bfrs aldershot event feedback - 21st january 2016

British Forces Resettlement Services, Peppercorn House, 5 Upper King Street, Leicester, LE1 6XF.Tel: 0845 308 2406 | Fax: 0845 308 2403 | Email: [email protected]| Web: www.bfrss.org.uk

Company registration number: 7037997. Registered in England. VAT number: 100 5960 52Registered office: 56 Chatsworth Drive, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 6SB.

BFRS Aldershot Careers Event

21st January 2016Princes Hall

Event Feedback

Prepared by: Stacey Holmes

http://www.bfrss.org.uk/

mailto:[email protected]

ContentsBFRS Aldershot Careers Event.........................................................................................................1

21st January 2016...........................................................................................................................1

Contents.............................................................................................................................................2

About BFRS.......................................................................................................................................4

What we do....................................................................................................................................4

How we do it...................................................................................................................................4

Oakham, 29th January 2015...............................................................................................................5

Exhibitors........................................................................................................................................6

Exhibitor feedback......................................................................................................................6

Customer Service....................................................................................................................7

Pre-event information..........................................................................................................7

Support on the day..............................................................................................................8

Professionalism of staff........................................................................................................8

Efficiency of staff..................................................................................................................9

Venue....................................................................................................................................10

Venue Location..................................................................................................................10

Venue exhibitor space.......................................................................................................11

Visitors...................................................................................................................................12

Number of visitors..............................................................................................................12

Level of interest.................................................................................................................14

Overall...................................................................................................................................14

Recommendations for future events.....................................................................................15

Attendees.....................................................................................................................................16

Attendee Demographics...........................................................................................................17

Gender...............................................................................................................................17

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Age Range.........................................................................................................................18

Current status....................................................................................................................18

Distance Travelled.............................................................................................................19

Attendee Feedback...................................................................................................................19

General Feedback.................................................................................................................19

Arrival and registration.......................................................................................................20

Location of Event...............................................................................................................20

Event Venue......................................................................................................................21

Professionalism of Staff.....................................................................................................22

Exhibitors...............................................................................................................................23

Number of Exhibitors.........................................................................................................23

Variety of Exhibitors...........................................................................................................23

Relevance of Exhibitors.....................................................................................................24

Overall...................................................................................................................................25

Do you think that the event was worth attending?.............................................................26

Would you attend another event in the future?..................................................................26

Would you recommend these events to others?...............................................................26

Recommendations for future events.....................................................................................27

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About BFRSThe British Forces Resettlement Services, known as BFRS, is a not-for-profit organisation which provides help, support and advice to members of the Armed Forces and their families during their transition to civilian life and beyond. Created and operated by former Armed Forces personnel, BFRS has first-hand experience of re-joining civilian life and works to champion the skills, qualities and expertise possessed by those in the Armed Forces community.

What we doThe transition from a career in the Armed Forces to civilian life can be incredibly daunting. Our goal is to provide Service Leavers with the right information to make this transition period run as smoothly as possible. By working with our many national and international business partners, BFRS offers Service Leavers the opportunity to meet employers from a wide range of sectors, organise work experience and take their first steps down a new career path.

How we do it Transition Events BFRS Website Virtual Career Fair Ancillary Support Services Social Media Partnerships

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Aldershot, 21st January 2016The Aldershot Careers Event on 21st January 2016 was held at the Princes Hall from 0930hrs to 1400hrs.

At the event there was a wide range of exhibitors, from employers to trainers and support services within a variety of industries. The variety of industries represented on the day included the following;

Business and Project Management Construction and Building Customer Services and Sales Defence Driving and Logistics Education Engineering Health & Safety and First aid IT/Design/Media Leisure and Hospitality Security/Risk Management Telecommunications

A floor plan was created for the day so that exhibitors could be separated out strategically so that the different industries could be spread out throughout the venue to give each exhibitor a fair chance with attendees. We made sure that they were not placed directly next to their competitors.

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The floor plan was printed A0 size for the day of the event so that attendees and exhibitors could see exactly where everyone was situated and plan who they wanted to see. It was situated at the entrance of the venue so it was the first thing they saw as they entered the event.

