Where large numbers of people gather, they will want access to clean toilets, where and when they need them. Depending on your target audience you may also need to make provision for baby-changing and toilet access for the disabled or infi rm.
Without clean and available toilets, most members of the public will stay away and the few who come to your event will not stay long.
Rental/hire
There are commercial companies that supply temporary toilet units. These units range from trailers containing blocks of toilets with built-in cubicles, wash basins and towels, down to decidedly second- or third-hand single toilets. It is worth contacting a range of companies and asking for advice, while you shop around for availability and the best price.
Numbers
From your estimated crowd size, the company should be able to indicate how many toilets you will need and give you a fi rm delivery date and price. From your audi- ence profi le, you should be able to agree with the suppliers on the percentage of male or female toilets. If you require it, for an inclusive or additional fee, they will usually put an operative on site with a tanker. The operative will patrol and service the toilets, ensuring that all toilets remain clean and available for use. They are also responsible for ensuring that they are supplied with toilet paper and water for fl ush- ing and hand-washing etc.
Remember to allow enough room on the site for the sewage tanker to get in, drive around to collect waste matter and then leave the site.
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Most single portable toilet units are unisex now, but reversible signs can be used to specifi cally assign them to either exclusive male or female use. Toilet trailers with multiple blocks can also be assigned for male or female use.
Location/distribution
Rather than make a ‘toilet city’ in one corner of the site, where possible arrange for blocks of toilets to be placed at convenient locations around the site. That is for the convenience of the public and stallholders, but also to be convenient for the servic- ing staff and vehicles.
Depending on the toilets supplied, your location choices may be restricted if they require mains water to operate properly. Remember that for all but the smallest event you will probably require separate toilets for the exclusive use of the event manager, police, fi rst aid, cashier etc.
When to deliver them
Depending on the size of your event and when you are going to start setting up you may need some toilets in place a few days before the event opens. For a large event you should begin marking the site and setting up as much as a week before the event opens (see Chapter 30, ‘Setting up’). If that is the case you may have staff, contrac- tors and exhibitors on site anything up to a week before opening day, and they will need access to toilets.
Sometimes it has been convenient for the toilet hire company to deliver and set up all of the contracted toilets a week early at no extra charge, but usually I have arranged for a few toilets to be delivered at the beginning of the week. I usually arrange for the event manager’s/cashier’s toilet, the police and fi rst aid toilet and one central cluster of toilets to be installed fi rst – the agreement being that the contractor should deliver the bulk of the toilets the day before opening and also service those already on site so that they are clean and ready for opening day.
When to collect them
In my experience the contractors have been in no rush to give the toilets a fi nal service and remove them. Depending on your strip down and clear up schedule you may want to negotiate for a few toilets to be available for use on the morning after closing day for the comfort of people present. You must make sure that your contract and agreement with the toilet suppliers includes their removal to a schedule that meets your and the site owner’s requirements. It has been known for a busy toilet supplier to leave toilets on site for several days after an event, until it was convenient for the company to collect them.
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Queuing
To avoid disputes and problems, you may wish to install simple rope walkways that form the public into single ‘post offi ce’-style toilet queues. In that way there is one queue and the next person in that queue gets the next available toilet. Using this method means that no unfortunate person will suffer discomfort, with their legs urgently crossed, because somebody in the toilet they happen to be waiting for has fallen asleep! If you use the single queue system, erect signs that say, ‘Toilets – Single Queue Here’.
Private toilets
Remember – if possible, as a courtesy, provide separate appropriately located toilet(s) for the event manager, cashier, police and fi rst aid staff.
Waste disposal
You should make your contractor responsible for the emptying and removal of the toilets. On no account should contents be emptied into ditches, streams or other watercourses. The slurry should be disposed of properly at licensed sites, in accor- dance with the regulations.
Tip
If you are not going to pay the toilet suppliers to patrol to ensure that toilets are clean and usable, you must somehow arrange for a member of your event staff do the same job. They will not have the same skill, equipment, experience and enthusiasm, so consider this ‘worthwhile’ expense very, very carefully.
Checkpoint
To check your decisions, hold a checkpoint review meeting where you present your selection of accommodation and services to a small group. Discuss the facts and the reasons behind those decisions. Note the responses, make any adjustment and fi nalise your accommodation and services plans.
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