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Special Events and Sanitation
By: Carol Brzozowski
In the April installment of ‘Coffee Break with Carol,’ I
speak with Connie Riley, a Certified Special Events
Professional and the International President of the
International Special Events Society (ISES). She is also
vice-president of event operations for T. Skorman
Productions, an award-winning special events firm
based in Orlando, Florida.
In the April installment of ‘Coffee Break with Carol,’ I
speak with Connie Riley, a Certified Special Events
Professional and the International President of the
International Special Events Society (ISES). She is also
vice-president of event operations for T. Skorman
Productions, an award-winning special events firm
based in Orlando, Florida.
| Connie Riley |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
I didn’t realize what a good year it was going to be until I started doing research for a ‘state of the industry’
session I presented in January. Had I not done the research and seen the forecasts, I never would have realized
this. I’m preaching everywhere I go to all of our ISES members that they need to look at different markets. The
business is there. A lot of our clients already have business on the books for 2009 and 2010.
Q: What are the strongest special event markets right now?
A: “The incentive market in the meetings industry are awards programs where salespeople have reached their goals
or are the top in their industry, so they are awarded trips as an incentive meeting. It’s usually a small group of a
higher-level sales force who are brought to resort destinations. They still receive training, but they’re treated very
nicely with off-site events like golf or theme parks. The off-site functions are often in outdoor areas, whether they’
re campgrounds, fishing areas or ski resorts or they’ve taken a beautiful lawn and decided to do a full event
outside. They’re always looking for something new and unique, which isn’t in a ballroom or a convention center.
They’re also taking them to areas that have never had an event there. It’s always about a ‘first’ – the first time to
do one of these excursions. The trend is outdoor activities, which is a benefit for the portable sanitation industry
because people have become so health-conscious – either they’re 30-somethings who have done incredible sales in
pharmaceutical companies or the 40- and 50-somethings who have gone high in their careers. Other strong markets
are telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, international events held in the United States and the social market -
weddings, bar mitzvahs, and birthdays. Reality shows have made the social market a fairly heavy hitter. Everyone
wants to have an event like the stars now. That’s a huge market.”
Q: What role does the portable sanitation unit play in a special event – how is it regarded?
A: “It has no realized importance or significance. The industry doesn’t pay attention to it. It hasn’t been brought
forward enough that it’s important, so they really don’t know about it. Only those of us who have actually worked
with the portable sanitation companies and had to plan for it are aware of it. If you’re a small company or new to
the industry, they’ve never even considered it or put it in their plan. It’s about educating the market - they don’t
think about it until it’s a crisis and then they say, ‘Oh…I have to have bathrooms!’ And that should be one of the
first things you should think about because of the space requirements: where are you going to place it in relation to
the rest of the event and put it in your design? But they’ve not been taught that yet.”
Q: What’s the best way for a portable sanitation operator to find out about opportunities to service this
sector?
A: “Use websites to find trade shows that are in the local area and region: International Special Events Society
(www.ises.com), Meeting Professionals International (www.mpiweb.org), the National Association of Catering
Executives (www.nace.net), and the Professional Convention Management Association (www.pcma.org). These
are vendors who need to know about portable sanitation, would rent it or are in the business of rentals.
Q: What types of special events units tend to be most popular in this sector – the VIP-type trailers? Or
are the nicely-decorated flushing single service units sufficient? And do special event companies favor
those portable sanitation operations that offer umbrella services, such as stand-alone hand washing
stations and roll-off containers, for example?
A: The trailers are the most preferred. People like things like fresh flowers. A lot of our clients do the florals
themselves, but there are always additions. They put in all of the lotions and hairspray for women - it can be like a
very sophisticated restroom in a resort. Some will bring in linen towels. The trailers have that advantage. They
allow for upscale accessorizing. Companies most definitely like umbrella services.
Q: Would you recommend having at least one on-site attendant for special events?
A: I have always had that at our events. Depending on how elaborate it is, one is not enough. There was always an
attendant – more of a host or hostess - but there was also an operations person there too if there was anything that
was actually wrong with the restroom. When you want that, the money isn’t a concern.
Q: There is a formula for the number of units that should be onsite for a special event and is influenced
by such factors as whether alcohol is being served and the expected number of attendees. Do you think
special events generally have enough units onsite or is this an area where portable sanitation operators
can education event planners?
A: We have never seen a shortage on the special events with trailers, so the vendors must be calculating correctly
for their specific event. Perhaps the leaders in portable sanitation rentals could calculate a dollar amount per person
on the products. This would help train special event planners on average amounts to include in their budget drafts.
