A trend that the Covid pandemic started—a tidal wave of freelancers across all industries who focus on project work—appears to be a permanent feature throughout the U.S. economy.
The proof: More than 35 percent of the U.S. workforce engaged in freelance work in 2023—an increase of 4 million professionals from the year before, according to a study conducted by online freelance marketplace UpWork.
And while event planners at companies and associations must continually build their own skills, the explosion of freelancers provides the opportunity to instantly import specific skill sets to help execute one meeting or multiple meetings over time.
This is according to a recent white paper produced by Soundings, a freelance-talent provider for the events industry. The report is based on survey answers from 238 industry freelancers—97 percent of whom are college graduates and 87 percent of whom are age 35 or older, a sign of how much knowledgeable and experienced talent is available for event-project work these days.
“As the events industry evolves to a new workflow that features a greater reliance on technology and innovation, especially A.I., there will be greater reliance on agile talent strategies and freelance workers,” the report notes.
Specifically, “there is a growing need for specialized skills that may not be present in-house,” adds Tracy Judge, CEO of Soundings. “Freelancers with expertise in areas like virtual-event management, digital marketing, and technology are in high demand. Senior freelance roles requiring specific vertical expertise—like event-technology and event-marketing specialists—have become more sought after.”
Further, “these are not people who simply plug in temporary holes,” says the report. “In the proper environment, they can become long-time partners who are as valuable as outside vendors.”
Best Practices for Using Freelancers
According to the white paper, here is how to ensure strong performance from outside personnel:
Develop a playbook. Establish key principles so that internal planners who work with freelancers stay consistent and compliant on compensation, scheduling, and communicating.
Use technology. Project-management software and workflow platforms are critical for monitoring deadlines, maintaining communication, and ensuring sufficient collaboration.
Communicate clearly. When laying out the scope of work and deadlines to outside personnel, planners should make clear the degree of autonomy and flexibility that comes with the assignment. “Transparent communication builds trust and leads to better project outcomes,” the report says.
Provide regular feedback. After each assignment, meet with each freelancer to discuss the organization’s assessment of the positives and negatives from the experience, and the freelancer’s assessment as well. From this, revise the working protocols for potential future assignments.
Train internal planners. Make sure those who work with outside talent are coached well enough to effectively implement these tactics.
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