How to Brief Your Event Staff: A Checklist for Brands

4 min read

Great brand ambassadors still need the right information. With a clear brief, your team arrives knowing the product, the goal and where to stand. Without one, the first morning of your event becomes a training session in front of your customers.

Use this checklist to put together your brief. Fill it in and send it to your agency at least a week before the event.

1. Where, when and who

• Event name, venue address and your booth, store or space number
• Dates and shift times, including setup and breakdown
• Where staff enter, where they check in and who they report to
• Name and cell number of your on-site contact
• How staff get their badges or credentials
• Parking or transit tips, and where staff can leave bags and coats
• Dress code, or what branded apparel you are sending

2. Your brand and product

• What your company does, in a sentence or two
• The products or services you are featuring
• The three things every visitor should remember
• Prices, promotions or show specials staff can mention
• Answers to the questions you hear most
• Anything staff must not say, claim or promise

3. What success looks like

Staff work differently when they know what counts. Tell them which result matters most:

• Leads, and what makes a lead qualified
• Samples handed out or products tasted
• Demos given or meetings booked
• Sales made on site
• Social follows, app downloads or contest entries

If you have a target, share it. Good staff like a number to aim for.

4. What staff should say and do

• An opening line to stop visitors (staff will put it in their own words)
• Two or three questions that sort buyers from browsers
• When and how to hand a visitor to your sales team
• Step-by-step instructions for the demo, sampling or tasting
• How leads are captured: lead retrieval app, scanner, tablet or form
• The break schedule and who covers each break

For alcohol tastings, include the store’s own rules and the state’s sample limits. Our guide to alcohol sampling rules by state has the details.

5. Reporting

• What goes in the end-of-shift report: numbers, customer feedback, competitor activity
• Photos or video you want taken
• Where reports go and by when

Attachments worth sending

• The floor plan with your space marked
• Product sheets or a short product deck
• Photos of your booth from a past show, if you have them
• Brand voice or tone guidelines

Tips for a brief that works

Keep it tight. Staff will read two clear pages and skim twenty. Put the important things first.

Send it early. A week ahead gives staff time to learn your product. For technical products, add a short video call with your team.

Reuse a template. If you run events often, keep one format. Your agency learns it, and new staff catch up faster.

Welcome questions. A good agency comes back with questions after reading your brief. That means they are taking it seriously.

Frequently asked questions

How long should an event staff brief be?

One or two pages for most events, with product sheets and floor plans attached separately.

When should I send the brief?

At least a week before the event, and earlier for technical products.

Do I have to train the staff myself?

Usually not. A good agency briefs its staff from your document. For complex products, a short call with your team on the first morning helps.

What if something changes after I send it?

Tell your agency contact right away. A good agency passes updates to every staff member before their shift.

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