Ushers and parking attendants are essential for any event’s success. They help direct guests to designated areas in a timely manner while also ensuring a great guest experience. So, how do you hire parking attendants and ushers for your events?
Don’t worry: PeopleReady has your guide to finding the right workers for your parking attendant and usher staffing needs.
Tips for usher and parking attendant staffing success
Parking attendant staffing and usher staffing are an essential part of running a successful event. Here are a few tried and true methods for identifying top candidates and setting them up for success:
Create the right schedule for your event staffing needs
Good time management is crucial for any event. It’s important to have enough workers during high-traffic periods with built-in break times and shift rotations. This can ensure your workers maintain high performance levels, which helps create a memorable guest experience.
Clearly communicate duties and responsibilities
Outlining the duties and responsibilities of your usher and parking attendant roles is your key to effective event management. Ushers must be familiar with the layout of your venue so they can quickly direct guests to their seats, concession stands or restrooms. Similarly, parking attendants should receive clear instructions on parking regulations and any other relevant details about their roles.
Focus on professional attitude and appearance
A well-groomed staff contributes to a great first impression and shows your commitment to providing high-quality service. So, you should hire ushers and parking attendants who you can trust to meet your grooming standards and dress code. During interviews, the best candidates will present themselves well and have a friendly demeanor.
Ensure emergency preparedness
Safety is a crucial aspect of any event. If something unexpected happens, guests will likely turn to your event staff for solutions. So, it’s important for your workers to be familiar with your safety protocols. From medical emergencies to sudden evacuations, your team can play a huge part in ensuring everyone stays safe and calm.
Provide customer service training
Ushers and parking attendants are typically the first point of contact for your guests. You can help develop their people skills by offering customer service training. With excellent communication skills, they can easily address and take care of guest needs.
Offer consistent feedback
Providing regular feedback to your event workers is important for their performance. You can use team meetings as an opportunity for workers to share their ideas and experiences. Having open discussions makes your event staff work better together and helps everyone keep learning.
Qualities to look for in ushers and parking attendants
There may be certain skills or experiences that applicants should have in order to meet your usher staffing or parking attendant staffing needs. However, there are some qualities that workers in these roles should always have. For example:
Reliability and punctuality
Whether it’s guiding traffic as a parking attendant or checking tickets as an usher, good timing is crucial for your events. Make sure to hire ushers and parking attendants who are punctual and prepared to arrive on time. Event workers who are reliable and trustworthy will ensure smooth operations and enhance the overall guest experience.
Problem-solving abilities
Even with excellent preparation, it can be hard to predict every possible scenario at your event. Event team members who think fast and remain calm under pressure can handle unexpected events with ease. Their ability to adapt and problem-solve contributes significantly to the success of your event, leaving guests with a positive and memorable experience.
Teamwork skills
It’s important for your team to work well together. When looking for parking attendants or ushers, prioritize applicants who enjoy working with others and are likely to have a strong work ethic. Applicants with excellent teamwork skills will be better equipped to handle the various duties and responsibilities associated with your event.
Communication skills
Teamwork isn’t possible without strong communication skills. In addition to their assigned tasks, parking attendants and ushers must communicate with their fellow team members to keep your event running smoothly. Strong communication can also contribute to a less stressful environment, building a friendly bond among your workers.
Attention to detail
Ushers play a crucial role in ticket verification and ensuring guests are seated correctly, while parking attendants provide directions and manage traffic flow. Each of these tasks require a strong attention to detail. Look for applicants who are well-organized to ensure seamless event operations.
Safety consciousness
Ensuring safety is a top priority for any event. Your parking attendants and ushers should not only be aware of your safety standards and protocols, but they should also put safety first in all their interactions with your guests. After all, a safe and secure venue is one that your guests will want to return to again in the future.
The first step toward success in hiring ushers and parking attendants
Many companies hire parking attendants, ushers and other event workers through a hospitality staffing agency or event staffing agency. If you’ve never worked with a staffing agency before to hire hospitality workers, these are just some of the benefits of this partnership.
Event industry insight and expertise
Hospitality staffing agencies have staffing experts with knowledge and expertise in the hospitality industry. They can provide smart solutions to common hospitality hiring challenges and they know the skills and qualities to look for in candidates.
Convenient access to job seekers looking for event jobs
Staffing agencies often maintain ties with schools, businesses, community groups and government associations in the areas they serve. These relationships make it easier for them to find and hire event staff quickly, all for the benefit of your business.
Flexible staffing solutions for your hospitality staffing needs
Your staffing needs may vary over the course of a year due to unexpected job vacancies or peak seasons. Event staffing agencies provide the workforce you need for a single event, a weekend project or an entire season.
A thorough vetting process of all applicants for your event jobs
The ideal staffing agency vets all applicants before recommending them for your company. That way, you can rest assured that your event staff are well-suited for the roles in question.
Customized hospitality and event staffing plans for your success
Staffing agencies understand that no two businesses are alike. That’s why their experts will work with you to create short- and long-term staffing plans that account for your specific needs, so you’ll always have the right workers at the right time.
Support with your safety and compliance efforts
Partnering with a staffing company for usher and parking attendant staffing ensures compliance with local and federal laws, minimizing the risk of legal issues caused by worker misclassification. Their expertise helps guarantee that all ushers or parking attendants provided are properly classified and meet legal requirements.
PeopleReady is the event staffing partner you need to succeed
Need to hire parking attendants, ushers or other event workers? Staffing for events can be easy when you partner with PeopleReady. As your staffing partner, we work with you to develop a staffing plan that’s customized for your company. Our teams in hundreds of markets across the U.S. offer a variety of event staffing solutions.
With PeopleReady, you can find staffing solutions that offer W-2 workers for a wide range of event staffing needs. For example:
- Front of house staffing: Ushers, parking attendants, bartenders, concierges, front desk attendants, food service workers, banquet and catering servers, concession workers
- Back of house staffing: Chefs, food runners, food preparation workers, dishwashers, line cooks, prep cooks, other kitchen workers
- Facility services staffing: Groundskeepers, landscapers, janitors, custodians, cleaning crew members, laundry attendants, housekeepers
- And more!
Our event staffing solutions also include our JobStack app, which means you can fill open roles even outside of normal business hours. So, if you’re wondering, “Where can I hire hospitality workers near me?” check out our locations page to get started.
