clever engagement tactics. Often, staffing is one of the last pieces of the planning puzzle, and unfortunately, waiting too long can hurt your entire activation. You want the best of the best representing your brand, and to get that, you need to plan well in advance to ensure you have enough time to source, vet, and train your event staff.
Your staff is a direct representation of your brand, serving as the face and voice of the product or service, and as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Your event staff can make or break your activation, and after all the time and effort you spend on reaching your goals, the last thing you want is subpar staff.
When you budget for your event staff, consider the role itself and the responsibilities that come with it. For example, a brand ambassador for a simple street team sampling won’t carry the same weight as a product specialist at a trade show. The venue and event also play a role in the budget. The larger the event, the more competition you will have, and you will need to offer an attractive rate to compete with other brands that are activating at the same event.
Recruiting qualified candidates for your experiential activation is only the tip of the iceberg. You also need to make sure that they have the experience and personality to represent your brand to the fullest. This can only be achieved by taking the time to interview them personally, whether it’s over the phone or via video conferencing.
Tailor the interview to your program’s needs to find the right person. For example, if you are looking for a poised product demonstrator, they need to be well-spoken and have the ability to speak confidently without fumbling through the interview process. On the flip-side, if you have a sampling campaign, your brand ambassadors need to have an outgoing and bubbly personality to approach customers and relay brief talking points.
Interviewing may seem time-consuming, but in the long run, putting in the effort will benefit you beyond belief.
Training your staff is just as important as finding the right people to represent you. When your team is armed with the right tools to represent your brand adequately, they can carry on a conversation with consumers, relay your messaging, and answer questions about your product or service effortlessly. This exudes authenticity, and in today’s world, that is what consumers want and expect.
From the day you hire your event staff to the days following event execution, communicating with them is critical. Most brand ambassadors and freelance event staff work on multiple projects and because of this, you should connect with them often to serve as a booking reminder. As the activation day nears, loop them in on final event details and confirm that they are all set. After the event, send a follow-up email or text to thank them for their time and remind them of any outstanding items you need (event reports, photos, parking receipts, etc.).
If the thought of hiring event staff on your own is daunting, partner with a nationwide staffing agency to handle your needs. Veteran agencies will have pools of experienced brand ambassadors, promotional models, trade show staff, and more in cities nationwide. They can take on the task of recruiting, interviewing, onboarding and managing the team so you can focus on the bigger picture.
With almost two decades of experience, ATN Event Staffing has the expertise needed to onboard the right staff for your campaign, allowing you to succeed and reach your goals every time. If you are looking for a dedicated and experienced event staffing partner, we are here for you.
