Services
Merchandise staff and merch stand teams
Merchandise staff sell, restock and run the merch stand at fan events, arenas and tours. We run the whole stand, from the first box to the last sale.
The merch stand is the busiest place at a fan event, with real money and real stock at stake. We take the whole operation off your hands, from training the team and managing inventory to laying out the stand, upselling and end-of-day sales.
Our merch staff have event experience and a retail background, and are led by event managers who have run merch before, as they did at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival and the Apex Legends Global Series.
- 29on the merch team at ExCeL
- 6,000fans through the doors
- 6days on the stand in Birmingham
- 105%staffing compliance at ExCeL
Selected work.
Merch stands we have run.
Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival
Our 29-strong merch team was the biggest in the building, and 20 of our people helped build the stand first.
Read the case studyApex Legends Global Series Playoffs
Our merch team leaders and staff ran the stand through the show, for a crowd queuing for event-only drops.
Read the case studyALGS Year 3 Championship
Two merch team leaders and three assistants worked the stand for six days, from set-up to the final.
Read the case studySwag and merch management
We stocked, tracked and gave out free merch at London Freshers Fair and Olympic pop-ups for a global tech brand.
Everyone wants the merch first.
Roles we supply.
Merch event managers
Own the stand, the stock and the numbers from load-in to load-out.
Typical events: Conventions, arenas, tours
Merch team leaders
Run a section, the till and the team through the rush.
Typical events: Fan festivals, esports
Retail-trained sales staff
Serve fast, know the range and upsell.
Typical events: Conventions, arenas
Stockroom and runners
Keep sizes on the shelves and every box accounted for.
Typical events: Multi-day events
Queue hosts
Manage the line outside the stand and call sold-out items early.
Typical events: Doors and drops
Swag and giveaway teams
Stock, track and hand out free merch so it reaches the right people.
Typical events: Pop-ups, brand events
See our full list of roles for everyone we supply.
How we run your merch.
- 01
Train the team
Before doors, everyone is briefed on what is exclusive, sizing, payment and how to upsell. At Final Fantasy XIV the whole team was briefed the day before.
- 02
Build and lay out the stand
We set out and merchandise the stand ourselves, because people who built the shelves know where every size is.
- 03
Run inventory
Stock is counted in, tracked through the day and counted out, with a named lead responsible for it.
- 04
Report every night
End-of-day sales and stock are reconciled and sent to you, so you can adjust the next day.
How we stop shrinkage.
- We only book people we know, all vetted
- A named stock lead on every shift, and one controlled way in and out of the stockroom
- Stock counted in and counted out, and matched against sales every night
- Personal bags kept away from the stand and stock
- A team leader on every section, so nobody works the stock unseen
- Any difference is explained in that night’s report, not found a week later
What we need from you.
- Your product list and expected stock
- Expected crowd and doors times
- Stand plan and where stock is stored
- Till and payment set-up
- Any per-person limits on exclusives
FAQs.
Can you run the whole merch stand?
Yes. We train the team, handle inventory, lay out and merchandise the stand, upsell and report end-of-day sales. We did this at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival and the Apex Legends Global Series.
How do you prevent stock loss?
We book staff we know, name a stock lead on each shift, control the stockroom and count against sales every night, so any difference shows up the same day.
Do your staff have retail experience?
Yes. We book event staff with retail experience, and our event managers have run merchandising before.
How many people does a merch stand need?
It depends on the range and the crowd. We ran 29 at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival and five at the ALGS Year 3 Championship.
Related.
Let’s talk.
Tell us what you need and we’ll reply quickly.