Behind-The-scenes Event staff

As an event staffing company, we get to see a lot of the "behind-the-scenes" set up and breakdown aspects of an event. Whether it's setting up the decor, flowers, rentals, tables /chairs, catering, buffet tables, linens and - well - you get the picture! - this perspective is what keeps us intrigued and feeling connected to the event planning overall. We recently had the pleasure of seeing Union West, a beautiful and expansive 18,000 SF (!) event space situated between Chelsea and Hudson Yards in New York City, during a detailed set up. 

Types of staff that we find helpful when setting up and breaking down an event are:

Porters: This staff member is typically responsible for rental organization, sanitation,
cleaning and / or restocking restroom amenities.

Servers: When booking servers, it's usually helpful to have them arrive 1-2 hours prior to the event, depending on the size and type of event, to assist with fine tuning of the preparation details, such as finessing the place settings, organizing the back up beverage stations, and reviewing the floorplan and role duties, just to name a few tasks.

Bar Captains / Bartenders / Bar Backs: Setting up is essential for the success of the bar throughout the night; during the preparation time, the bar team will make sure there is plenty of product, glassware, ice, napkins/coasters and garnish - and be ready to roll as soon as service begins.

Coat Check: Coat check set up involves making sure that there are plenty of coat check tickets, hangers and rack are ready as soon as the guests are due to arrive - along with a plan among staff for how the flow of checking will go.

...just to name of few of our event staff roles...

We also found this guide to setting up and breaking down a wedding from A Practical Wedding very informative.

From beginning to end, we are always thrilled to have our staff to be part of the event!