Free event rostering solutions

We understand that organizing schedules can be a significant challenge, especially when resources are limited. That’s why we’ve put together a few free or very low-cost options to streamline your event staffing management, for businesses just starting out.

From basic scheduling to collaborative platforms, this guide will introduce you to a range of options & tools that help small businesses to organise & manage their event staff without breaking the bank.

Commencing event crew rostering with a simple piece of paper is a practical and immediate solution for small businesses. It provides a tangible and accessible way to jot down schedules, fostering a quick and uncomplicated approach to organizing event staff.

How? Start by keeping things simple — if you’ve only 1 or two events to roster staff to, just grab a sheet of paper, rule a grid of the staff you need along the top (ie. Security 1, Security 2, etc), and then the names of people who’ve said they’ll be able to help along the left (or even all of your team members if you have a small amount of them).

Then, you can put an X against the position each person will be working in on the day, or even the times they’re able to help on if they can’t do the entire shift.

Upsides:

• Free – aside from getting some paper!
• Real time – your team can see what’s happening, anytime they’re in the office
• Simple & easy to use, and uncomplicated
• Easy to update – just erase any mistakes or old details, and jot down the new changes

Downsides:

• Remote team members will need to get a photo of the updated roster sent to them
• Easy to misplace – falling off your desk, or getting mistaken for something else can really muck up your day
• Easy to get picked up – someone could easily think it’s a copy you’ve made

Relying solely on paper becomes cumbersome and limiting as your business expands and the demands on your rostering process increase. Enter VTEvents – a specialized platform designed for efficient and scalable event crew rostering. With automated features, real-time collaboration, and advanced reporting tools, VTEvents surpasses the constraints of manual paper systems.

The transition from paper to VTEvents not only ensures a smoother, more organized scheduling process but also equips your growing business with the capabilities needed to navigate the complexities of managing event staff & crew effectively.

Initiating your small business with a whiteboard for scheduling has its immediate advantages. It’s a tangible and low-tech solution, fostering quick visual communication among team members. The simplicity is ideal for small teams with uncomplicated scheduling needs.

Upsides:

• Free – aside from the initial cost of getting a whiteboard!
• Real time – your team can see what’s happening, anytime they’re in the office
• Simple & easy to use
• Easy to update

Downsides:

• Remote team members will need to get a photo of the updated roster sent to them
• Easy to update – others can update the roster if you’re not paying attention

As your business expands and the intricacies of event staff rostering intensify, the limitations of a whiteboard become apparent.

This is where VTEvents steps in as the superior choice for growth. Offering automated features, real-time updates, and comprehensive reporting, VTEvents streamlines roster management for larger teams.

When considering the management of schedules and rosters for your business, Google Sheets serves as an accessible and cost-effective solution for small businesses. Its simplicity and user-friendly interface make it an ideal starting point, allowing businesses to quickly organize and share schedules.

How? Like on the paper page, you can write the names of your staff down the side, and along the top could show the positions you need to fill (ie. First aid 1, First aid 2, Security 1). You can then put an X against the people whom you’ve assigned to each shift. You can also colour-code some cells in a particular way for each person, or based who’s in-charge for the day, and so-on.

Remember, once you’ve put down peoples names, you’ll need to let them know if you haven’t already that you’ve rostered them, so they can add it to their diary or schedule.

Upsides;

• It’s free – Google Sheets doesn’t cost you anything extra (aside from your own time if you need to manually do tasks VTEvents does automatically)
• Real time – you can see changes as they’re being typed in by others in your team
• Simple & easy to use
• Mobile app available
• Functions can be used for calculations
• Technical scripting can be used to extend the functionality
• Forms can also be used to input data from other sources

Downsides;

• Changes will need to be manually communicated to people – ie. via email or SMS (or both)
• It is difficult to see which events are understaffed if your requirements become a little more complex
• Reporting on hours worked, previous events, etc all become harder and harder as more information needs to be stored

As you add extra team members, you might find that you’ll need to creating different tabs in your spreadsheets to manage when people are available, what positions people can work in, etc.

Google Sheets has a feature called ‘Conditional Formatting’ which could also help highlighting any shifts which still need to be staffed, and you might find that using some other formulas in cells are needed to tally up how many people are rostered, vs how many are required in your events.

However, as your business expands and the complexity of scheduling increases, a fit-for-purpose platform like VTEvents becomes the superior choice. VTEvents offers specialized features tailored for rostering, such as automated communications for rostering and event changes, real-time collaboration, and comprehensive reporting tools.

Its scalability and advanced functionalities ensure efficient roster management, accommodating the intricate scheduling needs & staffing requirements that arise with business growth.

Transitioning from Google Sheets to VTEvents empowers businesses to streamline their rostering processes, enhance collaboration, and achieve optimal workforce management as they evolve and expand.