Onsite survival pack
If you're about to go onsite at an event for the first time, it's worth spending a little time thinking about the things you can do to help you keep sane and feeling good. Here are a few ideas gathered through years of coping with the frustrations and satisfactions of being onsite.
1. Keep information to hand.
During the planning stage you will have accumulated a mass of emails, schedules, agreements and all the rest. You need to work out what, out of all this material, you'll need onsite. It doesn't matter what form this takes – a ring binder, a tablet or whatever suits you. What matters is that the information is easy to get at.
- Contact phone numbers. Obviously you can get a number online but if you need to contact the person managing your registration area – or anything else – quickly it's much better to be able to see their mobile number within a few seconds.
- Agreements. You will have built up a collection of agreements during the preparation phase. It's worth making sure you've got copies of everything that has been agreed so that if there's a dispute, you can lay your hands on the confirmation quickly and easily.
- Timetables. It depends on the complexity of your event but you're likely to have at least a basic timetable. It's worth having that easily to hand as well.
2. Stationery box
This needs to contain everything that you're likely to need in the event office onsite such as Blu Tack, self-adhesive tape (on a dispenser – you don't want to be scrabbling for the end of the tape when you're in a hurry), scissors, stapler with spare staples, envelopes, paper, notepads, pens, pencils, ruler, eraser, highlighter pens – everything that you're likely to need in the stationery line onsite.
3. Electronics box
This needs to hold four-gang extensions, phone chargers for your phone as well as other peoples' (somebody will have left theirs at the office), notepad charging lead, power adaptors (if you're working abroad) and think about a good quality laptop security lock for each laptop that's likely to be sitting around.
4. Personal welfare box
You need to look after yourself so have a supply of headache treatments, anti-histamines if you're susceptible to insect bites, plasters, including Compeed plasters for blisters, tissues, lip balm, hand cream, soft drinks, re-usable cups, snacks – all the stuff you'll need to keep your spirits up when things seem to be going wrong and it's an unfortunate truth that things probably will get difficult at times.
5. At least one pair of comfortable shoes
Don't ever go onsite with new shoes. It's also worth remembering that women who usually wear high heels could find that wearing flat shoes all day will cause them real discomfort because the muscles and ligaments at the backs of their legs will be stretched much more than usual.
6. Whatever will help you to wind down at the end of the day
If that's a ready mixed G&T, fair enough so long as you don't start drinking it until work is finished for the day.
The important thing is to think about what you're likely to need onsite and take it with you.
Most important, take whatever will help you get through an experience that can be very stressful. If you've done the right amount of planning, you'll minimise the stress levels but stress is an inescapable part of the business. You need to recognise that and learn to manage it. Part of that is to rest whenever you can.
And remember, there's a good chance that there will be something that you've forgotten on every event. Just add it to the list so you don't forget it next time.