It takes a lot of work to create a space that looks great for your event, keep it looking great throughout your event and then clean it all up afterwards. The key to event space cleaning and a successful event is a solid plan of action.
You need to figure out who will clean what and when they will be cleaning. Everyone should know their jobs, and your people and venue should be well organized. Here are some tips to help you pull that off.
Assign Trash Duty
Depending on how big your event is, you may need a few people on trash duty. You’ll want them to clean up the space before the event, getting rid of any wrappers or cleaning supplies that were left behind during preparations. You’ll also want them to periodically clean out on the event floor, keeping the space safe and clear. They also need to be ready to clean as the event is wrapping up. No one wants to look back at the venue as they are heading out and see a bunch of trash, so have your people organized with precise times allocated for them to clean.
Janitor Services Will Be Required
You will also want someone to be ready to clean up any spills, whether they are dry or liquid ones. These are safety hazards, and you’ll want them cleaned up as they happen. Many venues will ask the wait staff to act as janitors, but you want dedicated cleaning personnel on this duty, as you don’t want to slow down the wait staff. The janitorial staff should be keeping an eye out for spills and periodically patrolling the event venue to keep things clean and looking their best. Even a small spill can spell major disaster, so this job is vitally important.
Have a Leader Picked out
You will need to have your cleaning staff organized under a single leader. This is someone who will be able to get away from the activities of the event periodically to assign jobs to individuals. They may need some way to communicate remotely with other cleaning staff, but they should not be expected to do any cleaning themselves. They need to be paying attention to cleaning issues and then assigning the right person to the job as those issues arise.
Know What’s on Hand
Before you start up the event, you need to make sure your cleaning personnel have everything they need to keep the space clean. You don’t want to find out partway into your event that there isn’t a way to properly clean up spills or get rid of broken glass. You need a contingency plan for everything, and you need a way to clean up any kind of mess. Run the possibilities through your head and brainstorm with other event organizers working with you. Together, you can come up with scenarios that you should prepare for and then find solutions to those scenarios. Have a plan of action written out ahead of time and post it where everyone can see. That way, if something happens, everyone is on the same page and the problem can be addressed quickly and effectively.