Behind every flawless event is a team of people who showed up, set up, poured, served, and cleaned long after the last guest left. We talked to gig workers about what flexible event work really means to them. Here's what they told us.
"I finally control my own schedule"
"I'm a full-time student, so a 9-to-5 was never going to work. With gig shifts I pick up bartending on weekends and the odd weeknight. Last month I worked six events and still never missed a class. The freedom is the whole point."
— Maya R., bartender, Vancouver
"The pay is finally transparent"
"What used to drive me crazy was never knowing what I'd actually take home. Now I see the hourly rate before I accept, I know the hours, and the money lands shortly after the gig instead of two weeks later. That changes how I plan my whole month."
— Daniel K., event server, Calgary
"It's a foot in the door"
"I moved to Canada last year and didn't have a network here. Picking up gigs got me into venues I'd never have reached on my own. A few of them now request me directly. It's turning into a real career, one shift at a time."
— Sofia M., waitstaff, Toronto
"The variety keeps it interesting"
"One weekend it's a corporate gala, the next it's a backyard wedding, then a concert load-in. I've learned more in six months of gigs than I did in two years at one restaurant. Every event teaches you something."
— Andre P., event crew, Ottawa
The common thread
Across every conversation, the same themes kept coming up: control, transparency, opportunity, and respect. Gig work isn't just a stopgap for these folks — it's a deliberate choice that fits their lives. Our job is to make sure that choice keeps getting better: fairer pay, faster payouts, and more great gigs to choose from.
Stories are composites based on the kinds of experiences gig workers commonly describe, shared to illustrate the GigMe experience.
