Event Dictionary! The language of events.

An essential part of working in events is being able to pick up the language and pick it up quickly! By language I don't mean a foreign language but an event language full of acronyms, phrases and shortened words. Every event will have it's own language specific to the organisers however I have come up with a short list of some common event terms that should help if like me, you didn't have a clue what anyone was talking about on your first day! 

Accreditation - this is pretty standard on most events and refers to the identity pass you wear, usually around your neck, which grants you access to specific areas of the venue, also known as 'accreditation zones'. An accredited person is therefore someone with a pass and an unaccredited person is someone who has not been registered for a pass. Passes vary from event to event but usually have your name, job title, organisation and photo and are essential for security purposes. Word of advice - never forget your accreditation pass, you may well be sent back home to get it!

Ingress/egress - you may hear people talking about the ingress and egress of an event. Ingress refers to people (usually spectators) entering the venue and the egress is therefore people leaving the venue. So if someone asks you to 'monitor ingress/egress' they basically want you to watch people coming in or out of the venue and check for any issues/crushes etc. These can also be referred to as spectator flows.

Some Look/Branding at Glasgow 2014 

Look and wayfinding - often there may be a 'look and way finding' department or 'look' contractors working on large events and while the two are connected they both provide different services. Look is the branding of the venue and could include flags, banners, posters and billboards with the company logo which help improve the aesthetic aspects of the event.

Wayfinding at London 2012 

Wayfinding is directional signage to assist people getting around the venue or event city and will include signs for food, toilets, exits, different areas of the venue, first aid centres and anything else people might have to find

Hanging up some last minute scrim!

Scrim - scrim is a material banner which is usually hung over temporary/existing fencing and is generally used to hide unsightly areas of the venue or VIP entry/exit etc, basically anywhere that organisers want to hide/cover up. It normally has the event name and logo and is hung simply using cable ties.

Mixed zone - this is the area where the press wait to talk to an athlete/VIP/guest. It's usually quite a busy and hectic area which needs careful managing and a strong willed coordinator! Generally the venue is set up so that the guests will have to walk past or through the mixed zone to get back to their dressing rooms/exits.

Crowd barriers vs tensa barriers - they aren't glamorous, they aren't pretty but I can guarantee that with any type of event you will, at some point, have a planning meeting involving barriers! There are many types of barrier but the two most common are crowd barrier and tensa barriers. Crowd barriers are the metal type fencing which slots together and can be used inside or out. They are usually used to form queuing systems, aid crowd control and to create safe walking routes. Tensa barriers (I believe tensa is a brand but the name has stuck!) are the posts which link together with a strip/seatbelt of material (terrible description but the picture is below!). They can be used for queuing, or to corner an area off eg a mixed zone, and are usually used indoors as the material would get wet if used outside and they may blow over in the wind. 

Tensa barriers

Crowd barriers

Run sheets - sometimes referred to as call sheets these are daily schedules which map out the key timings of the event. Usually given out at the start of the day they include information like the time by which safety checks have to be completed, when gates are open to spectators, any scheduled rehearsals, event start time, pretty much anything which affects multiple client groups/departments on site. It's important to know your run sheet to ensure you are informed of the rough timings of the day and can prepare your department accordingly.





Fleet - most large events will have a fleet department and a selection of 'fleet' cars which are event vehicles than can often be booked in advance and/or used on the day of an event for last minute errands etc. The process to get a fleet car will vary from event to event but normally it involves registering as a driver with the event and signing up to book a car.




Now of course there are hundreds of words and acronyms associated with different types of event but hopefully this short list of common terms that have been used on the majority of events I have worked on will help at least some of you who aren't as familiar with the lingo to understand what is going on!

If you can think of any more please leave a comment below, an online event dictionary is something which would be an awesome tool!