Q: What’s the worst portable sanitation unit you’ve ever seen at a special event? The best?
A: It was at a festival in Georgia years ago. It was ill-planned. The portable sanitation unit was not maintained. It
was the joke of a porta-potty. I’ve been to a lot of outdoor events where they appear spotless. The advent of the
hand sanitizer - one of the biggies in the industry, I think - makes them approachable. The (Georgia) event itself
was a gross, low-budget event – they hadn’t done their work because they didn’t even have a fence to keep the
event corralled. The sales of tickets were a joke because people could get in through the security gate. It was just
the icing on the cake that the porta-potties were not something where a lady would like to go. That makes a big
difference. This was just one of their issues. The best I’ve seen is from Black Tie Services. They were the first
company we ever knew. They’ve always given great service. I’m sure there are higher-end trailers than theirs
because they keep making them better and better, but they’ve always been a great partner in town that we’ve all
worked with and they service a lot of the country. They always participate in the same shows and get their name
out there. That’s a large part of it.
Q: What are the key factors to keep in mind when portable sanitation operators work with event
planners?
A: Educating the client on the need to provide the service and advantages of using the correct product. I think the
sanitation folks really haven’t gotten into the face of the event people to tell them, ‘Here are the advantages’ and
especially because there are so many new products that come out of which nobody’s aware. The education aspect
is a huge focus of the special events industry and portable sanitation operators tying in with green initiatives can
probably elevate the perception of their industry through education. There’s got to be something that’s correct
about this – that they’re using biodegradable products, that the chemicals are eco-friendly, if they’re recycling –
something that’s got this twist that’s going to make them popular. That’s something they can tie off to and be in on
the ride by simply being with the trend.
Q: What percentage of their budgets do event planners usually allocate to portable sanitation - is it too
little, too much?
A: Unless the planners are experienced in the scope of events, they probably don't allocate any budget to this until it
becomes a crisis. Experienced planners will assign a budget to this item by determining the level of service that
matches their special event. We don’t really put a price on it, but it would be great using that formula if we were
taught how to do it. I never started thinking about it until I talked with you!
session I presented in January. Had I not done the research and seen the forecasts, I never would have realized
this. I’m preaching everywhere I go to all of our ISES members that they need to look at different markets. The
business is there. A lot of our clients already have business on the books for 2009 and 2010.
Q: What are the strongest special event markets right now?
A: “The incentive market in the meetings industry are awards programs where salespeople have reached their goals
or are the top in their industry, so they are awarded trips as an incentive meeting. It’s usually a small group of a
higher-level sales force who are brought to resort destinations. They still receive training, but they’re treated very
nicely with off-site events like golf or theme parks. The off-site functions are often in outdoor areas, whether they’
re campgrounds, fishing areas or ski resorts or they’ve taken a beautiful lawn and decided to do a full event
outside. They’re always looking for something new and unique, which isn’t in a ballroom or a convention center.
They’re also taking them to areas that have never had an event there. It’s always about a ‘first’ – the first time to
do one of these excursions. The trend is outdoor activities, which is a benefit for the portable sanitation industry
because people have become so health-conscious – either they’re 30-somethings who have done incredible sales in
pharmaceutical companies or the 40- and 50-somethings who have gone high in their careers. Other strong markets
are telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, international events held in the United States and the social market -
weddings, bar mitzvahs, and birthdays. Reality shows have made the social market a fairly heavy hitter. Everyone
wants to have an event like the stars now. That’s a huge market.”
Q: What role does the portable sanitation unit play in a special event – how is it regarded?
A: “It has no realized importance or significance. The industry doesn’t pay attention to it. It hasn’t been brought
forward enough that it’s important, so they really don’t know about it. Only those of us who have actually worked
with the portable sanitation companies and had to plan for it are aware of it. If you’re a small company or new to
the industry, they’ve never even considered it or put it in their plan. It’s about educating the market - they don’t
think about it until it’s a crisis and then they say, ‘Oh…I have to have bathrooms!’ And that should be one of the
first things you should think about because of the space requirements: where are you going to place it in relation to
the rest of the event and put it in your design? But they’ve not been taught that yet.”
Q: What’s the best way for a portable sanitation operator to find out about opportunities to service this
sector?
A: “Use websites to find trade shows that are in the local area and region: International Special Events Society
(www.ises.com), Meeting Professionals International (www.mpiweb.org), the National Association of Catering
Executives (www.nace.net), and the Professional Convention Management Association (www.pcma.org). These
are vendors who need to know about portable sanitation, would rent it or are in the business of rentals.