ExhibitorsOn the day of the event there were 42 exhibitors in total, all with a variety of package sizes, ranging from Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

The number of different packages were as follows;

Bronze x 10 Silver x 22 Gold x 5 Platinum x 2

This shows that there was a variety in the size of stands at the event, so they were not all the same. Which made it easier to mix up the exhibitors to ensure they all had the relevant sized stands that they had paid for.

We also had 2 sponsors for this event, Bristol Management Centre as Gold sponsor and Explosive Learning Solutions as the Networking & Refreshments sponsor.

Exhibitor feedbackEvery exhibitor was given a pack on the day of the event that provided them with further information about various other opportunities that are available with BFRS, such as advertising opportunities, other upcoming events and sponsorship packages.

These packs also included an exhibitor feedback form, which they were all made aware of that we would like them to complete at the end of the event.

We always try to gain as much feedback from exhibitors as possible so that we can review our events and make any changes that would be relevant to the event to improve their experience.

The feedback form asks them for responses based on customer service, the venue, the visitors at the event and their overall opinion of the event. We also ask for their own comments on any improvements that we can make to our events and their experience.

The feedback collated at the Aldershot event on 21st January provided us with a range of responses that we can look at in future to improve this event and others.

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Customer ServiceThe Customer Service part of the feedback form aims to gain feedback based on the information the exhibitors receive prior to the day, the support they receive from BFRS on the day of the event, how professional BFRS staff are and the efficiency of staff on the day. We also welcome any additional comments if they make a rating that is below “good”.

Pre-event informationThe information sent to exhibitors prior to the event includes everything from a full breakdown of their package so they know everything that is included, event magazine information so we can ensure they are included in the materials, as well as all final event details such as couriering materials to the venue, timings of the day, car parking information and Wi-Fi details etc.

From the moment an exhibitor signs up they receive regular contact from the team at BFRS to ensure they are kept up to date with event details and they know what is going on.

The feedback received from the Aldershot Careers event showed that 55% of the exhibitors stated that the information they received pre-event was “Excellent”, and 35% responding “Good”.

This is really positive as it shows that the work the team do to ensure all exhibitors are updated and have all information required prior to the event is working and worthwhile.

Although the remaining 10% said the information was “Satisfactory”, no comments were left to explain why they chose this answer.

As it happens with every event, we always get exhibitors signing up close to the event date. Which would mean that they wouldn’t get as much correspondence from the BFRS team as others who sign up months in advance.

When signing up late, an exhibitor still receives the entire final event details which gives them all the information required for the day, but they do lose out on the regular contact from BFRS and updates along the way. This could be why some exhibitors said the information was “Satisfactory” as they would have only received the last batch of information before exhibiting at the event.

In order to improve on this for the next event we can look at ensuring every exhibitor, no matter when they sign up receive a number of phone calls and correspondence from the team at BFRS to

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ensure they are clear with all pre-event information and that they receive everything they need beforehand.

Support on the dayOn the day of the event there are plenty of BFRS staff around and available to help and support exhibitors. On arrival they are always welcomed and showed to their stand and through the venue, making them aware of toilets, refreshments and any logistical points needed for the day.

If an exhibitor is on their own with a lot of materials, a member of the BFRS team will always offer to help them carry their things in and help them set up if needed.

Also throughout the day, exhibitors who are on their own will be offered drinks and rest breaks with someone from BFRS to assist in any way they can. Such as fetching refreshments for them so they don’t have to leave their stand, as well as manning their stand whilst they nip to the toilet or for some fresh air if needed. BFRS staff can advise attendees to return to the stand shortly to speak to the exhibitor as they can explain where they have gone, which prevents exhibitors from missing out on potential delegates.

The feedback results showed that 60% of the exhibitors said that the support on the day from the BFRS team was “Excellent”, with Dave Meacock from Laing O’Rourke quoted as saying “Thankyou for your effort and support”

25% said that the support they received was “Good”, 10% said it was “Satisfactory” and 5% said it was “Poor”.

Again, there were no comments left to explain why they found the support on the day to only be “Satisfactory” and “Poor”, which makes it hard to evaluate what went wrong and how we can improve on this. In future, the BFRS team will have to be more conscious of ensuring that each and every exhibitor receives the same level of support and help on the day of the event, no matter who they are or how many people they have with the stand.

