How to Staff Conventions and Expos Efficiently: Tips & Best Practices

What does it take to pull off conventions and expos? Is it substantial funding? High-profile speakers? Expansive venue? The answer is yes. However, that’s not all. If you want your convention or expo to leave a lasting impression on attendees long after the event, the first and most crucial step is developing a strategic plan for efficient staff management.

Today, we explore key tips and best practices in efficiently staffing conventions and expos, from recruiting to optimizing schedules and improving on-site coordination. 

How to Staff Conventions and Expos Efficiently

Conventions and expos are typically large-scale events where professionals and businesses connect, showcase products, and share industry insights. While they differ slightly in their focuses, conventions focusing on discussions and learning, and expos highlighting products and services, their goals align to foster networking, education, and business growth.

Whether you are staffing a convention or an expo, here are seven actionable tips and best practices to staff them efficiently and effectively. 

1. Define Event Objectives and Staffing Needs

By first defining your objectives and staffing needs before beginning the event staffing process, you gain a clear understanding of your requirements and can communicate them more effectively. This clarity not only helps you find the right team but also allows potential staff to assess whether their skills and qualifications align with your event’s needs. Not to mention, defining staffing needs provides you with a more realistic number of staff to employ. This prevents overstaffing, understaffing, confusion, and overlapping roles.

2. Carry Out Hiring, Onboarding, and Training

With solid details on the event objectives and staffing needs, it's time to start the recruitment process formally. Starting from hiring, make sure to diversify your hiring channels and post the job openings on different platforms online and offline. In addition, don’t shy away from asking for recommendations from staff or partners. Keep in mind that hiring should be quick but still rigorous, and carefully screen each candidate and their abilities. Also, consider staff character; seek staff who can predict attendee needs and handle high-stress situations. When you’ve found the right applicants for your team, contacted them, and finished the negotiation or discussion on the work, start the onboarding process, providing them with all the information they will need about the event and their role.

Hiring and onboarding the right staff is only half the battle. Proper training is just as crucial. Do note that even experienced candidates with the right skills and attitude may still need to learn specific or unique skills for your event. Providing clear training ensures your team is well prepared, improving efficiency, professionalism, and the overall event experience.

Do you feel like investing in employee training is a liability for your agency? This article might just change your mind. Here’s a comprehensive guide on why you should prioritize employee training and development.

3. Utilize Event Management Software to Streamline Staffing Operations

Over the years, event management software has been an invaluable tool that many event professionals utilize. Hence, it is not surprising that it is steadily gaining traction and growing in market size. Utilizing event management tools comes with various benefits, such as improved coordination, reduced manual errors, and enhanced real-time responsiveness. Nowadays, there is a wide range of event management software to choose from, each packed with unique tools and functionalities. 

If you're still on the hunt for the perfect event management solution, StaffConnect is no doubt a must-try! StaffConnect is a cutting-edge management software that provides a comprehensive platform for event management and staffing. From efficient onboarding to seamless communication before, during, and after events, as well as payroll processing and data collection, StaffConnect is designed to simplify the entire process. Get to know more about StaffConnect’s features that can help in event staffing here.

4. Schedule Sufficient Staff Coverage

Poor scheduling of your staff can cause operational inefficiencies, overwhelmed employees, delayed services, and a negative attendee experience, ultimately affecting the overall success of your event. To avoid these mishaps, focus on proper shift planning to ensure your team has the right mix of staff for different tasks, such as registration, security, catering, and guest assistance. Additionally, ensure that your staffing levels are adequate for the number of attendees, especially during peak hours.

5. Organize Pre-Event Orientation and Walkthrough

Expos and conventions are usually frequented by businessmen and reputable guests so ensuring your staff are prepared is essential. One effective way to achieve this is by organizing pre-event orientation and walk-through. 

When you familiarize staff with the venue, event schedules, and their specific responsibilities, you can minimize last-minute confusion that can arise on the event day. Staff’s knowledge of the layout and logistics also gives them a confidence boost, enabling them to assist attendees more effectively. This level of preparedness ultimately contributes to a smoother operation and a more positive atmosphere during the event.

6. Set Up a Centralized Communication System

Centralized communication in modern workplaces is indeed a game-changer not just in offices but also in events. With a centralized communication system, you can instantly notify staff about schedule changes, task assignments, and emergencies, minimizing delays and confusion. More importantly, it enables seamless interaction between different departments, such as security, catering, and logistics. This fosters better teamwork and faster problem-solving during events. What’s more, a centralized communication channel enables you to track message delivery and responses to confirm that staff have received critical updates and improve transparency, which is crucial for staff accountability. 

7. Collect Feedback and Assess Staffing Efforts

Even if you’re new to event staffing, you likely understand that mastering it takes time and requires ongoing improvement. A key part of this process is gathering the right data from staff. Their feedback can help identify logistical challenges, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement that may not be immediately visible to staffing managers or agencies.

After your event, don’t overlook collecting feedback from your staff, whether it’s in the form of online or paper surveys, one-on-one interviews, polls, or more. At the same time, consider providing feedback to staff. In case you missed it, 96% of employees say receiving regular feedback is a positive thing. Following data collection, assess your staffing efforts by identifying patterns, strengths, and areas for improvement. Analyze factors such as shift coverage, task distribution, and staff performance to determine what worked well and what needs adjustment. Finally, use these insights to refine your scheduling, enhance communication, and implement strategies that optimize efficiency for future events.

Streamline Conventions and Expos Staffing With StaffConnect

Leave staffing stress in the past with StaffConnect’s seamless solutions for conventions and expos staffing. StaffConnect provides a comprehensive suite of tools designed specifically for event and staff management. With a centralized communication hub, your team can experience instant messaging and automated reminders, ensuring everyone stays aligned throughout the event. Its real-time GPS check-ins and check-outs accurately monitor attendance and logging of work hours while the encrypted database protects staff records, giving you peace of mind. To simplify operations even more, StaffConnect integrates scheduling tools, payroll management, and performance analytics, reducing the burden on your team. Schedule a free demo today to learn more!