The success of an event is determined by the event staff, the success of the event staff is determined by the hiring process, be it in-house or via an agency. Hiring promotional staff comes with common but incredibly avoidable mistakes that can impact your event’s outcomes.
Through experience, knowledge and market understanding we wanted to piece together the areas of event staffing that seems to appear time and time again. There’s a solution for all of these problem areas, it’s just getting into the habits of overcoming them with the use of technology and intuition.
12 Biggest Mistakes that Recruiters Make When Hiring Promotional Staff
Here goes…
1. Lack of Understanding of the Event
It’s vital that pre-event you, your event staff and everyone else involved has a firm understanding of the actual event. The program, the market, the industry, the attendee’s demographics and so on. Why?
Because when you look to hire the right the promotional staff, it’s important that you start your search by looking for staff that will fit in right away. It’s no secret that if a staff member has experience or knowledge of the industry or market then it would be wise to approach them first, then working your way down the relevancy of staff.
When promotioanal staff are well prepared and understand the event it ensures that they can deal with any questions that come their way and understand what the goal of the event is – lead generation, sampling, photos etc – which are measures of success of the event. Successful goals = successful event = repeat clients.
2. Not Aligning Staff Skills with Event Needs
Touching back on the point above – the event goals – it helps to understand right at the beginning what the aim of the event is. Is it lead generation? Is it to simply sample as much product as you can to get the most exposure? Or is it to walk around and scout people out for photo opportunities?
The point is that each event, each client will have different requirements and as the event staff is on the frontline, they need to have the right capabilities to complement the goals of an event.
Filter staff based on event goals, so consider key factors such as experience both in terms of previous events and to a lesser extent if their educational background is in line with the event, for example, a marketing event – in this case someone with a marketing degree or certification would be able to engage in more deeper, articulated conversion simply due to the fact they have some form of understanding.
3. Hiring Based on Looks Alone
Yes, it’s true—appearance can play a part, especially in certain industries. But hiring promotional staff based solely on looks is a trap. True success lies in personality, professionalism, and presence. You want staff who can interact confidently, make genuine connections, and represent your brand with authenticity. When you focus on skills over aesthetics, you set your team up for meaningful, impactful engagement.
4. Overlooking Communication Skills
Your staff needs to do more than smile; they need to communicate effectively. Engaging with attendees, answering questions, and presenting your brand with clarity and charisma are non-negotiables. Overlooking this can lead to missed connections and a loss of potential leads. When hiring promotional staff, look for those who can connect easily, speak confidently, and bring your brand story to life.
5. Slow Recruitment Process
This can be blamed due to two factors – technology and time. The reason being that recruiting event staff in the traditional way of using spreadsheets to locate staff, contact individually and wait for response adds a lot of time to the process.
Then you factor in event planning and management then it’s safe to say your time is spread thinly across multiple areas, not ideal for delivering a quality event let alone hiring the perfect staff.
So with old school technology such as spreadsheets then having to go through the process of finding, interviewing and hiring event staff you can see where the recruitment process can take too long. Another key factor to consider is that some staff may pull out at the last minute which inevitably means going back to the spreadsheet and finding suitable candidates to start the process all over again.
6. Checking for the Cheapest Staffing Agency
Sometimes, cutting costs can cut quality. Selecting the cheapest staffing agency may sound like a budget win, but it often results in underqualified or unmotivated staff. If the staff lacks engagement or experience, your event suffers. When hiring promotional staff, be careful with prioritizing cost over value. Reliable agencies might cost more, but they often come with seasoned professionals ready to elevate your event experience.
7. Inadequate Briefing
An inadequate briefing can leave staff unprepared to represent your brand effectively. Ensure your team understands the brand, products, and event goals. A well-briefed team can better interact with attendees, answer questions, and provide a memorable experience. Before the event, communicate key messages, objectives, and any FAQs they might encounter, ensuring they feel equipped and confident.
8. Neglecting Professionalism
Promotional staff are the face of your brand at the event, so professionalism is non-negotiable. Staff should maintain a polite, respectful demeanor and a polished appearance that aligns with your brand standards. Neglecting professionalism can create a poor impression on attendees, affecting your brand’s reputation. Be clear about your expectations around conduct and attire from the start.
9. Last-Minute Hiring
Waiting until the last minute to hire staff often limits your options and can affect the quality of hires. Planning ahead allows for a wider pool of candidates, thorough vetting, and time for training and preparation. Hiring promotional staff well in advance helps ensure they are prepared and well-suited to the role, which ultimately enhances the event experience.
10. Inadequate Training
Simply hiring staff isn’t enough—they also need adequate training. Training sessions covering objectives, brand values, and product knowledge help staff perform confidently and consistently. Without proper preparation, staff may seem unprofessional or unengaged, resulting in missed engagement opportunities. Equip them with a clear understanding of your brand and expectations so they can represent you effectively.
11. Poor On-Site Management
Assigning a dedicated point of contact for staff during the event can ensure smooth operations. Having one person manage communications, troubleshoot issues, and provide support reduces confusion and creates a positive environment. Treating staff with respect and providing clear directions also maintains morale, which helps ensure they’re motivated and engaged throughout the event.
12. Failing to Review Staff Details
So you’ve managed to get the team in place, you know which event staff you want, you have lined them up and are awaiting the event.
Did you find out what clothing size they may need? Do they have any allergies? Location? Do they know the code to access the door? Are they actually suited for this team? Is the team full?
For a seasoned event planner or manager these may seem like trivial questions to ask yourself, however, these are the questions that are vital as clothing needs to be fit, allergies need to be known and the staff needs to know exactly where to go and how.
A simple checklist in most cases will suffice but in the fast-paced world of events and depending on the event staff numbers you can find yourself scrolling through spreadsheets in a panic from time to time.
Overview
The mistakes outlined above are all common yet avoidable. With technology and attention to detail, overcoming these challenges in hiring promotional staff is simpler than you might think. The Liveforce platform offers tools to streamline the hiring process, from a dedicated event staff database and crew job app to payroll management and scheduling.
Liveforce enables efficient, organized hiring without the reliance on spreadsheets or multiple platforms, saving time and reducing errors. You can access rich-content profiles to filter candidates by specific requirements and review ratings from past roles to select the best team.
All of these key features were designed to ensure that event staff can be hired, managed and paid without diving into multiple spreadsheets and wasting valuable time and money.
Event staff have rich-content profiles meaning that key information can be seen at the click of a button, filter through potential candidates with requirements such as driving licenses and read reviews and ratings from previous roles too.
With successful event staff hiring there needs to be a laser-like focus to ensure requirements are met, the right staff is hired and you know why the staff member suits the event. The Liveforce platform does all of this and then some ensuring easy staff hiring for your event.
Try Liveforce today and bring your event vision to life!
