This chapter discusses the complications of staffing international events

1. Chapter Five: Staffing
international events

2. Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, the student will be expected to:
• Understand the working environment of international events
• Recognise the different responsibilities of people working in an event
• Appreciate the importance of training staff for the various roles required to
deliver international events
• Understand how appropriate staffing and planning contributes to the safety of
the event

3. Introduction
• Every international event is unique.
• What remains a constant throughout is the need for co-production between a range
of staff and organisations who are directly involved in the delivery.
• These efforts are made by a variety of stakeholders.
• The amount of people (human resources) required to deliver an international event
can range from a small community of volunteers to a mass of teams and
departments managing billion-dollar budgets and multiple sectors.
• They ca be organised by heads of state, eminent celebrity figures, steering groups,
supervisory boards, contractors and committees that can make the calculating and
management of all those involved an enormous task of ingenuity.
• The most important aspect of planning and preparation is the people involved in
carrying out these tasks. Therefore, this chapter will focus on how international
events are brought together and delivered, and the roles involved.

4. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
The working environment
• Anyone who gets to work on an international event will come to an
understanding that the work is hard, the hours are long, but the rewards can be
worth all the effort.
• You get to work with inspirational people, create amazing experiences for
people and no day is ever the same.
• No international event organiser is the same, and everyone takes a different
path to get into the industry (Walker, 2017).
• International events represent a fascinating and challenging area of work in
terms of the structure and dynamics of the employment environment (Baum et
al., 2009).

5. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Building the team
• Tomlin (2013) suggests that the keys to success in building any event workforce
are:
 Attention to detail
 Brilliant recruitment and selection
 Brilliant induction and training
 Brilliant communications and engagement
 Allow people to bring their true personalities to the role
 Allow leaders to role-model and lead – leaders need to be the change they need to see
happen.

6. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
SKIPPA
• There are six attributes an international event will require to provide the best
possible experience for its stakeholders.
• These are easily remembered by using the mnemonic SKIPPA, which lists the
attributes as:
 Skills
 Knowledge
 Infrastructure
 People
 Power, and
 Assets.

7. Figure 5.1:
SKIPPA, the six
characteristics
for international
event delivery

8. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Employ or contract?
• One of the predominant reasons for hosting an international event is employment.
• For many of the positions the event will need to fill, there will be a decision on
whether to offer a contract of employment or to contract the work to a third party.
• As the majority of the companies engaged in the event industry are either sole
traders or SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), a full range of employment
options will be put into use.
• Many of the jobs that need to be filled before, during and after the event will follow
the regular pattern of employment the event industry has adopted the world over for
many years. This is what makes the event industry such a unique working
environment.
• One organisation might have the overall responsibility for delivering the event. They
will then in turn engage with a large number of contracted organisations to supply
the multitude of resources required to make it happen.
• Each of these organisations will specialise in an aspect of the event’s needs.

9. Figure 5.2: A
representative
example of the
suppliers contracted in
to assist in the delivery
of a large-scale
outdoor festival
Source: Adapted from
Ryan and Kelly, 2017

10. Figure 5.3The rise and decline of staff requirements, or a pulsating event
workforce
Source: Adapted from Toffler, 1990

11. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Contracts and agreements
• As with a number of international event management matters, proper legal
advice should always be sought.
• Dealing with contracts and agreements is certainly one of those matters.
• In the grand scheme of things, there is not that much difference between the
two, but contracts can become less flexible in light of a disagreement.
International events tend to lean more towards contracts as a trail of
responsibility is necessary at all levels.
• Agreements, however, can form the basis of many arrangements within an
event organisation.

12. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Riders
• An essential aspect of many international events is an attached rider. Described
by the OED as follows:
• A supplementary clause in a performer’s contract specifying particular
requirements for accommodation, food, drink, etc. Also (chiefly British): the
items so specified or provided; (hence) an additional fee paid in kind to a
performer, usually in the form of food and drink.
(OED, 1989)

13. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Codes of conduct
• A code of conduct is intended to make clear in a statement the rules, values,
ethical principles and vision of a business or organisation.
• Having a code of conduct provides those involved with clear standards and
expectations of how to perform when representing the business as an
employee.
• A code of conduct can be an important part in establishing an inclusive culture,
but it is not a comprehensive solution on its own.
• An ethical culture is created by the organisation’s leaders who manifest their
ethics in their attitudes and behaviour (McMillan, 2012).

14. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Training and recruitment
• All of an event’s workforce, regardless of their pay or position, should be
expected to know their responsibilities and in return expect to be managed
competently.
• Therefore, having a proper and fit for purpose training programme in place is
central to both the experience and the retention of those with reason to show a
full commitment to the event and the organisation.
• In order to better recruit and retain paid staff and volunteers, there is a need to
identify the means by which to enhance their overall workplace satisfaction or
the volunteer experience (Costa et al., 2006).
• The reputation of an event or company can quickly wear away if the
management of paid staff and volunteers turns out to be an unsatisfactory
experience. Deploy too many volunteers and there is often nothing to do, deploy
too few staff and the event is in danger of succumbing to a host of health and
safety issues.

15. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Volunteers
• Non-technical event volunteers are generally employed in behind-the-scenes
roles to assist with the smooth running of the event.
• There is no doubt as to the importance of their contribution. Recruiting,
retaining, and managing volunteers are some of the most challenging tasks for
any event organisation.
• As with most aspects of events, early planning is essential to the success of the
operation.
• Many events will attract large numbers of people who are prepared to volunteer.
Determining the applicant’s suitability for a role is a big challenge as time is
usually limited and applicant numbers are high.

16. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Calculating volunteer numbers
• There is no simple answer to predicting the number of volunteers required; the
eventual number will be based on the specifics of the event itself.
• Questions the organisers will need to answer include:
 What is the predicted attendance for the event?
 How many venues does the event cover and how widespread is it?
 How long will the event be on for?
 How big an issue are the security concerns
 What is the overall profile of the event? Spectators, participants etc.

17. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Training
• The key themes to the training are customarily based around security, and
health and safety.
• Training requires an uncomplicated means of understanding with a widespread
level of knowledge.
• This is largely achieved by training people in important protocols through a
variety of potential situations. Real examples should be discussed where
possible.
• A common method to explain complicated scenarios is to use memorable
acronyms or mnemonics.

18. Figure 5.6: The ‘I
DO ACT’ mnemonic
used for all Games
Maker training
Source: Based on
Games Maker
training
presentation, 2011

19. Figure 5.7: The
HOT protocol for
unattended
items
Source: Based
on LOCOG
training, 2011

20. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Stewarding and security
• The need to engage security and stewarding staff is often overlooked at some
smaller international events, particularly at the embryonic stage.
• This is because, for many international events, arrangements to appoint a
professional security firm or to even have any kind of visible safety staff is not a
legal necessity.
• There is, of course, the ignorant belief that ‘it’ll never happen to us’ which seems
evident at many international events.
• On the other hand, larger international events may need to convey a frontline
presence of security and stewards with a constant visibility that is paramount to
the overall experience and satisfaction of those attending.

21. Figure 5.8:
The threefold
role of
security

22. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Marshalls
• Many international sporting events will require a skilled team of marshals to
undertake a number of key roles to ensure the safety of participants and
spectators.
• Unlike security staff and stewards, marshals will often have access to some
parts of the field of play.
• Events that are conducted on streets such as bike races, marathons and motor
races all rely on the skills of marshals. Much of their role is route management
and requires a detailed examination of the route prior to the event or stage of
the event.
• Even after many planning inspections have been completed, marshals will
conduct further inspections

23. Figure 5.9:
The Tour de
France
convoy
Source:
Author,
based on
Gough and
Taylor, 2014

24. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Third sector engagement
• The third sector is a term used to describe a range of organisations that are
neither public sector nor private sector.
• These community and voluntary organisations play a vital role in the delivery of
many international event services.
• Their contribution is arguably the most valuable resource in international event
management.
• It originates from a broad range of support agencies and organisations that
contribute to the overall safe and acceptable delivery of events.
• From providing volunteers to liaising with local residents, their contribution is
often very much underestimated.
• They are the secret army of operations, the glue that binds events, the people
with a local understanding

25. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Volunteer tourism (voluntourism)
• With the greater mobility of people, the concept is currently one of the fastest-
growing travel trends.
• It consists of individuals using their annual leave or free time to work for
international development programmes such as UNICEF, Save the Children,
CARE International, and World Vision.
• In this context, it has come under a great deal of criticism, largely due to the lack
of long-term commitment, short-term altruistic gain and a lack of relevant skills
being brought to volunteer sites (Freidus, 2017). However, international events
can be a much better fit.
• Due to the requirements of both international events and volunteer tourism,
there are numerous benefits that are well suited to both the event and the
tourist.

26. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Sharing the challenge
• Managers of international events will face numerous challenges in the planning
of an event. The bigger its scale, the more complications and responsibilities
there are to deal with.
• The world’s biggest sporting events have become complex and transformative
undertakings over the past 30 years, with costs often exceeding US$10 billion
(Müller, 2015).
• Therefore, it is to be expected that major challenges of one sort or another will
also occur during the planning process.
• Many of these challenges can be quite unremarkable in many respects, but can
also develop into more serious problems if not managed correctly.
• So the term ‘managing international events’ refers to a whole team of managers,
organisers or coordinators who deal with the challenges encountered in each
segment.

27. Figure 5.10: Organising structure for FIFA
World Cup 2018, Russia
Source: Based on FIFA, (2018)

28. Figure 5.11: Typical
mid-sized
international event
management
company structure

29. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Emergency command structure
• Event organisers are not expected to take control of major incidents as
they will not have access to the specialist resources necessary to do so.
• However, they are expected to have prepared for such circumstances
during the planning stages and to have appointed the appropriate team
in consultation with the emergency services.
• Ultimately, the reason for an emergency command structure is to hand
responsibility for a major incident over to the most experienced,
professional, and knowledgeable people in order to ensure the highest
level of safety is provided to everyone present at the event.
• The management structure is as follows:
 Gold (strategic)
 Silver (tactical)
 Bronze (operational)

30. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
Summary
• This chapter has taken a close look at the way human resources are deployed
across a wide variety of roles at international events.
• The chapter has provided an in-depth review of how people contribute to the
safe construction and delivery of international events of all sizes.
• We have learned how clearly specified roles and responsibilities improve the
level of communication at international events, and the important contribution
made by those who are often considered to be less important in the grand
scheme of event delivery.
• We have also learned the importance of training and that it is how members of
staff engage with the event that often makes the difference between a negative
and a positive experience for both staff members and those attending the event.

31. Routledge event series W.G. Ryan: Managing International Events
References
• Baum, T., Deery, M., Hanlon, C., Lockstone, L., & Smith, K. (2009). People and Work in Events and Conventions: A Research
Perspective. Wallingford: CABI.
• Costa, C. A., Chalip, L., Green, C., & Simes, C.. (2006). Reconsidering the role of training in event volunteers’ satisfaction. Sport
Management Review, 9(2), 165–182.
• FIFA (2018). LOC organizational chart & functions. Retrieved
from http://img.fifa.com/mm/photo/tournament/loc/02/90/10/56/2901056_big-lnd.jpg Accessed 23rd February 2018.
• Freidus, A. (2017). Volunteer tourism: What’s wrong with it and how it can be changed. Retrieved
from http://theconversation.com/volunteer-tourism-whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-it-can-be-changed-86701 Accessed 23rd March
2018.
• Gough, J., & Taylor, C. (2014). Tour de France 2014. Retrieved from https://letour.yorkshire.com/ Accessed 3rd March 2016.
• McMillan, M. (2012). Codes of ethics: If you adopt one, will they behave? Retrieved
from https://blogs.cfainstitute.org/investor/2012/02/20/codes-of-ethics-if-you-adopt-one-will-they-behave/ Accessed 24th June
2018.
• Müller, M. (2015). The mega-event syndrome: Why so much goes wrong in mega-event planning and what to do about it. Journal
of the American Planning Association, 81(1), 6–17. doi:10.1080/01944363.2015.1038292
• OED (1989). The Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
• Ryan, W. G., & Kelly, S. (2017). The effects of supply chain management (SCM) activities and their impact on festival
management and the customer experience. . In A. Jepson, Clarke, A. (Eds.), Power, Construction, and Meaning, in Communities
Festivals and Events, 109–128. Oxon: Routledge.
• Toffler, A. (1990). Power Shift. New York: Bantam Books.
• Tomlin, J. (2013). Using power of the games to inspire lasting change – Sharing lessons from the Games Makers Programme and
managing over 70,0000 volunteers for the Olympics and Paralympics. Retrieved
from www.attend.org.uk/sites/default/files/Jean%20Tomlin%20-
%20lessons%20from%20the%20Olympics%20Volunteering%20Programmeapproved.doc Accessed 11th May 2019.
• Walker, M. (2017). 7 signs you were born to work in events. Retrieved from www.eventbrite.co.uk/blog/7-signs-you-were-born-to-
work-in-events-ds00/ Accessed 11th May 2019.