Training in event management companies

Safety before the season

Every coordinator and production staffer should know the basics before the first event of the season: emergency exits and crowd flow at a venue, fire safety around decor, candles and pyrotechnics, first aid, and what to do when the power fails. Production staff also need electrical safety around generators and distribution boards, and awareness of rigging and working at height, even though certified riggers do the actual rigging. Run these as classroom programs in September, mark them mandatory, and record a validity period in months for each.

• Crowd management and emergency exits
• Fire safety around decor and pyrotechnics
• First aid and emergency contacts at each venue
• Electrical safety around generators and panels
• Rigging and height awareness for production

Guest handling and hospitality

Weddings and conferences are hospitality businesses. Train coordinators and hospitality staff in guest arrival and check-in, looking after VIPs and elderly guests, handling complaints calmly, and dealing with guests who have had too much to drink. Role plays work better than slides: one person plays the angry uncle whose room is not ready, another handles him. Hotel management graduates on the team can run these sessions.

Vendor, budget and run sheet skills

Coordinators become event managers by learning money and vendors. Teach how to read a vendor quote, negotiate, track costs against the event budget, and write a run sheet that a stranger could follow. For creative and production staff, add training on the design and planning tools the company uses. Record each program with its hours, so it is clear who has completed what when choosing the next event manager.

POSH and conduct at events

Late nights, alcohol at events and close contact with clients and vendors create a real risk of harassment. The POSH law requires an Internal Committee at every workplace with 10 or more employees, under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013, and staff should know how to reach it, including when the harasser is a client or a vendor. Run awareness sessions at joining and before each season, record them as a program, and check the compliance view for anyone who has not completed them.

How to set it up in ZeniaHR

1. Create Learning programs for crowd and fire safety, first aid, electrical safety, guest handling, vendor management and POSH awareness.
2. Mark safety programs mandatory and give them a validity in months, so refresher timing is on record.
3. Enrol coordinators and production staff in the safety programs every September, before the season.
4. After each session, mark attendees complete so their completions are recorded, each with a certificate number.
5. Before the first big event, use the compliance view to confirm everyone on the crew has completed safety training.
6. Record outside courses, such as first aid from an external trainer, as external programs with their hours.

Read more about learning and training in ZeniaHR.

Roles this applies to

Frequently asked questions