Capacity and staffing
How to onboard event crew before the day
Crew arrive from different sources, some for the first time, and each needs to know the same things before the doors open.
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The short answer
Crew onboarding gives every person the same five things: what the event is for, what their post is, who they report to, what they must not decide alone and how to reach help. Do it in two steps, a short written pack beforehand and a walk-through on site.
Keep it short enough to be read and specific enough to be used. A one-page post card beats a twenty-page manual.
What every crew member needs to know
Event basics: name, date, programme shape, who the guests are and the one thing the organiser most wants to go well. Their own post: where, what hours, what to do first, what to do if it goes wrong.
Reporting and escalation: one supervisor, one backup, and the point at which to call someone senior.
The decision sequence
- List who is coming and where they come from: staff, volunteers, agency crew, supplier crew. Each group may have a different employer and different rules.
- For each post, write a post card using your role descriptions. Include hours, tasks, tools and the supervisor's name.
- Prepare an event briefing page: guest profile, programme overview, key contacts and a map or floor plan from the venue.
- Send the pack ahead, with a date for questions and a way to confirm they have read it.
- Hold an on-site walk-through before doors open, post by post, at the real positions.
- Check competence on the tools they will use. Use the competency checklist and add a short practice for anything new, such as scanning attendee badges.
- Cover break arrangements and cover, from your break coverage plan, and who to see if they are unwell or need help.
- Close with a short question round and confirm each person knows their supervisor and the backup.
What to include in a post card
| Item | What it says |
|---|---|
| Post and location | Where to stand or sit, with a map reference. |
| Hours and breaks | Start, finish, break window and who covers. |
| Tasks in order | First 15 minutes, during the event, last 15 minutes. |
| Tools and access | What you will use, and who to ask if it fails. |
| Do not decide alone | Refunds, changes to the programme, anything involving a guest complaint or safety. |
| Escalation | Name and way of contact for the supervisor and the backup. |
| Standby and cover | Who covers your post and who to tell if you cannot come. |
Site-specific, safety and access matters
Venue rules, access arrangements, evacuation routes and any safety briefing are the venue's and the competent person's to give. Ask the venue what it requires crew to be briefed on, and in what form, and include that in your own onboarding.
Do not paraphrase safety information from memory. Hand over what the venue provides and note who delivered it and when.
Common pitfalls
- Onboarding happens in the car park, in ten minutes, on the day.
- Volunteers and agency crew receive different information from staff.
- The pack is long, so no one reads it and everyone asks the supervisor.
- Crew are told what to do but not what they must not decide.
- Nobody confirms they have received or read the pack.
Worked example · Fictional example
Onboarding a mixed crew of twelve for a one-day forum
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
A fictional professional association has twelve crew: five staff, four volunteers and three agency staff. The coordinator prepares post cards for six posts and a one-page event briefing, and sends them four days before with a request to reply 'read' by return.
On the morning, the supervisor walks the crew through the venue post by post for 25 minutes, including a practice scan at the registration desk. The venue's own briefing is delivered by the venue representative, and the supervisor records the time. Each person leaves knowing their supervisor, their backup and the three things they must refer upwards.
Use this yourself
Crew onboarding checklist
Copy this and tick each step with a date. Adapt the list to the number of posts and the groups of crew you have.
- List of crew by group (staff, volunteers, agency, supplier) with employer and contact for each
- Post card for every post: location, hours, tasks in order, tools, escalation
- One-page event briefing: purpose, guests, programme overview, key contacts, floor plan
- Pack sent with a date for questions and a way to confirm it was read
- On-site walk-through held at the real positions before doors open
- Tools practised on site (for example badge scanning or check-in screens)
- Break and cover arrangements explained to each person
- What each person must not decide alone, and who to refer to
- Venue briefing and safety information delivered by the venue or competent person, with time and name recorded
- Supervisor and backup known to every crew member
- Questions round held and answers added to the pack
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- The crew are few, the posts are simple and you can brief everyone in one session.
- Most crew have worked on your events before.
- The venue provides its own briefing and your supervisor can attend it.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several crew sources with different employers, rules or expectations.
- The event has multiple rooms or days and the briefing has to be repeated or updated.
- You do not have a supervisor with the time to run the briefing and handle questions on the day.
Want someone to run crew briefing and handover?
A conference project lead can prepare the post cards and event briefing with your team, run the on-site walk-through, coordinate what the venue and suppliers deliver and keep the pack updated. The organiser decides the posts and the standards; the project lead handles the preparation and coordination for the agreed scope.
Questions organisers ask
How long should onboarding take?
A written pack to read beforehand and a short on-site walk-through usually does it. Allow longer where tools need practice.
Do volunteers need the same onboarding as staff?
They need the same content for their post. Add what they need to feel looked after, such as where to take breaks and who to ask.
What about people who arrive late or at the last minute?
Keep a short version of the pack ready and have the supervisor give a two-minute briefing at their post.
Who gives the safety briefing?
The venue or the competent person for that topic. Ask what it requires and arrange it, rather than writing it yourself.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.