25 Must-Pack Items in an Event Planner’s Emergency Kit
Most event-day problems are surprisingly ordinary.
Someone needs scissors. A cable needs taping down. A presenter loses a button. A radio dies. Something spills. A sign needs fixing five minutes before doors open.
None of these things are disasters, unless you don't have what you need to fix them.
That's why experienced event planners tend to accumulate a slightly ridiculous collection of tape, cable ties, chargers, stationery, tools and miscellaneous things that have saved the day at least once.
After years of events, you get a pretty good idea of what's worth carrying, but how do you start one?
First, let’s start with the basics.
What is an Event Planner’s Emergency Kit?
Think of it as your event-day problem-solving box.
It's a collection of practical tools and supplies you keep on site for the small fixes, forgotten items and unexpected jobs that inevitably come up during event delivery.
And everyone's kit will look a little different.
A conference in a hotel might need spare presentation clickers, chargers and stationery. An outdoor festival might need mallets, cable ties, safety equipment and wet-weather supplies. A wedding might call for wardrobe fixes, personal care items and a sewing kit.
Depending on where you work, you might hear it called an:
Event Kit
Production Kit
Show Box
Event Toolbox
Survival Kit
Whatever you call it, the principle is the same:
You don't want to leave the event site every time somebody needs a roll of tape.
Start With the Container
Before you stock your kit, plan how you'll carry it.
At our agency, we used 45-litre (12-gallon) plastic storage tubs. They're durable, stackable and easy to label. We also kept a few empty tubs on standby during bump-in because something invariably needed carrying, storing, or moving around the site.
But the right container depends on the events you deliver.
Backpacks work well for smaller events where you need to stay mobile.
Toolboxes give you compartments and make smaller items easier to find.
Storage tubs are useful when you're carrying a larger amount of equipment.
Tubs or cases with wheels can make life considerably easier on large sites.
Aim for the sweet spot: big enough to hold what you genuinely need, but manageable enough for someone to lift and move.
Event Planner’s Emergency Kit Shopping List
So, what belongs in the kit? Here are the 25 event-day essentials we’ve found worth packing, grouped into everyday supplies and personal and crew essentials, with links to help you stock your own kit.*
Everyday Event Essentials
▢ Office stationery
Pens, permanent markers, scissors, notepads, and anything else you reach for regularly. Buy
▢ Tape. Lots of it.
Gaffer tape, electrical tape, double-sided tape and Velcro all solve very different problems. Buy
▢ Batteries
Keep a selection appropriate for the equipment you're using on site. Buy
▢ Clipboards and folders
Useful for event staff, volunteers, registrations, checklists and printed run sheets. Buy
▢ Cable ties + scissors or box cutter
You'll find many uses for this combination all day. Buy
▢ Electrical essentials
USB drives, chargers, charging cables, extension leads or whatever your particular event setup relies on. Buy
▢ Basic cleaning supplies
Hand wash, wipes, paper towels, surface spray and rubbish bags can solve a surprising number of little problems. Buy
▢ Basic tools
A hammer, screwdriver set, wrench, mallet or pegs may be useful depending on the event and venue. Buy
▢ Key event paperwork
Run sheet, contact lists, site plans, permits and other documents your team may need during delivery. Buy
Personal Care & Crew Supplies
A few personal essentials can solve surprisingly common problems on event day. Long hours, physical work and limited opportunities to leave the site mean it's worth keeping a few basics on hand for your crew, presenters, performers or guests who might need them.
▢ Sewing kit
For quick fixes to clothing, costumes, table linen or anything else that decides to come apart at the wrong moment. Buy
▢ Basic pain relief
Useful to have available for your crew during long event days. Buy
▢ Mints or chewing gum
A small thing that can be very welcome before speaking to guests, clients or presenters. Buy
▢ Tampons or pads
Keep a small supply for staff, volunteers or guests who get caught without them. Buy
▢ Deodorant
Particularly appreciated after bump-in, outdoor work or a very long day on site. Buy
▢ Snacks or granola bars
Particularly useful when meal breaks don't happen quite when you expected them to. Buy
▢ Bottled water
Keep a few bottles aside for crew, presenters or suppliers who need one quickly. Buy
▢ Basic grooming items
A brush or comb, bobby pins and hair ties can be surprisingly useful, particularly for speakers, performers or wedding parties. Buy
Basic Incident Response
What belongs here depends heavily on your event's size, location, and risk profile. Your emergency kit doesn't replace your event's proper safety, emergency or first-aid arrangements. These are practical items that may help when responding to minor issues on site.
▢ First Aid Kit
Keep an appropriately stocked kit accessible for minor injuries, alongside your event's proper first-aid arrangements. Buy
▢ Hazard/ safety tape
Useful for temporarily marking off a hazard or keeping people away from an area until you can properly deal with it. Buy
▢ Torch or mini flashlights
Essential for low-light areas, power interruptions, backstage spaces or finding your way around a site after dark. Buy
▢ Megaphone or loudspeaker + whistle
Useful when you need to communicate quickly across a large, noisy or outdoor event site. Buy
▢ High-vis vests and warden hats
Make key staff easier to identify when managing vehicles, crowds, suppliers or an incident. Buy
▢ No Entry / Danger signage
A quick way to stop people entering an unsafe, restricted or temporarily closed area. Buy
▢ Safety cones or bollards
Useful for temporarily defining access points, hazards, vehicle areas or spaces that need to stay clear. Buy
▢ Personal protective equipment
Keep gloves, masks or other PPE appropriate to the work, venue and risks involved in your event. Buy
A quick note on Amazon Prime: If you're ordering several items from this list, the free delivery on eligible purchases can add up quickly. I mostly keep Prime for that reason, particularly when I'm regularly ordering or replacing event supplies.
A well-packed event kit is one less thing to think about on event day. The best event kits get built over time, one problem-solved moment at a time.
Restock It After Every Event
Make checking the kit part of your post-event process.
Replace what you've used. Recharge anything that needs charging. Check expiry dates where relevant. Put the scissors back. And don't discover at your next event that the only roll of gaffer tape has six centimetres left.
It's a small job, but exactly the kind that's easy to forget once the event is over.
Your Kit Will Get Better With Every Event
You won't build the perfect emergency kit the first time. You build it by working at events.
Every time you find yourself saying, “I wish we had…”, make a note and add it for next time. If something travels to ten events without being touched, decide whether it still deserves the space.
Over time, your kit becomes a record of the problems you've learned to anticipate.
And that's really the point. You can't prevent every unexpected thing from happening on event day. But you can get very good at having what you need when it does.
→ If you found this useful, feel free to share it with a fellow event planner or your event network. They’ll appreciate you passing it on.
Affiliate Note: Event Kit may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. We’ve curated this list and only link to products we think are genuinely useful for event planning.
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Meet Your Mentor
Rachella Thomas is an award-winning event producer with more than 26 years of experience delivering major events. Her work includes the Australian Open, Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay, Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, and other renowned large-scale events and festivals.
Rachella founded Event Kit, where she turns decades of professional event know-how into practical tools for event planners worldwide.
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