Thinking Outside the Cubicle: Planning Portable Toilets for Events People like to talk about toilets! Flashbacks from my recent conferencing weekend have inspired this addition to our event management blog, as I recall empathetic giggles and affirming nods of audience members during a presentation to industry colleagues on calculating toilet numbers at special events. This post aims to satisfy the urgency (ha ha) for practical tips on portable toilets. From conversations with fellow events professionals, event planners seem hungry for best practice guidance on event logistics that are planned safely and within the law. (Popularity of j2’s earlier blog on planning events in strange locations proves that). Well, toilets could very well top the event logistics interest list! Who would have thought the humble loo such a fascinating topic? How many toilets do I need? If I had a dollar for every time I was asked this question I’d be retired from events management and flitting from event to festival as a guest (not planning them). The answer is: there is no easy answer! In the USA, just like Australia, there’s no national standard for calculating the number of toilets required for public areas outside of buildings and particularly at events. I’m not familiar with UK or New Zealand regulations, but for US event managers you could look at the American Restroom Association’s “Outdoor Toilet Facilities Availability Guidelines”. For my counterparts down under, a great resource is available from Local Government Toolbox, which provides a downloadable fact sheet for operators on “Toilet facilities at events”. No matter where you are in the world, either document could be helpful. With calculation tables and ratios, these guides provide loads of important information when planning your event restrooms. A suite of things to consider Consult any portable toilet provider and this is what they’ll ask you: What type of event are you staging? What’s the duration? Can you describe your crowd type and their activities? How many patrons do you expect? Are guests consuming alcohol? What kinds of food are being served? Can unisex toilets be placed to alleviate long queues...usually at the women’s rest rooms? At the very least consider all of these questions. It’s a good idea to ask sanitation professionals what they would recommend. Every event presents a unique setting; a two-day birds-eye chilli eating festival is going to have very different needs to a five-hour gala dinner, for example. Tailoring toilets to guest-type Speaking of different needs, thanks to a flourishing international portable amenities industry, event managers can afford to give greater consideration to the type of toilets that suit their patron demographic. Comfort and class! Now these two adjectives are more commonly associated with luxury cars or airlines, yet today’s event-goers are enjoying designer style and treatment during the comfort stop!