Serving the Red Carpet Crowd

Crack portable sanitation provider shares tips for capturing high-profile event work

Million-dollar budgets, hundreds of guests, tight security, and last-minute requests weave the fabric of life for Keri Ross, sales/office manager of Room To Go Inc. in Millgrove, Ontario, Canada. The company supplies luxury washrooms for special and high-profile events.

Don’t think movie stars and heads of state, although they are some of Room To Go’s clients. Think corporations and industry such as automobile manufacturers, universities, and wineries, or construction, film, energy, and technology companies. Elaborate wedding garden parties complete the mix.

Explore Ross’ secrets to providing special special event service and the steps Room To Go took to build a reputation:

Pumper Interview

Pumper:

How did Room To Go evolve differently than most portable sanitation companies?

Ross:

Most began as portable restroom operators who branched into special events. We started manufacturing construction washroom and office trailers in 1976, so came in from the rental side. My dad, Harold, saw the need to provide heated, luxury restrooms. Specialization enables us to keep our heads in the game.

Experience helps everyone understand what is needed. For example, when a wedding has 400 guests, we know the accompanying staff of 50 will need washrooms, too. We usually provide a single or double VIP trailer from NuConcepts for them. That keeps the staff out of guest washrooms. We often deliver the staff washroom days in advance, then service it when we bring the guest restrooms.

Pumper:

How many events involving notable people do you service a year?

Ross:

We had 12 in 2007, but that number will probably double this year. Besides several film festivals and the occasional garden party for a Member of Parliament, we service the film industry year-round, as some company is always shooting in our area.

Pumper:

What other elements make servicing these events different from ordinary attractions?

Ross:

The security level is higher. Some events are so secretive that we don’t know who the attraction is because organizers don’t want the media hounding them. We’re just told to arrive at a certain place and time. The most recent example is when Bill Clinton hosted a fundraiser in March at a big Toronto hotel.

Location is often a challenge. Last year at the Toronto Film Festival, we supplied NuConcepts singles for the Entertainment Tonight lounge atop a four-story building. The organizers had a crane hoisting up tons of equipment. Since it was a multi-day event, we hid the vacuum hose on the roof. At 5 a.m. each day, an employee lowered the hose via a rope so the truck operator could hook it to the vacuum tank. Freshwater came from the building, as these are all freshwater flush toilets and sinks.

Pumper:

How much lead-time is required to accomplish all that?

Ross:

Normally, half the customers call six to nine months in advance, but for the last two years, a surprising number have called one or two weeks before an event. In some cases, we didn’t have a final site plan until the day we arrived.

In 2007, quite a few weekends were sold out, meaning we serviced 15 to 20 events simultaneously. Our wedding deliveries are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, leaving weekends for service. Although we service a 250-mile radius from Toronto, most events are within a 50-mile radius. We deliver the ones farthest away first.

Pumper:

How do you handle last-minute requests?

Ross:

They are a huge challenge. I make a chart indicating where all our trailers are going. For seven weeks late last summer, we picked up washrooms at 10:30 or 11 p.m., serviced them, and delivered them at 7 a.m. the next day. We were fully utilized.

Hollywood was filming The Incredible Hulk in Hamilton, and the crews had 12 washrooms with regular service for more than two months. That utilized many of our rentals and kept the boys running all hours of the night.

Another challenge is making sure customers have power and water hookups. If we know they’re needed, we can bring pressurized water systems with 250-gallon tanks, but it’s a big job. Power is important in winter to keep the water from freezing. To avoid surprises, we do site inspections for events with 250 or more guests, although some small ones need them, too. We take digital pictures of everything and interview the customers so both parties know what to expect.

Pumper:

What obstacles accompany high security sites?

Ross:

Besides the security associated with famous people, we also work at nuclear plants. The guards are armed and scan everything for radiation when we enter and leave. That is time-consuming. Admittance requires a lot of paperwork and we need, among others, chemical training certification.

Pumper:

How do you attract high-end customers?

Ross:

One of the best things we did was hire a professional Web designer. Too many businesses make the mistake of doing it themselves. Professionals know how to make your company name come up on the first page of all search engines no matter how you search. That is key. Most new business comes through our Web site or word-of-mouth.

Our Webmaster also maintains the site and updates it within 24 hours if we send information. Nothing turns off potential customers faster than seeing 3-year-old dates, amateurish designs, and finding broken links.

Pumper:

What event stands as the company’s watermark?

Ross:

This past fall, we serviced the five-day L’Oreal Week of Fashion at Toronto’s City Hall, a weight-sensitive area that excludes big trucks. We hand-carted seven NuConcepts single restrooms into place. Had our new mini-pumper from Crescent Tank Manufacturing not arrived, we couldn’t have done the job because it fits in the back of our 2007 Chevrolet 3/4-ton diesel pickup truck. Two people left the shop at 4:30 a.m. to service the units before sunrise each day. An attendant was constantly on site, working more than 60 hours. That job used our full-time staff and stretched it very thin.

Pumper:

What success strategies do you employ?

Ross:

Be familiar with the procedures and know what to look for to reduce surprises. Smile. Don’t lose your cool. Deliver what you promise. Your word is your bond. Anticipate problems before they become problems. Price in at least one full-time attendant. For example, our ADA trailer always has an attendant because of the wheelchair ramp. Our motto is: “Supplying the world’s finest portable washrooms is not a sideline, it’s all we do.” Customers know that and respond accordingly.

Keri Ross of Room To Go Inc. in Millgrove, Ontario, Canada, may be reached at 905/689-6389.



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