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How to Execute Events on a Reduced Team

January 30, 2023

Teamwork is important for executing a successful event. Two heads are better than one, and this especially applies to event planning. With the event industry slowly growing back to pre-pandemic sizes, your team may not yet be as large as before. Here, we will look at how you can utilize a small team for event planning.

Building a Great Event Management Team: The Steps

Below are steps on building a great team to manage your event:

  • Define the traits you are looking for in staff

When you are looking to hire people for your event management team, there are certain traits you should watch out for. Check to see if they are disciplined, honest, good team players, empathetic and confident. Know what you are looking for in staff, and only hire once you find people with such traits.

  • Request for specific skills from applicants

Another way to choose the right people for your team is to ask for specific skills from applicants. Look for people who have good communication skills, know how to manage time, are resourceful, and have talents (like persuasion) that may benefit your management team.

  • Look out for relevant experience

Applicants should have an experience that relates to planning events in your industry. They should have worked in places and carried out duties that would make them capable of being part of an event management team. For example, your event manager should have management experience and be good at working under pressure. This way, they know how to execute their duties well.

  • Train your team

After selecting the right people for your team, you need to train them. Having the right qualifications is one thing, but an event requires great reliability. So, as an event planner, you need to train your team on what you expect from them. If you plan to introduce a new piece of tech, ensure that everyone is on board with it and is comfortable using it to execute the event.

Staffing Your Team - Who to Include in Your Event Planning and Management Team

Below are some of the crucial roles to look out for when hiring team members for your event:

  • Event Manager 

The event manager is in charge of making sure that the event runs smoothly. They work hand in hand with an event coordinator to oversee every process that goes into the planning and production of an event. The event manager is also responsible for the management of staff and resources. Due to how crucial this role is, an event manager is one of the first roles you should look out for. 

  • Marketing Lead 

The marketing lead is responsible for event promotion, ad campaigns, social media posting, invitations, and content creation. They ensure that the event publicity is top-notch and everyone gets to know about the event.

  • Design Lead

The design lead is responsible for your event's aesthetics. A great design lead should be able to represent you and your sponsors’ brand image effectively. Ensure that your design lead is involved in the earlier stages of your event planning so that they can represent the brand through multiple channels.

  • Event Operations Technologist

This person is in charge of all the operations in an event. They control the flow and sequence of events. The technologist ensures that all equipment is working well and sessions are moving as planned. They are involved with equipment purchase and maintenance.

Navigating Event Execution With a Reduced Team - Tips for Success

Having a successful event is the dream of every event planner. But you cannot bear the burden of executing that success alone. You need a team just as committed to the event as you are. Below are tips for how to execute an event on a reduced team:

  • Determine essential goals

When planning an event, lay out your goals and objectives. What do you want to achieve with this event? How many conversions do you want to make? How many products do you want to sell? After laying down your goals, assign duties to each team member. Make sure that each team member believes in your goals as you do.

  • Simplify your event

In the world of event planning, being reliable is often much better. As an event planner, you should make your event as straightforward as possible. Make your team's assignment understandable so they can find it easy to navigate and get the job done. 

  • Encourage the sharing of feedback

As an event planner, get feedback from your team. Ask questions at each step and know what is happening with each member. Ask the marketing lead how far promotions have gone, and enquire about issues they might face carrying out their duties. Feedback is one of the ways to ensure consistency in duties.

  • Promote upskilling 

Besides the specific skills that made you hire each team member, you should encourage upskilling. Let each member learn new skills while planning and managing your event. From being able to use project management software to using software to integrate the virtual and in-person parts of a hybrid event, having a team with relevant skills helps you stay on top of trends and deliver great events consistently.

  • Encourage flexibility 

As an event planner, you should encourage flexibility within your team. Each member should be able to take on the task of another without much hassle, even for a short period. Flexibility breeds creativity, and this can be essential for your event. 

Conclusion

Having a team you can rely on to help organize and execute your event is wonderful. Sometimes what you need is a small group of people that are effective and hardworking. With a great team and a reliable event partner like Performedia, you’re in a great place to create amazing events for your attendees consistently.