Most arena jobs, stadium jobs and convention center jobs are not with the venue itself. One company runs the building, another runs food and drinks, a crowd management contractor works the gates, union stagehands rig the shows and a trade show contractor builds the exhibit floor. To get hired, find out who runs the job you want and apply to that company.
That is why searching the venue's name often turns up only a handful of office jobs. The hourly event jobs are spread across five or six employers who all work inside the same building on the same night.
Who hires at arenas, stadiums and convention centers
Five or six employers work inside the same building on the same night. Find the one that runs the job you want and apply there, not just on the venue's careers page.
- Venue management company
Operations crew, ushers, guest services and the box office at the venues they run. Examples: Legends Global (which acquired ASM Global in 2024) and Oak View Group.
- Food and beverage concessionaire
Bartenders, cashiers, cooks and runners for stands, bars, suites and clubs. Levy operates at more than 350 venues; Delaware North at nearly 50, including TD Garden; Aramark covers food, facilities and retail.
- Crowd management contractor
Gates, bag checks, section ushers and event security, hired, trained and scheduled by firms such as CSC. Some venues keep ushers in-house, so check both.
- IATSE local
Union stagehands for rigging, lighting, sound and stage crew. IATSE represents more than 170,000 entertainment workers; you join through the local for your craft and city.
- General services contractor
Setup, teardown and material handling on the trade show floor, for the show organizer. Freeman and GES are the big names; unions do most of that floor work in US facilities.
- Exhibitors and staffing agencies
Booth staff, brand ambassadors, product demonstrators and registration, hired by the exhibitor, its agency or an event staffing agency that fills gaps for every employer above.
At the M&T Bank Stadium gameday job fair in June 2024, the Baltimore Ravens hired guest service ambassadors while Levy hired bartenders, cashiers, cooks and runners. Aramark hired custodians, and separate contractors hired event security, parking and retail staff. Same building, same games, six different employers.
Arena, stadium and convention center jobs: who hires each
Pick a job to see who usually hires for it and what it pays.
- Who hires
- Crowd management contractor, venue operator or team
- Median pay
- $17.50 an hour
- Typical range
- $15–22 an hour
- Who hires
- Venue operator, team or crowd management contractor
- Median pay
- $18 an hour
- Typical range
- $16–23 an hour
- Who hires
- Food and beverage concessionaire
- Median pay
- $16.50 an hour
- Typical range
- $15–20 an hour
- Who hires
- Food and beverage concessionaire
- Median pay
- $26 + tips an hour
- Typical range
- $20–38 an hour
- Who hires
- Concessionaire (food runners); production or show office
- Median pay
- $19 an hour
- Typical range
- $16–24 an hour
- Who hires
- Venue operator or team ticket office
- Median pay
- $18.50 an hour
- Typical range
- $16–24 an hour
- Who hires
- Crowd management or security contractor
- Median pay
- $21 an hour
- Typical range
- $17–29 an hour
- Who hires
- IATSE local or the venue's labor provider
- Median pay
- $27 an hour
- Typical range
- $22–40 an hour
- Who hires
- General services contractor, venue operations or staffing agency
- Median pay
- $20 an hour
- Typical range
- $17–26 an hour
- Who hires
- Show organizer's registration team or staffing agency
- Median pay
- $20 an hour
- Typical range
- $17–25 an hour
- Who hires
- Exhibitor or its marketing agency
- Median pay
- $25 an hour
- Typical range
- $20–34 an hour
Bartending is the top earner once tips are counted, and suite and club bars on a sold-out night are the shifts people compete for. Stagehand pay climbs with a union card and specialist skills like rigging. Ushers and concessions pay least but are the easiest way in.
When stadiums and convention centers hire
Venue hiring follows the event calendar, not the school or fiscal year. Apply in the weeks before the rush, when employers are filling whole rosters at once.
How to get a job at an arena or stadium, step by step
- 1Pick the job, then find who runs it
- 2Apply to the contractor, not just the venue
- 3Go to the job fair ready to start
- 4Clear the background check, training and licenses
- 5Work your first events and get on the regular list
Pick the job, then find who runs it
Time · 30 minutesCost · FreeDecide what you want to do: pour drinks, scan tickets, work the stage or staff a booth. Then check the venue's careers page for its partners. Venues often name the concessionaire and send applicants to it, the way State Farm Arena points hourly food and beverage applicants to Levy.
Apply to the contractor, not just the venue
Time · 1–2 hoursCost · FreeApply on each employer's own careers site and pick the specific venue. Concessionaires and crowd management firms hire per location, so an application to the wrong building can sit unread.
Add one or two event staffing agencies too. They place staff with several of these employers and are often the fastest route to a first shift. You can also browse open event shifts on eventstaffing.com by city and role.
Go to the job fair ready to start
Time · Half a dayCost · FreeBring ID, your work authorization documents and a list of the dates you can work. Many fairs hire on the spot pending a background check, so treat the fair as the interview.
Clear the background check, training and licenses
Time · 1–3 weeksCost · Free to the cost of state trainingExpect a background check, an orientation and sometimes online training. Bar and beer stand jobs may need your state's alcohol-server course; see our TIPS certification guide.
Security rules depend on the state. In California, for example, a security guard registration requires a background check and Power to Arrest training, plus 32 hours of skills training in the first six months, per the state Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Check your own state's licensing agency before you apply for security posts.
Work your first events and get on the regular list
Time · Your first monthCost · FreeSupervisors build their rosters from people who show up early and never cancel late. Say yes to the less popular dates, like a weekday trade show or a cold midweek game. A good first month usually moves you onto the regular schedule and toward better posts like suites, clubs or the arena floor.
What a stadium or convention center shift is like
Event shifts follow the show, not the clock. This is how a typical night runs for ushers, stand workers and floor staff; stage and setup crews start earlier, at load-in.
- Before doorsCall timeCall time is well before doors open, earlier for stand openers who stock and count drawers.
- Check-inCredentialEmployee entrance, badge or credential, then security. No credential, no entry: keep it on you all shift.
- Doors to final whistleOn your feetMost posts stand for the whole event, often on concrete. Breaks follow the event, so eat in a quiet stretch. Bring only phone, ID, a charger and a snack.
- After the crowd leavesClose-outThe shift ends when the building is clear and the money is counted; setup crews work load-out into the night.
Long nights add up. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, covered nonexempt employees get at least 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Some states go further, so check your state labor office. Our guide to reporting time pay covers what happens when a shift is cut short.
How to move up from event staff
- Lead or stand manager. Reliable stand workers become stand leads who run the cash, the crew and the stock. Ushers become section supervisors.
- Premium posts. Suites, clubs and VIP areas pay more and tend to go to staff with a clean record and good guest feedback.
- Union card. Stagehands often start on a local's overhire or extra list, and steady calls can lead to membership and specialist work like rigging or audio.
- Full-time venue roles. Event operations, guest services management, box office and event coordinator jobs are often filled from the part-time pool.
If you work for several employers, track how each one pays you. Some hire you as a W-2 employee and some as a contractor; our W-2 vs 1099 guide explains the difference.