Professionalism of staffThe main aim for BFRS is to be professional at all times when dealing with clients and new people, to ensure that the level of customer service is of the highest standard.

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Therefore, the fact that 75% of the exhibitors stated that the professionalism of staff was “Excellent” is a brilliant result for the team as it shows that what they are doing currently is to a high standard as expected by BFRS.

15% also chose “Good”, and only 10% said that they thought the professionalism and efficiency of staff was “Satisfactory”.

No reasons were left to explain why they felt it was only satisfactory, so we have no clear idea as to what went wrong on the day. But based on these results it can be seen that the professionalism of the BFRS team needs to improve further. Therefore at the next event, the whole team will be briefed on their professionalism on the day, in regards to talking and interacting with exhibitors, as well as individually and between the team.

It needs to be addressed that at all times, the team at the event, are there to represent BFRS and should have professionalism on their mind at all times.

VenueFeedback based on the venue of the event is always important as this can be used in the decision making process when it comes round to organising future events and reusing venues.

Venue LocationWhen choosing a location for a venue there are a number of different points that need to be considered, including space for exhibitors, car parking, accessibility and availability.

Car parking is a massive point when choosing a venue as we don’t just have to consider parking for exhibitors but also attendees as some people will travel to the event by car/bus.

BFRS always strive to try and find the best possible venue for the events to cater for all the various points that could be raised. Sometimes it is not always possible to meet all the needs of exhibitors, but we try our best.

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The feedback received based on the location of the venue for the Aldershot Careers event was very mixed, but with a large proportion still being positive.

25% said the venue location was “Excellent”, 55% said it was “Good” and the remaining 20% said it was a “Satisfactory” venue.

The majority of exhibitors really enjoyed the venue, providing very positive feedback on the day, and even those people who put the venue down as “Satisfactory” spent the time to explain their reasons.

Some of the feedback received was as follows;

“Perhaps use more military facilities that include parking” Dave Meacock from Laing O’Rourke

“Need a venue with parking available onsite” – Tim Rose from University of Brighton, Troops to Teachers

“A venue with free onsite parking” – Lee Mahoney from The Surveillance Group

“Location a little difficult for service leavers to location and park, plus the cost of parking” – Colin Syme from CTTS

All of the above comments are very valid, and many were highlighted on the day of the event. The problem with this venue was that it was located right next to the Magistrate’s court in Aldershot, and the car park that was adjoined to the venue was solely for the court. Therefore there was no parking available on site.

Prior to the event, all exhibitors were sent a parking map included within the Final Event Details that showed them the alternative parking options in the surrounding areas. This map was also available from the BFRS reception on the day.

For future events, we would need to look at venues that have onsite parking so as to hopefully increase the positive responses for the venue location.

Venue exhibitor spaceAt each event exhibitor’s book different packages based on the size of stand that they have and the space they require at the event.

The different packages available offer stand space from 2x2 metres up to 5x2 metres. So it all depends on the size of a company’s stand as to which package they take.

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Depending on what package a company has, BFRS always ensure that there is sufficient space for their stand. This is why the floor plan is created to scale so we can ensure that each exhibitor gets a fair space.

The feedback received from exhibitors based on the spacing was very mixed, with 25% saying it was “Excellent” and 50% saying it was “Good”, and then 10% saying “Satisfactory” and 15% choosing “Poor”.

With the Princes Hall being a small venue, with space for only approximately 35 stands in the main hall, which means we have to use the Foyer Bar which is just off the main hall to hold the remaining exhibitors.

This is something that was highlighted by some of the exhibitors on the day, with Jemma and Hannah from the Franchise Expo saying “We think all exhibitors should have been in one hall and not in the corner of one entrance”. They also stated that they think the layout of the stands needs improving, so this is definitely something we need to look at in future.

Even more so when choosing a venue, as an event usually tends to work better if all exhibitors are in the same hall together rather than separated.

Francesca Costanza from FM Conway also stated “The stands were all very close together, I appreciate that this could have been because of the actual venue size”. This highlights the previous comment about the venue size being too small to hold the number of exhibitors anticipated for this event. Some of the exhibitors felt they were cramped in their stand spaces, which is why the responses were either “Poor” or “Satisfactory”.

