Pulling off a successful event or brand activation isn’t just about the management and logistics of an event. What makes a campaign a winner is the knowledge and passion of the staff who are representing your brand, as well as 4 key factors the event agency should be delivering on.
So, what makes a successful event staffing agency?
1. Understanding the Client’s Brief
A good event staffing agency should first ensure they understand what the client’s objectives are.
What are they trying to achieve and what will be a successful outcome for the brand? For example, if it’s a sampling campaign, does the client want quality or quantity interactions? Do they want to give out as many samples as possible to get their brand in the hands of hundreds or thousands of people? Or are they less concerned about quantity and would prefer the brand ambassadors to have quality engagement with every consumer they give products to, which would leave a lasting impression on consumers?
Getting this key objective wrong would have detrimental impacts on a client’s version of success, so it’s imperative that the agency understands the client’s brief.
2. Communication is Key
A transparent approach with clear and consistent communication between the agency and the brand, and the agency and its brand ambassadors is key.
The agency is the important link between the brand and its brand ambassadors. It’s all well and good for an agency to understand the client’s brief, but if they are not relaying that information back to the brand ambassadors, it will have a negative impact on the campaign. For the brand ambassadors to be able to represent the client’s brand to the best of their abilities, they need to understand the objectives. It’s up to the agency to ensure this communication is being relayed. It works both ways, as the brand ambassadors will have first-hand feedback that may be very important for the brand to hear, and the agency needs to ensure this is being passed on in the event debrief.
3. Flexibility
Flexibility is a must in events! Events can change rapidly because of the many moving parts involved and if an agency isn’t nimble enough to stay on the ball of these changes, it will have a dramatic impact on the event’s success.
The event agency should be able to make decisions quickly and be able to immediately act on changes to dates and times, staff being unavailable and wet weather plans. The agency should also have contingency plans for things like couriers not delivering uniforms and collateral on time. Because if anyone is going to let the event down, it’s going to be the damn courier! But with a flexible agency managing your event, problems like this will get resolved quickly and without fuss.
Over the years, the account management team at Black Diamond have learned that while you can’t always stop things from going off-plan, you can ensure continued event success by being prepared at all times for these types of scenarios.
4. Finely Selected Talent
Understanding the importance of matching the right staff to the right role is paramount.
Casual event staff have varying levels of skills, experience and abilities, and their placement on an activation should be tailored to their strengths, as well as the brand’s individual requirements. This way both the staff and the brand will benefit from being correctly matched. Outstanding promotional staff develop meaningful relationships with consumers by actively engaging with them while mirroring the brand’s values. Brand ambassadors should be able to work as an extension of that brand and it’s up to the agency to ensure they have matched accordingly.
Looking to get started with an event agency?
As a national event staffing agency, Black Diamond Agency has represented over 400 individual clients and thousands of brands and campaigns. We take huge pride in our ability to service our clients and exceed expectations.
Get in contact with us today for a free consultation.
