New approach to event and venue first aid

For too long first aid providers at events and venues have been seen purely as an insurance requirement, a begrudging purchase to meet requirements, according to Lucas Anderson, Managing Director of industry first aid provider EventAid.

Anderson believes that attitude can’t be allowed to continue and that first aid providers should be held to the same measure as every other supplier, competing not just on cost but also on what value they can add to an event.

He explains “event medical suppliers should be making a bigger contribution to your bottom line (for) the days of first aid being purely been about band-aids and Panadol are long gone.

“Anyone running an event in this social media age knows that customer service is a make or break component of successful event management. All it takes is one post complaining about poor service and an events brand can be plastered not only all over social media, but also the nightly news and the next day’s newspaper headlines.

“From a customer’s perspective, there is no difference between staff employed directly by the event staff and those that are contractors – a bad experience is a bad experience. That’s why event managers nowadays should be demanding more from their contract staff, especially their first aid and medical service team.

“If a patron is already having a less than ideal event experience that they require first aid services, the quality of care and attention they receive can help build an advocate of your event, or quickly turn them into detractors.

“This is just one of many ways that first aid providers can directly impact the bottom line of an event. Beyond the medical care there is risk management and mitigation, event planning, non-medical customer service such as directions and information, stakeholder relationships and event feedback and debriefs.”

EventAid General Manager Caroline Guillemain-Brunne believes anyone can put on the band-aids if their staff have the correct qualification, adding “it’s what is done before the event in the planning phase, on-site when providers aren’t adminstering first aid to patrons and post-event during the debrief where providers can differentiate themselves and truly deliver a return on investment, moving beyond a contractor to that of a partner.”

Anderson concludes “with the margins of event management become tighter and tighter, success comes only if businesses evolve and deliver a holistic experience. That means every link in the supplier chain should be doing the same, and ensuring that they contribute to your success.”

EventAid are committed to providing modern, fresh, and professional first aid, medical and safety services. Clients include Playbill Venues, the MCG, Royal Melbourne Show and Spartan Race Australia.

Click here to contact Event Aid via their information in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory.

Images (from top): Event Aid at a Spartan Race, in nightime Melbourne, Lucas Anderson and Caroline Guillemain-Brunne.

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