For future events we need to ensure that, before booking a venue, we can fit the desired number of stands in the main hall together and that they all receive their allocated space that they have paid for. Alternatively, if an exhibitor comes with a large stand but they have only booked a small package, we can advise them of upgrading their stand/package for future events so that they have the space needed.

VisitorsThe attendees on the day are a massive part of whether an exhibitor is happy with the event and if it is successful for them. This is the most important aspect of the event that we try to focus on to ensure that both the exhibitor and attendee find the day useful, information and successful.

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Robert Locking, our Forces Consultant, goes out on the road regularly to further promote our career events and meet directly with units to ensure that the message is out there about our events and the service we offer. The team also make regular contact with registered attendees to keep them up to date with exhibitor sign ups, as well as advice and support prior to the event.

We always like to get feedback from the exhibitors to get their view on the visitor numbers and level of interest they receive from them, so that we can try to improve for every event and look at doing other things to bring more people to the event.

Number of visitors

85% of the feedback was positive in regards to the Number of Visitors on the day.

45% said they were “Excellent” and 40% said they were “Good”. Over half of the exhibitor feedback identified that the number of visitors on the day of the event were positive.

Elaine Harries from Action Express was very impressed with the event, saying “It exceeded our expectations – extremely well organised and well attended – would definitely recommend other employers to attend.”

This is great feedback from an employer who attended on the day as this shows that there was a great turnout of attendees on the day and they received a great level of interest and enquiries.

Roger O’Loughlin from the Society of Operations Engineers commented by saying “As this was the first event we have attended it was very much a taster, but excellent networking both on the day and the previous evening.”

David Puntan from Commercial Operator Training also said “The event was as we expected and more!”

This shows that our events are not only about the visitors on the day of the event, but they are a great platform with networking on all levels from business to business, to business to delegates. This is very positive feedback as it proves that companies are getting a lot more out of our events that originally expected.

The remaining 36% of respondents said that the visitor numbers were only “Satisfactory”. This could be down to a number of reasons that may or may not be controllable.

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Some of the feedback included comments on the weather on the day of the event. There were some harsh weather conditions on the day which may have restricted people from being able to get to the venue for the event. This is out of our control, as said before, but there are some things that can be done to potentially counteract this from happening in the future.

Some solutions involve;

An easier accessible venue – i.e. bus routes, close to main roads/motorways etc. Hold the event at a different time of year when better weather is expected

Louise MacRae from Edge Hill University said “Quite a quiet event, but the quality of enquiries were good.”

This shows that it is isn’t always about the number of visitors, but the quality of the people exhibitors are looking for. Sometimes if an exhibitor was to receive fewer enquiries but they were all strong leads and good quality candidates this would then balance out against the number/quality.

Another comment stated that “There was enough people to make attending viable”, which shows that although they thought the numbers were only satisfactory, it was still a worthwhile event for them to attend.

Level of interestFollowing on from the number of exhibitors, this leads to the level of interest that exhibitors received from those who attended the event.

Again, there was a mixed response to this question from all exhibitors, with 18% saying the level of interest was “Excellent” and 55% saying it was “Good”. This left the remaining 27% of respondents who said the level of interest was “Satisfactory”.

This is a very hard thing to control at the event as we cannot predict what attendees will be interested in and what they will be looking for at each event.

When we speak to registered attendees before the event we always ask what type of thing they are looking for and try to direct them to the relevant companies who would be suitable to them. This is the same for when people arrive at the reception desk on the day of the event. The team

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always speak to them in more detail to try and direct them to the relevant people so that they don’t have a wasted journey and so they can find out the information they require.

Something we can try to do in future is to talk to attendees more in advance so that we can make them aware of the industries and companies that are going to be there on the day. That way they can plan their day better and be able to ask more questions to exhibitors.

This should then hopefully develop more interest for exhibitors as the attendees will come along more prepared and interested in what they have to offer. Generally those who turn up on the day of the event have no idea what they are looking for, so it is hard to increase the interest levels when some attendees come along to the event to have a look round at what’s on offer, rather than plan their day in advance.