Q: What types of special events units tend to be most popular in this sector – the VIP-type trailers? Or
are the nicely-decorated flushing single service units sufficient? And do special event companies favor
those portable sanitation operations that offer umbrella services, such as stand-alone hand washing
stations and roll-off containers, for example?
A: The trailers are the most preferred. People like things like fresh flowers. A lot of our clients do the florals
themselves, but there are always additions. They put in all of the lotions and hairspray for women - it can be like a
very sophisticated restroom in a resort. Some will bring in linen towels. The trailers have that advantage. They
allow for upscale accessorizing. Companies most definitely like umbrella services.
Q: Would you recommend having at least one on-site attendant for special events?
A: I have always had that at our events. Depending on how elaborate it is, one is not enough. There was always an
attendant – more of a host or hostess - but there was also an operations person there too if there was anything that
was actually wrong with the restroom. When you want that, the money isn’t a concern.
Q: There is a formula for the number of units that should be onsite for a special event and is influenced
by such factors as whether alcohol is being served and the expected number of attendees. Do you think
special events generally have enough units onsite or is this an area where portable sanitation operators
can education event planners?
A: We have never seen a shortage on the special events with trailers, so the vendors must be calculating correctly
for their specific event. Perhaps the leaders in portable sanitation rentals could calculate a dollar amount per person
on the products. This would help train special event planners on average amounts to include in their budget drafts.
Q: What’s the worst portable sanitation unit you’ve ever seen at a special event? The best?
A: It was at a festival in Georgia years ago. It was ill-planned. The portable sanitation unit was not maintained. It
was the joke of a porta-potty. I’ve been to a lot of outdoor events where they appear spotless. The advent of the
hand sanitizer - one of the biggies in the industry, I think - makes them approachable. The (Georgia) event itself
was a gross, low-budget event – they hadn’t done their work because they didn’t even have a fence to keep the
event corralled. The sales of tickets were a joke because people could get in through the security gate. It was just
the icing on the cake that the porta-potties were not something where a lady would like to go. That makes a big
difference. This was just one of their issues. The best I’ve seen is from Black Tie Services. They were the first
company we ever knew. They’ve always given great service. I’m sure there are higher-end trailers than theirs
because they keep making them better and better, but they’ve always been a great partner in town that we’ve all
worked with and they service a lot of the country. They always participate in the same shows and get their name
out there. That’s a large part of it.
Q: What are the key factors to keep in mind when portable sanitation operators work with event
planners?
A: Educating the client on the need to provide the service and advantages of using the correct product. I think the
sanitation folks really haven’t gotten into the face of the event people to tell them, ‘Here are the advantages’ and
especially because there are so many new products that come out of which nobody’s aware. The education aspect
is a huge focus of the special events industry and portable sanitation operators tying in with green initiatives can
probably elevate the perception of their industry through education. There’s got to be something that’s correct
about this – that they’re using biodegradable products, that the chemicals are eco-friendly, if they’re recycling –
something that’s got this twist that’s going to make them popular. That’s something they can tie off to and be in on
the ride by simply being with the trend.
Q: What percentage of their budgets do event planners usually allocate to portable sanitation - is it too
little, too much?
A: Unless the planners are experienced in the scope of events, they probably don't allocate any budget to this until it
becomes a crisis. Experienced planners will assign a budget to this item by determining the level of service that
matches their special event. We don’t really put a price on it, but it would be great using that formula if we were
taught how to do it. I never started thinking about it until I talked with you!
Q: Given the residential construction slump has hit
portable sanitation operators’ businesses hard in the
past year - with the situation predicted to last at least
another year - they’re looking to the special events
sector to pull them through. How strong is the special
events sector in the present economy?
A: “Special events and meetings are strong, regardless of the
downturn of the U.S. economy. 2008 forecasts predict a
very positive outlook for international groups coming to the
U.S. They get a lot more for their money. I just heard some
crazy statistic recently that Canadian travel to Florida was
double compared to the last couple of years.
portable sanitation operators’ businesses hard in the
past year - with the situation predicted to last at least
another year - they’re looking to the special events
sector to pull them through. How strong is the special
events sector in the present economy?
A: “Special events and meetings are strong, regardless of the
downturn of the U.S. economy. 2008 forecasts predict a
very positive outlook for international groups coming to the
U.S. They get a lot more for their money. I just heard some
crazy statistic recently that Canadian travel to Florida was
double compared to the last couple of years.
Serving the American Liquid Waste Industry Since 2002