The Travelling Event Manager

Suitcase Stuff:  The Travelling Event manager

Under-pressure-packing! That’s the inspiration for our latest blog as we embark on an away-from-home event management week.

j2 ideas & events is off to central Queensland (Australia). It’s our fourth year as event managers of Gladstone Ports Corporation’s cause-related sporting event, Botanic to Bridge (an 8km and 3km fun run for 4000+).

Based out of Brisbane offices, we travel all across Queensland to plan and manage events, especially to regional areas. Seasoned travellers thus, we tend to leave our personal packing to the last minute while focussing on the more important things—event details!

And I have a theory. With checklists for everything there’s at least ONE THING event managers place, on auto-pilot, into their suitcase.

Take me, for instance. My “one thing” is DIFFLAM ANTI-INFLAMMATORY THROAT SPRAY. Air conditioning in planes and hotels, plus climate changes, mess with my voice. Come event time, clear communication in person, on mobile and two-way radio is essential. I can’t count the number of times this soothing anaesthetic dispenser has saved me when doing event travel.

Curious about what other event peeps hold dear as their ‘one event travel thing’, I canvassed our j2 event coordinators and event industry buddies. Here’s what the survey said:

A BLACK BELT - Not the martial arts variety, just a sturdy buckle-up kind. “Forgot my belt once and until someone lent a spare, I was constantly hoisting up my jeans weighed down by a two-way. Never again!” (Source: Joanna Jordan, j2 Company & Creative Director.)

THE J2 CAP - Ain’t nobody got time for hair straighteners! j2’s wavy-locked General Manager and Botanic to Bridge Event Manager, Annette Hart declared, “Hair up, washed or unwashed, wet or dry, under the cap it goes. Voilà!”

PHONE CHARGER - Without hesitation j2’s Event Manager, Bianca Turner, packs this first. (Just remember to re-pack it—doh! It’s the number one thing people leave behind in hotels.)

LEATHERMAN (ALL PURPOSE TOOL) - Tends to be the most borrowed item on an event site. Handy for snipping cable ties, pulling out staples, plucking stray eyebrows, opening post-event beverages, etc. (We’re eternally grateful to Brian Jordan, j2 Production Manager and Botanic to Bridge Event Crew.)

SWISS ARMY KNIFE - “I’m always looking for scissors! And who can keep working with a ripped finger nail?” said Janelle Payne, j2 Event Coordinator.

CABLE TIES - “I simply cannot go to any job without them” wrote Event Stylist, Sharon Penny, who should pen a 99 Things I love about Cable Ties piece based on her extensive list of uses. Try these for starters:

• tying off tools to scissor lift and boom tray handrails;  
• controlling an annoying head of hair; 
• replacing a popped button; 
• locking toolboxes and baggage; 
• diverting magpies from helmets (an Australian bird that loves to attack event managers at outdoor events!); and 
• instant locking off, tying back or concealing the reattachment of something that wasn’t meant to fall apart. 

BABY WIPES / HAND WIPES - Top of the list for two event friends, not only do wipes provide a portable shower when you’re on-the-go, they’re great for cleaning linen.

Cable-tie fan, Sharon Penny (see above), whose custom design or styling features are often white to act as a canvas for lighting and illumination, never travels without disposable wipes. An event styling specialist, Sharon often oversees installation of white equipment and props within some not-so-pristine working environments.

“Much to the distress of crew members, I have been known to run around chasing them with wipes to clean their hands before handling the props”, said Sharon.

“When crew evade me, wipes work a treat to remove dirty hand marks!”

PHONE NUMBER FOR A WEATHER FORECASTER - Outdoor event specialist Holly Ruhle never leaves home without her direct line to the weather forecaster (a phone number obtained back in the '80's that still works!).   An online forecast is just not precise enough when you’re making wet weather calls.

As for other event industry folk that we asked, here’s a list of their miscellaneous suitcase stuffers:

TINY TORCH OR HEADLAMP (eg PETZL) - Whether pre-dawn start to manage an outdoor sporting event, or stage managing a gala awards ceremony, you need to be able to read your run sheet in the dark.

BAND AIDS, FEET SHIELDS & SHOE PADDING - Prevention is better than cure. Before your feet start to hurt, look to the likes of Scholl, Boots or Compeed for their unisex ranges of feet-cushioning and shoe-lining products (seriously, this is not a sponsored post event managers just like their products!)

A BAG OF LOLLIES - Top up your blood sugar on event day when there’s little time to eat; nobody likes a passed-out event coordinator!

LIP BALM - The Coca-Cola variety by Lip Smacker doubles as a caffeine hit. Surely?

What do you pack? Let us know so we can compile an extended “event manager suitcase checklist” to post on our event management blog.

Gotta fly!

X Carolynne Hassall
Special Projects Manager
Brisbane event management company | j2 ideas & events


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