Effective Working from Home Strategies for Event Organisers.

Movement restrictions throughout Europe look uncertain to be lifted any time soon meaning that virtually all event organisers and their teams are forced to continue working from home. Organisers are hopeful to make their events happen in the latter part of 2021 but what are the effective strategies they can use to ensure planning logistics continue.  

Many event organising teams have been working from home for some time already but as event dates get closer the intensity of work will increase. Many event companies put their teams on furlough in 2020 and have been running on skeleton teams but as event dates start looming teams are being reactivated and suppliers need to be organised. How can event organisers ensure that this increased work load can be done effectively whilst all concerned are working remotely from home.

Communication and Collaboration.
The key to effective team work is communication so it's important to ensure that teams schedule regular virtual conference calls using free to use platforms like Zoom, Skype or Google Meet for example. These tools are easy to use and set up and the technology requirements are minimal meaning all team members should be able to access calls irrespective of their preferred platform or device. An event organising team manager should plan for these to occur at convenient times and ensure that each call has a purpose and goal. Aside from internal team calls virtual conference calls are also useful to coordinate with suppliers, contractors, vendors, sponsors, venues and volunteer teams.

Technology and Planning.
In addition to to regular conference calls event teams can also make use of the planning and logistics tools available that enable effective team collaboration. Popular tools include Slack and Trello for example that are great for collaboration and logistics planning. Also consider event specific software platforms that act as a central repository for an entire event's logistics planning and because many are available on the cloud, they can be accessed by event team members who need to managed specific aspects of the events logistics.

Health and Safety.
Event organising companies and team mangers should ensure that their teams remain positive and mentally healthy in these unprecedented times of working from home and virtual teams. Most people have adapted easily to this style of work but for some people it can be a challenge. Team managers should ensure that event teams are taking regular exercise and eating a healthy diet. Put aside times for non-work related activities using the conference call format and encourage team workouts and dinners for example or a simple Friday afternoon drink. This helps take to focus away from the conference call always being a serious ‘work only’ occurrence and introduces a bit of fun and closer teamworking. 

For any live event organisers planning their 2021 events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need to plan every aspect of their event in a virtual remote format. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors guestlists and ticketing.

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