OverallAt the end of the feedback form we ask for some overall opinions of the event such as whether it was worth attending, would they attend future BFRS events and would they recommend BFRS events to colleagues. This way we can find out whether or not they thought the event was worth them coming along to and whether or not they would be interested in exhibiting again in the future at any of our other events.

100% of the feedback showed that they found the event worth attending and that they would attend future events. This is great feedback about the event as it shows that the exhibitors were happy with their experience and would be willing to come again. Although they have identified points for improvement along the way, they would still like to exhibit at another BFRS event in the future as they found the Oakham careers event worth their time and attendance.

Some of the comments left were;

“Thank you - an extremely well run event and definitely worth attending.” – Elaine Harries, Action Express

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“Myself and my colleague really enjoyed the day!” – Tom Gale-Batten, Allianz Engineering

“I thought the whole event was run extremely well, well organised and BFRS staff very helpful.” – Rachel Shanley, Wolseley UK

“Another really good event – it was certainly successful for us.” – Tracey Yorke, UK Trades Training

“The events are well hosted and presented. Generally provide a good balance of exhibitors for service leavers.” – Gary Williams, Wilplan Training

Recommendations for future eventsThroughout the feedback there were a few improvements that were identified that could be implemented at future events. Exhibitors also chose to comment and provide us with some feedback about future improvements which we can take into account for our next event. These points were;

The temperature in the room needs to be monitored – throughout the day some exhibitors were complaining that it was slightly chilly, with others saying the room was too warm when the heating was put on. This is a hard point to control for every exhibitor as not everyone will feel the same about the temperature. Maybe in future we can look at keeping the temperature at a steady level throughout the day rather than turning it up and down. Also, when choosing where to place people we can try to organise it so people aren’t placed in places that have a draft or too close to a heater.

Some exhibitors commented on the lunch that was provided on the day. At each event there are different caterers who provide different meals/lunches for exhibitors. At the Oakham careers event the meal that was provided was a Ploughman’s. Whilst this can be a filling lunch it isn’t always going to be to everyone’s tastes. Also, with the weather being cold some exhibitors commented that it would have been nice to receive a warm meal/buffet. At future events we could like at some various options for the lunches so that there is more of a variety rather than a set meal. Also, during the colder months we could look at maybe providing a warmer lunch and then in the summer months look at a cold buffet.

A small number of exhibitors commented on the feedback that in the afternoon the visitor numbers quietened down. This could have been due to the deteriorating weather throughout the day, as well as it was nearing lunch time. Although this was identified, it was also suggested that we introduce a longer afternoon session. After looking at the visitor numbers from previous events, and the Oakham event included,

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this maybe wouldn’t something we would look at doing as it can be hard to attract attendees in the later part of the day as not everyone can get a full day off work or have a full day available to attend our event.

AttendeesOn the day of the event there was a wide range of attendees who came along from a number of different backgrounds and with a variety of experience.

Some of the units/locations that people travelled from were as follows;

158 Regt RLC 7 RLC 2 Royal Anglian RAF Marham RAF Wittering RAF Digby 7 Logistic Support Regiment RLC RAF Coningsby 42 Engineer Regt DSM (W) Lichfield RAF Brize Norton 32 Regt 16 Regt 30 Signals 2 Operational Support Group

The attendees also heard about our event from a number of different channels. Proving that our hard work of promoting the event as far afield as we can has paid off. Some of the places that attendees heard about the event were;

Email Internet RCMO Career Transition Partnership (CTP) From a friend BBC Radio Leicester

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BFRS Website Posters Det Commander HIVE MOD Internet Resettlement Advisor Newspaper

Attendee Demographics

Gender

Male Female

82% 18%

At all of our events we always want to ensure that there is a mixture of both male and female. The results show that there was mainly males at the event but with 18% of the respondents being female.

On the day of the event it was considerably busy with males but there were definitely a few females in and around the event throughout the day.

It is hard to direct our marketing and be gender specific, so it is kind of luck of the draw as to whether the gender balance is even or not.

Age Range

18-25 26-35 36+

6% 27% 67%

Our events are not limited to anyone of any age – they are open to everyone who wants to come along which can be seen in the age range results from the Oakham careers event.

