If you’ve ever been to a gala, you know that there are a ton of moving parts that go into producing these events.

Galas, commonly known for being extremely upscale fundraisers, have gained massive popularity within the past 15 years for nonprofit organizations. They are used to bring in donors, founders, and anyone who supports the foundations cause.

Galas generally consist of a cocktail hour and plated seated dinner. During this time, chairmen and founders tend to give speeches about the foundation or charity and also commonly host a paddle raising portion that encourages guests to donate to the cause.

What type of staff are needed for Galas?

We are going to take you through start to finish staffing for Galas.

Pre Production

In order to set the space for your gala, foundations usually hire production assistants to come in before the event starts and help set up. Production assistants are great and affordable options to help with heavy lifting, vendor drop offs, and organization.

Production Assistants can help make sure all your rentals have been delivered, set the tables, help with decorating, and make sure the event is presentable in a timely manner.

During the Event

There are three types of staff that are extremely important when staffing a gala - Brand Ambassadors, Catering Staff, and Bartenders. Their event specific duties are below.

Bartenders

It’s important to hire enough bartenders to attend your guests throughout the event. A good rule of thumb is to hire one bartender for every 50-75 guests in attendance. Bartenders at Galas serve cocktails throughout the night and often are able to curate event specific specialty drinks for the occasion.

If you plan to have over 100 guests at your event, consider bringing on a barback or two to help restock the bar.

Catering Staff

Catering Staff at Galas generally tend to be servers, bussers, and scullery. Depending on the flow of your event, the servers can tray pass during cocktail hour and then serve a seated plated dinner for the main course.

Bussers are utilized during Galas to keep the space tidy. Scullery workers are extremely important, especially if you are doing a plated dinner. You want to make sure you have a team who is equipped to spearhead your rentals and ensure they are all packed properly after the dishes, silverware, and glassware are used.

Brand Ambassadors

Brand Ambassadors have one of the biggest roles in hosting a Gala. They are most commonly utilized for two tasks - check in and paddle raising.

Check In Staff

These brand ambassadors will check in all of your guests. They use iPads or Laptops and standard check in software to make sure that anyone who enters the event, has been invited and approved. They also help give guests wristbands if needed and table assignments.

Paddle Raising - During the donation portion of a Gala, most of your brand ambassadors will spread amongst the space holding paddles and microphones. As the announcer calls for donations, brand ambassadors will raise paddles for the donors nearby and hold the microphones while they make short speeches. This is extremely important so you can adhere to a time schedule and not let your guests give an hour long speech for every donation.

Post Event

After your event, you can utilize your production assistants to help break down the space, organize your rentals and have everything ready for pickup.

Planning a Gala can be time consuming, but it is always for a great cause. We hope this blog helped answer any questions about the staff you will need for a successful event. Feel free to use our Event Staffing Calculator for accurate estimates on staff count.

Looking to book Gala Staff for an upcoming event? Contact Elevate Events now.