WHAT ARE YOU WEARING
It’s the age-old questions… what are you wearing? We probably ask this question dozens of times throughout the month but how many times do we think about it for events? Yet, the wardrobe of you and your staff isn’t something that you should ignore. Here we will delve into what is important when looking at planning your event and what to wear.
Nametag
These may be the most important thing that you and your staff wear. If you are planning a large conference and using lanyards and nametags it might make sense to have a different color for staff members. If you can’t do this but are using ribbons make sure to different a color for staff. It is so important for your attendees to know who to go to if they have questions or concerns.
If you are having a smaller event it is still important to make sure that you have some way to distinguish staff. They can use a nametag that they would use every day at work or even a printed paper one. It all depends on the feel and formality of your event.
Also if you are having an event with nametags and women (or men not in suits) will be in attendance consider name tags with lanyard or magnets, and pins and stickers will not do on silk!
Shirts
A specially designated shirt can have a huge impact on the staff. An example is that a casual kid fundraising event you should put all your staff and volunteer members in the same shirt in a distinguishable color. This will once allow your attendees to know who to go to with a question and makes your organization look more professional. Some companies like to do different shirts for each day of the conference. While I personally appreciate the knowledge that you know you are going to be wearing a clean shirt each day you might confuse your attendees. I once had to wear 7 different shirts over 7 days for a conference. To be honest by day 4 I had no idea what shirt it was and what color to wear. If you are going to wear the same shirts for a conference just pay for the dry cleaning for your staff members.
Bottoms
What you have on the bottom can be just as important as your shirt. This is especially important if have volunteers you want to make sure that it is something that they already have in their closet. This is why jeans (for casual events) or black pants/skirt (for more formal events) are always good options. Nearly everyone has these items in their closet. While a lot of people like to have khakis as their uniform it may not be the best option for every event. The first reason is that not as many females wear them as they used to so people may have to purchase them. In addition, they can show dirt. This will just make your team look messy and unprofessional. It is also important to make sure that you of any religious restrictions that might apply to your team and volunteers when discussing wardrobe.
Shoes
This will be the most important thing for you to do for yourself during any special events and conferences… comfortable shoes. It is so important to realize how long you will be on your feet when planning and attending events. Make sure that you buy comfortable, sturdy, and shoes with a ton of support. If your feet hurt then your entire body will hurt and you won’t be able to think of anything else. I am not saying that you must wear orthopedic shoes your 95-year-old great-aunt wears. You just have to wear shoes that you feel comfortable in and can stand up to the stress of the day. If you need formal shoes for your event bring another pair for set up and take down. This will allow your feet a little bit of a rest and you will feel much better at the end of the long day to be able to take off your dress shoes.
While this may have seemed like basic information that was covered it is often overlooked by meeting planners and volunteers. How you and your staff present yourselves to attendees is just as a reflection of the event as the décor and programming. So make sure you are comfortable, neat, and visible.