6% of the respondents were aged between 18-25. This could be due to not many personnel around that age that are leaving the forces so don’t have a need to attend our events. This could increase in the future due to redundancies, but again this isn’t something we can control.

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Current status

Service Personnel

Service Leaver

Reserve Forces

VeteranMOD

EmployeeFamily

34% 34% 2% 19% 6% 5%

As stated previously, our events are open to a wide range of people including service leavers, reserve forces, veterans and family members.

We don’t limit who can attend our events as many people can be affected and need support through the resettlement process. Whether they are currently in the resettlement process or have been out of the forces for some years.

This is represented well by the statistics collected at the Oakham event as it shows a wide range of attendees at the event in many different stages of their forces career.

Although there was a wide range of attendees at the event there were only 6% of the respondents who were family members. To help increase this number we need to further promote our events to forces families and make it clear that they are more than welcome to attend and take advantage of the opportunities available to them from BFRS and other companies.

Distance Travelled 0-10 miles 11-30 miles 31-55 miles 56-85 miles 86+ miles

52% 22% 20% 4% 2%

We advertise our events to a wide spectrum of people all over the country and within a radius of the event to try to attract people to the event. This results from the attendee feedback show that although there were a small number of people who travelled from afar (56 miles+), more than half of the respondents were from the local area or just outside.

To improve these numbers of those who travel a fair distance to the event we need to try and further promote our events to a wider market so that we can potentially attract people to travel to our events.

Attendee Feedback

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At the Oakham careers event on 29th January 2015, BFRS staff were there ready to ask attendees to complete feedback forms about their experience at the event and to gain any relevant feedback that would help us improve our future events.

The team did really well with collecting lots of feedback forms that have made it possible for us to analyse the results and come up with some suggestions and recommendations for our future events.

Each feedback form was broken down into different sections that related to specific areas such as general event feedback that relates to the venue, location and the registration process; Exhibitors and what they thought of the number, variety and relevance; and what reasons they chose to attend the event themselves.

General FeedbackThis section of the feedback form asks for opinions based on the arrival and registration process, the location of the event, the venue used and the professionalism of staff.

Arrival and registration87% of the attendees who left feedback at the event said that the arrival and registration process was “Excellent” and 11% said that is was “Good”.

This is a great response in regards to the registration process when people arrive at the event. It shows that the work we do on the reception desk to make it as efficient and smooth as possible is working and being received well by attendees.

There was only 2% of the feedback that said it was a “Satisfactory” experience. This could be down to a number of reasons that may have affected their experience. Such as a busy reception where none of the BFRS staff were free to chat for long, a long queue to sign up on

the day or even that they had registered beforehand but weren’t on the pre-registered list. This unfortunately seems to happen at every event where people have registered on the website but don’t appear on the registered list. This is something that has been addressed and is being looked at for future events to try to reduce this problem.

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Location of EventThe Oakham careers event was held at the Greetham Valley Golf & Conference centre in Oakham, Rutland. It is located in quite a remote area as the venue is a golf club so they need the land for the golf course.

Despite this, it is a great venue that can hold many delegates and is a great venue for BFRS events.

70% of the respondents to the attendee feedback said that they thought the location of the event was “Excellent” and 28% said it was a “Good” location.

This is great feedback as it shows that where we chose to hold the event was a good choice and would be viable to decide to hold another event there in the future. The benefits of holding an event at this location is that it is close to military units and they can easily access it.

The remaining 2% of respondents said that the location of the event was “Satisfactory”. Due to the weather conditions on the day it did make it quite hard for some people to get there, which could be why they have said it was only a satisfactory location.

Some of the feedback suggested “more signs on arrival at the event to show where it is, maybe someone waiting outside with directions.”

For our smaller events this isn’t always necessary or viable to do as it isn’t usually needed. However this is something we do at our larger events where car parking is limited so we have an overflow car park.

For those who pre-register for the event beforehand they do receive joining instructions that provide them with more information as to how to get to the event. For those who don’t register beforehand we can’t get this information out to them, so at future events in Oakham

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we could look at putting up additional signage along the route to the venue so that it is easier for people to get there on the day.

