Human resource management for events (2007)

This publication is the first text to cover the management of human resources in the event environment. Linking theory, research and application it covers the differing and various types of events in which human resource management is key. The particular challenges provided by such events are varied. The size of the workforce explodes at the time of the event to include the event management team, many paid staff, hundreds of volunteers and multiple contractors such as food vendors and cleaning teams. Everyone working on the site comes into the scope of the event workforce. Little time is available for training and motivation plays a key role in retention and customer service. Decision making occurs on the run and the event is over before anyone can think about performance appraisal. The environment is further characterized by a fast pace, high stress levels and many workers are fatigued by the bump-in period before the event audience pours trough the gates to add yet another level of pressure. These features of the human resources environment are quite different to those of the traditional workforce.