Event type
Conference
A conference is won or lost in its first twenty minutes, at the registration desk.
Headcount rule of thumb
Two registration staff per hundred attendees, plus one person per breakout room or floor.
In short
A conference typically needs staff for three jobs: registration, wayfinding and breakout support. As a rule of thumb, budget two registration staff per hundred attendees, plus one person per floor or breakout room for wayfinding. Registration load is not even: around half the attendees arrive in the twenty minutes before the start, so size the desk for that peak rather than the daily average. If the programme runs parallel sessions, each room needs someone to handle the microphone, collect questions and signal time to the speaker.
Who you need, and why
- Registration hostess
- Badges, list handling, walk-ins. The first person a guest meets.
- Wayfinding staff
- Lifts, floors, breakout rooms. Without them you lose ten minutes after every break.
- Session support
- Passing the microphone, gathering questions, signalling time to the speaker.
- Cloakroom attendant
- At a winter conference the cloakroom is the second bottleneck after registration.
- Waiting staff
- Coffee breaks and standing receptions, when catering doesn't bring its own crew.
What to decide, and when
3-4 weeks ahead
Lock headcount and language needs, if speakers or attendees come from abroad.
1 week ahead
Final attendee list, badge logic, dress code agreed.
On site, 90 minutes early
Crew arrives, desks set up, a test registration run.
30 minutes before start
Full crew at the desk, because this is when the peak begins.
What usually goes wrong
- Registration is sized for the daily average rather than the opening peak, and a fifteen-metre queue forms.
- There is no separate desk for walk-ins, so pre-registered guests end up in the slow queue too.
- Nobody announces how long the breaks are, so the second block always starts late.
- The cloakroom isn't planned for, and coats end up on the registration desk.
The staff we usually supply for this
Where are you organising it?
Information tailored to the city, with local venues.
Conference
Give us the date and the guest count and you'll have a concrete headcount and price within one working day.
- A real quote within 24 hours
- Replacement guarantee for drop-outs
- No minimum order
- A dedicated coordinator on every booking
Frequently asked questions
How many hostesses for a 300-person conference?
Six registration staff for the opening peak, plus two for wayfinding, plus one per breakout room. The exact number turns on how many entrances guests use and whether badges are pre-sorted.
Do I need interpreters or is English-speaking staff enough?
For registration, English is usually enough. Interpreting is a separate profession: if the talks need interpretation, hire interpreters, not hostesses.
When does the crew arrive?
Typically ninety minutes before the start, so desks are up and there is time for a test run. For larger events we also arrange a venue walk-through the day before.