Event VenueThe BFRS Oakham Careers event held at the Greetham Valley Golf & Conference centre is one of the smaller events that we will be running throughout 2015, therefore a smaller venue was required to fit less exhibitors.

This event had 35 exhibitors, therefore the Rutland Suite at the venue was the most suitable for this event in the East Midlands area.

The feedback in relation to the venue that was used for this event was really positive, with 99% of the respondents saying it was an “Excellent” and “Good” venue.

Only a minor 1% of the results said the venue was “Satisfactory”.

This is positive feedback about the venue as it is a regular place that we hold our events each year and we will be looking at returning in the future.

The only negative feedback that we received said “the venue is a lot smaller to the event at Tidworth.”

The venue is a lot smaller, but due to the number of exhibitors that we require for this first event of the year. Our Tidworth event is our largest event of each year in a large garrison town, therefore a larger venue is needed. As the Oakham event isn’t held directly in a garrison town a smaller venue is more suitable.

This statement does also show that we get attendees coming along to our events nationwide as they have been to a previous event in Tidworth before attending Oakham on 29th January 2015.

Professionalism of StaffWe always ask attendees what they thought of the professionalism of BFRS staff as they are the first people they meet on the day, and if they don’t feel BFRS staff are professional or welcoming it can affect their whole experience of the day.

The feedback received from this question was brilliant, with 84% choosing “Excellent” and the remaining 16% saying the professionalism is “Good”.

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This shows that what the team are doing on the day of the event to make attendees feel welcome and appear as professional individuals representing BFRS is working and being received well.

This is something we need to continue to do and ensure that every attendee receives the same welcoming and help from the team.

Exhibitors The second section to the attendee feedback form asks their opinions on the exhibitors at the event. So the number of exhibitors, the variety and the relevance that they had to the individual. This way we can see whether we are attracting the right level and type of exhibitors to our events.

Number of ExhibitorsThere was a mixed response in regards to the number of exhibitors at the event, with 35% saying the number was “Excellent” and 53% saying the number was “Good”.

11% said that the number of exhibitors was “Satisfactory” and the remaining 1% “Poor”.

With the Oakham event being one of our smaller ones it is expected that the attendees would see the number as being slightly lower and not as good as our other events.

Although this is reflected in the results, this isn’t something we can really control at this venue as it only lets us hold a limited number. Therefore something that we could do to improve these numbers would be to maybe look at potential other venues where we can invite a higher number of exhibitors along.

An alternative venue with larger space is always an option, but there are many points to consider for the event, so these would have to be taken into account when deciding on a different venue.

Variety of ExhibitorsFor each event we always try to make sure that there is a wide variety of exhibitors for the attendees to talk to and gain information. At this event there were many companies who attended from different industries such as; driving and logistics, construction, engineering and education.

We always try to make sure that there is a wide spectrum of exhibitors at the event to ensure variety.

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70% of the respondents were happy with the variety of exhibitors at the event, choosing either “Excellent” or “Good”.

29% said the variety was “Satisfactory” and only 1% said it was “Poor”.

Before we sign companies up for an event we always review the industry they are from and try to limit the number of companies from each industry so that the events are not top heavy with certain industries.

With some exhibitors their marketing material only promotes certain sides to their business so an attendee wouldn’t always be able to identify the various areas of the business that opportunities are available to them.

Some of the feedback about the variety of exhibitors included;

“Need more for females i.e. administration, retail”With this being said there were a number of companies there on the day that had administration, HR and retail opportunities within their company, such as Wolseley UK and Dairy Crest. Sometimes if an attendee doesn’t spend the time to chat to an exhibitor they won’t be able to fully understand the opportunities that are available to them. At future events we can try to counteract this by speaking to attendees in more detail about what they are looking for and direct them to specific companies that can help them. Alternatively we can try to put together something that identifies the different industries that a company caters for so that attendees can identify specific companies that provide opportunities they are looking for.

“There would need to be more employment agencies”A lot of employment agencies don’t tend to want to attend events, so these can be hard to come by and attract to our events. It is something that we look at in the run up to each event, but it may have to be something we look at in more detail.

