EVENT PROFESSIONAL FOR SALE!

So if you work in the events industry, you will probably find that you spend most of your working week putting everything you've got into promoting exciting new cars, drinks, apps, you name it, you've probably enthusiastically spoken to a member of the public about it at some point. Maybe you're a top salesperson, the kind of person who could sell a cage to a lion. All of these skills make you absolutley invaluable to agencies, you're clearly hard working with a real skill for selling. But how many hours did you spend last week on your brand? Yeah, you. Imagine if you could take an inch of that enthusiasm and transform it into creating your personal brand?

Now I know. You're busy. It sounds like a lot of work. You've got reports and admin and invoicing to do. But if you get one job off the back of sending a few emails, then that time has already paid for itself. Plus, there are thousands of people all looking for the most exciting campaigns to be involved in - surely it won't do you any harm to let agencies know your skill set and availability? Who knows, you might be the name that pops into their mind when staffing comes around for that big event.

What can you do to build your brand?

Everyone is different, and different things will work for you. For me, I started by sending a monthly bulliten to all the agencies I was working for. Nothing fancy, just a run down of what I was up to and what my availability was like for the month. These are super easy to put together, and really helps a staffing team get an idea of who you are, and putting a face to a name is so important.

Email signature. Super simple. Think how many emails you have bouncing back and forth to agencies and clients every day and take advantage of that little promotional space at the bottom. It's dead easy -Click here to create one in seconds.

And most importantly, photos. You need to be getting photos on every single job you do. If you are one of these people who is ashamed of people taking photos of you in your work uniform in case your mates see it, you're probably in the wrong game anyway! Photos speak a thousand words, and you want all of those thousand words screaming about all the different brands and campaigns you have been a part of. Don't forget, for most jobs you apply for, the staffing team have to create profiles for you to send to the client, so sending those up to date photos can really make the difference between getting the job or being sidelined.

What sets you apart from the other hundreds of people applying for the same job?

The first thing, and the most important (although it will sound really obvious!) is READ THE EMAIL. Read it, read it again, and then read it one more time for good measure. I cannot tell you how many time when staffing campaigns I have sent out a mass email looking for the best staff for 10 different locations, and have recieved an email back with just the 'yes'. Honestly. Or 'I'm free'. Nothing else, no hello or location. I can tell you now, I instantly delete those replies, and I can guarntee most staffing teams will. It looks lazy, and replying to an email properly isn't hard. Take a bit of time to research the brand if mentioned, maybe mention the last campaign you worked with them. A good response to an email can be a real breath of fresh air for a booker if they've spent the past 2 hours wading through the 'yes' pile!

Your online profile. If you are with a few different agencies, keeping them updated can take a little bit of time, but checking that your information.os correct is vital to making sure you are put forward for the right work. Learnt to drive? Moved house? Got a mate that will let you stay in London with them for work? Dyed your hair blonde? Make sure your agencies know. Most of the time they get some strict guidelines from clients when staffing, and it may be that they search their database for females within 15 miles of Norfolk with brown hair that can drive. Don't miss out just because you forgot to keep them updated. If you haven't updated your Nuevo profile for a while, click here to do it right now! https://nuevo.staffed.it/registration

Reporting. It's probably been a long day, you've probably been running around like a crazy person keeping your team stocked up with giveaway goodies. You've made it home, you've put the kettle on, and you've just remembered you need to do that report. First of all, do it AS SOON as you can. 1, because then it is out of the way and you can veg out in front of Netflix for the rest of the evening and 2, because the lovely team that booked you most probably had a million other things going on in the office, and as much as they might have liked to, they couldn't make it down to see what you and your team got up to. They have probably put a lot of work into the campaign, and will be really keen and eager to hear all the ins and outs, not to mention they will need to feed it all back to the client as soon as. Make it detailed, thorough and make sure you have lots of photos where possible. Don't forget to be honest with staff feedback, and don't be afraid to say when staff haven't performed to the expected standard. Your agency will have more respect for your honesty, and it hopefully means you won't have a weak link on your team in the future. A detailed report makes the staffing teams job 100x easier, meaning chances are you'll be working for them again soon enough!

So, in conclusion, read your emails properly, take lots of photos, keep your profiles updated, get yourself an email signature, keep on top of your reporting and make sure you send updated availability and photos to your agencies.