Event type
Open day
An open day doesn't have an audience. It has small groups arriving all day.
Headcount rule of thumb
One guide per 15-20 visitors; one or two on registration for the whole day.
In short
The load at an open day differs from an event: visitors don't arrive together but continuously through the day, and often you can't know how many in advance. So plan registration with a small crew but for the whole day, and run guided groups on fixed departure times rather than in order of arrival. As a rule of thumb, one guide can handle a group of fifteen to twenty, and one or two group departures an hour is sustainable. Registration needs one or two people across the day if there's no sharp peak.
Who you need, and why
- Registration hostess
- All-day, even load. Plan for endurance rather than a peak.
- Group guide
- The guided tour; one per fifteen to twenty visitors.
- Wayfinding staff
- Route, restricted zones, enforcing safety rules.
- Support staff
- Leaflets, refreshments, children's activities if there are any.
What to decide, and when
2-3 weeks ahead
Expected visitor numbers, departure schedule, route.
1 week ahead
Group size, safety rules, restricted areas clarified.
On site, 60 minutes early
Walk the route with the crew, set up registration.
During the day
Fixed hourly departures, not order of arrival.
What usually goes wrong
- Groups depart in order of arrival, and visitors wait forty minutes at the entrance.
- Groups are too large, and the back third can't hear the guide.
- The crew doesn't know the safety rules because there was no walk-through.
- Registration is sized for a peak, when the question here is endurance.
The staff we usually supply for this
Where are you organising it?
Information tailored to the city, with local venues.
Open day
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
What's the ideal group size?
Fifteen to twenty visitors with one guide. Larger than that and the back third can't hear, and the group splits along the route.
How many staff for an open day?
One or two on registration for the whole day, plus as many guides as you run parallel groups. Two departures an hour means two guides, three with rotation.
Is a site walk-through needed?
In an industrial or production setting, yes, because the crew has to know the route and the safety rules. We arrange that the day before.