Relevance of ExhibitorsGaining feedback based on the relevance of the exhibitors at our events is an important factor so that we can try to attract companies from various industries that people are interested in.

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63% of the respondents were positive about the relevance of the exhibitors at the event, saying that they thought the relevance was “Excellent” or “Good”.

Unfortunately, 30% of the respondents said the relevance was “Satisfactory” and 7% said it was “Poor”.

This shows that we need to do more to ensure that the exhibitors at the event are more relevant to attendees on the day.

One way we can do this would be to conduct a survey either online, over the phone or direct to people at our events to find out more about the type of industries and exhibitors that people would like to see at our events.

On our feedback forms we always welcome comments and suggestions for our future events, especially any suggestions for exhibitors.

For our future events we could look at amending the feedback form to prompt for specific feedback about the types of exhibitors individuals would like to see at our events. We could also run a Facebook or email campaign to gain feedback from our members and followers.

OverallAt the end of the feedback form we ask for an overall opinion of their experience at the event, whether they would attend again and whether they would recommend our events to others.

The following results were found;

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Do you think that the event was worth attending?As you can see from the graph, 93% of respondents said that they did find the event worth attending, and only 7% said they didn’t. This could be due to the different things people are looking for and their own personal view of the day depending on how they went about things.

Unless they spent the time to talk to exhibitors, some attendees might not think the event was worth attending for them. Whereas those who did spend the time to chat and network with people will have potentially found the event more worthwhile than others.

When advising people when they arrive we can prompt them to talk to exhibitors in more detail to find out more about what they have to offer because their banners/stands don’t necessarily detail everything on offer. Also, when asking what sort of thing they are looking for we can direct them to specific stands to suit their needs.

Would you attend another event in the future?96% of the respondents said that they would attend another event in the future which is great as it shows that they found the event useful and would want to come to another event to see what other opportunities are available to them.

“It provided me with companies I had never thought about before” – this shows that not only are people coming along to the events with their own ideas of what they want to do and where they want to head with their career, but that the event is helping them with making decisions.

Some of the companies who come along to the event people haven’t heard of before and it is a great platform to promote themselves and get their name out there to military personnel.

Not only can people attend our events to gain more information about the industry they want to go into, but it opens their eyes to various other opportunities.

The remaining 4% of respondents who said they wouldn’t attend another event in the future may have found all the information they require at this time so don’t see the need to attend again.

Essentially we want people to find job success or further training from our events so when they say they won’t attend another event in the future this may be because they have found success from the event. Therefore this can also be seen as a positive response.

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Would you recommend these events to others?98% of the feedback said that they would recommend our events to other people. This is a great response and exactly what we want from attendees as word of mouth is a very powerful marketing tool.

If someone has had a good experience at our events and tells someone else about it they will be more likely to come along.

Although there was 2% that said they wouldn’t recommend our events it is great that the majority said they would.

To try and make it a 100% feedback that they would recommend our events we need to take into account all of the points raised in the feedback to try and improve our events as much as possible to meet the needs of our attendees.

Recommendations for future eventsAfter collating all of the attendee feedback there are some points that have been noted and addressed that need to be looked at in more detail for future events. Some of these points are as follows;

More employers – at every event it is always identified that attendees would like to see more employers. Our events are a mixture of employers, trainers and support services so that we can cover a wider spectrum than our competitors in regards to what support and guidance we can offer forces personnel and their families. At future events we can put together some sort of key on our floor plan and in the event guide to make it clearer who the employers are at the event as it isn’t always obvious if an exhibitor is an employer from their marketing material. This will make it easier for the attendees to understand and recognise the employers on the day.

Buffet and refreshments – at some of our events we have a networking and refreshments area for the attendees where they can have a drink and relax to look through any leaflets and information they have picked up at the event before venturing round again to speak to more people. Unfortunately this isn’t always viable at the different events due to space, but where we can, we always try to provide a networking and refreshments breakout space for attendees.

Signage – at future events we need to look at putting up a number of signs surrounding the venue to direct people to the event. We already do this at our events but some places require more signs further out from the event to help direct people.

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When planning the event we need to look at the various routes to the venue and come up with different places to place signs to the event.

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bfrs aldershot event feedback - 21st january 2016

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