Events are built on casual staff. A market, a festival or a corporate function might need ten extra people for a weekend and none the week after. Hiring them well, and doing the paperwork properly, is the difference between a smooth event and a stressful one. Here is a practical guide for Australian event organisers and vendors.
This is general information, not legal advice. Pay, award and employment rules vary by situation, so check the Fair Work Ombudsman and your own advisers for your case.
1. Work out how many people you need, and for what
Start with the event plan. How many hours is it open? When does the crowd peak? What roles do you need: front of house, bar, kitchen, runners, set-up and pack-down, gate or check-in? Write down the number of people for each role in a quiet period and a peak. Hire for the peak, and roster for the quiet.
2. Know where to find casual event staff
The best source is people who have already worked for you. After that, ask your network, look at local universities and community groups, post in industry groups, or use a staffing platform. Whatever you use, collect the same details from everyone: contact details, availability, relevant experience, and any certificates for the role.
3. Check they can legally work
Employers in Australia must make sure a person has the right to work. Australian citizens and permanent residents are straightforward. For visa holders, check the visa conditions, including any limit on working hours. The Department of Home Affairs offers a free work-rights check called VEVO for this. Keep a record of what you checked and when.
4. Check the certificates the job needs
Some roles need specific qualifications, and the rules are set by each state or territory:
- Serving alcohol usually requires a Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate.
- Handling food may require food safety training, depending on the role and your local council.
- Events with children may require a Working with Children Check for people in certain roles.
Ask to see the certificate before the event, not at the gate on the day.
5. Get employment status right
Most casual event staff are employees, even if they only work a single shift. Calling someone a contractor when they are really an employee can cause problems, so use the Fair Work Ombudsman's information to check your situation. Employees generally need correct pay under the relevant award or agreement, superannuation, and payslips. Casual employees must also receive the Casual Employment Information Statement when they start.
6. Brief people properly
Send every person a written confirmation of their shift: start and finish time, location, who to report to, what to wear and what to bring. Add a short briefing document for the event, covering where things are, who to ask for help, and what to do if something goes wrong. People who know what is expected need less supervision on the day.
7. Plan for no-shows
Some people will cancel, and a few will not turn up. Have a short bench of reliable people you can call, and consider rostering one or two extra for important shifts. It costs a little more and saves the whole event if someone drops out.
8. Keep the good ones
Pay on time, run shifts that start when you said they would, thank people, and offer the best staff more shifts next time. A reliable pool of casuals is worth more than any job ad.
Where an event staff app helps
All of this can be done with spreadsheets and messages, but it takes a lot of chasing. An app can handle much of it in one place:
- Finding and joining shifts. Staff discover shifts and join events from their phone.
- Identity-verified profiles. Crewbase staff profiles can be identity verified, which saves you asking for the same details every time.
- Clock-in on the day. NFC clock-in records when people actually started and finished.
- Timesheets and compliance. Hours are recorded as shifts happen, and induction quizzes and required forms can be completed in the app before the event.
- Free for staff. Casuals use Crewbase at no cost.
Crewbase was built in Australia for events and casual teams. See how it works on the how it works page, browse the features, or read the promoter guide and vendor guide.
Hiring checklist
- Roles and numbers set for the quiet period and the peak
- Right-to-work check done and recorded for every person
- Certificates collected where the role needs them (RSA, food safety, Working with Children)
- Employment status checked against Fair Work guidance
- Every shift confirmed in writing, with a briefing
- A short bench of reliable backups
- Pay and timesheets ready for the day after the event