A weekend at Royal Ascot

This weekend I was lucky enough to attend Royal Ascot, which I now want to make an annual event with my friends!

It was probably the most British event I have ever attended, fascinators, coat and tails and more Pimms than anyone could possibly drink. We were in the Grandstand section of the venue so had a great view of the races and even spotted her Royal Majesty a couple of times! 

Now I'm not a betting person and am not particularly keen on racing but it was quite fun to put on a few pounds and join in with the crowds as the horses went by. Though to be honest I think people were there for the atmosphere and the fashion as opposed to the racing itself!

Overall it was a great day and from what I could tell the event ran very smoothly. Friendly staff, good signage and fun times had by all.. I definitely recommend going if you ever get the chance.

Event Uniforms - The best and worst!

One of the best things about working in events is getting your uniform. Your uniform means you are part of the team, you are ready to do your job and most important of all you are the face of the event.

Once in uniform spectators don’t know if you a volunteer or the venue manager so it’s always important that you conduct yourself in the best manner possible.

Uniforms can range from a simple t-shirt with the event name to a full on kit including bag, shoes and multiple items of clothing, you probably all remember the red and purple games makers uniforms from London 2012!

Your uniform has to be practical, durable and wearable in all weather conditions. For summer events you may need a hat and similarly for winter events a warm jacket. Most importantly you have to be identifiable, both to spectators and to your other colleagues. Another benefit of having a uniform is not having to think about what to wear every day, especially handy during busy event times!

 I have had a good few uniforms whilst working on events, some good, some not so good and I always love to see what the big international events come up with. In fact I picked my latest uniform up today (see my twitter withjulez for a sneak peak!) 

Below are some of my favourites from recent years, for very different reasons!!

The now famous London 2012 uniform

Sochi went erm.. retro for the Winter Olympics!

There was a very..bright(!) ensemble at the Asian Games in 2006...

   

One of my favourite uniforms was in Vancouver 2010

The Beijing uniform in 2008, very similar to the European Games in Baku this year.

What are your thoughts on event uniforms, love them, hate them!? Let me know!

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!

Working in events - Top 10 packing essentials!

Now if you're like me, you will do a lot of very short event contracts, maybe 1
or 2 weeks at a time and chances are you will be staying in a hotel either abroad or in your own country.

I have learned that for these short events, or even for events where the venue is different to your normal office, life is typically very fast paced and very very busy therefore you spend all day onsite and barely any time in your hotel, pretty much only to sleep if you are lucky enough to even get time for that! For that reason I have put together a list of top 10 essential items that I always pack when working away on an event which make life just that little bit easier:

1. Emergency phone charger.

This has become a staple item when working on events and comes in very handy. Event days are so long and we use our phones for so much - calls, texts, photos, flashlight, so it's always good to have an emergency charger in your pocket meaning you don't have to leave your phone plugged in to a wall socket.
You can get them everywhere, some you connect by charger others you can use as a case - either way you're going to want one of these.
I can't remember where I got mine but it has about 2 chargers worth of juice before needing to actually charge the charger! They are actually pretty cheap and save a lot of time on a busy event day.

2. Old phone

I always find it useful to have an old/cheap mobile phone with me for events. It means if you are in a foreign country you can just pop in a local sim card for work calls to local phones, whilst still being able to use your own number. It also means that you don't have to give your personal number to everyone working the event, which is handy as normally you have to give your number to staff, volunteers, contractors.. basically anyone who may need to get hold of you! Another good thing I find with the old style mobile phones is that you can go for days without charging them and they are pretty much indestructible, which is usually handy on events, especially in the build phase! You can get a basic handset in most mobile phone shops and are usually less that £20 in the UK, in fact I have seen them for as little as £5!

3. Adapters/extension cord

Now if you are going abroad, a plug adapter is something you can't do without. In fact I always take at least 3! The reason for this is the same the reason I take extension cords to events in the UK - you get so little time in your hotel that you end up having to charge everything at once! Charging your phone(s), cameras, iPads, whilst at the same time drying your hair require a lot of sockets, therefore I always make sure I have plenty of opportunities to get everything ready.

4. Travel wash

Again, a simple and small item but one that comes in very handy! Travel wash is great for quickly washing socks, underwear, even tshirts in your hotel sink. Now you may have a laundry service in your hotel but the chances are you will be so busy that you never get the opportunity to drop laundry off or pick it up and this is when travel wash is a god send! The one I use is only £1 from Poundland in the UK and is the perfect size to travel with, it does the job and has saved me on more than one occasion.

5. Rain coat

No matter where you are going be sure to pack a rain coat with you, even a little fold up one in a bag - you never know when a rain storm will hit and event build up waits for no one! I have been caught in way too many down pours, even in sunny Barbados so it's always good to have an emergency poncho or raincoat up your sleeve just to keep you that bit drier!

6. Suncream and sunglasses

In the same way a rain coat is essential so is suncream and sunglasses - you need to be prepared for every kind of weather! Even if you are working in winter, you may be asked to drive a car in the snow, or there is a brief morning of sunshine when you will be glad that you have a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes. Any outdoor event, especially outdoor events in summer months, require you to wear suncream, you can't afford to get sun burn or even worse sun stroke in the middle of an event and it's just common sense to protect your skin!

7. Scissors, cable ties, sharpie

Now these may seem strange items to carry with you but trust me, there will be some point during an event where you or one of your colleagues will need one of the above! Don't ask me what for, I have used cable ties for everything from securing fences in the wind, to hanging up signs, to holding boxes together. These are just useful items that I seem to use time and time again and I guarantee you will need at least one of the above at some point during your event.

8. Paracetamol and blister plasters

Almost self explanatory but headaches, sore feet, legs and arms are all a part of working in events! Especially during the lead up where you are constantly walking round the venue and checking different areas.. blisters are unfortunately part of the job! So the more prepared you are the better and something I have learned is never, where possible, wear brand new shoes to an event. Take the time to break them in first otherwise you are just asking for trouble.

9. Dry shampoo

Maybe one for the girls but dry shampoo has become an essential item for me during event time. It's unfortunate but true that sometimes you just don't have the time to wash and dry your hair so dry shampoo becomes your best friend. My personal favourite is batiste which you can get in most supermarkets and boots/superdrug etc but there are many brands available in all different sizes, so you should be able to find one which works best for you.

10. Evening wear

It's always good to have at least one outfit in your bag that can be worn for an evening out. You may be invited out by clients, or there is a last minute end of staff party or dinner and you don't want to be wearing the same events clothes you've been wearing all week! For me I usually just take a simple black dress that is suitable for both dressing up for for a more casual evening. Even if you don't use it, it's always good to have in your bag just in case the opportunity arises.



Any way I hope this list helps you with your event packing and if there's anything I've missed that makes event and hotel life a bit easier please let me know!