Business and Administration Unit5

Unit five: Principles of supporting business events Assessment Section 1 – Understand how to support the organisation of a business event 1. When organising a business event, describe the range of support activities that may be required.

Types of events and main features (formal meetings including board meetings and annual general meetings, semiinformal including team meetings or sales meetings, exhibitions and trade fairs, receptions, conferences); agreeing role and responsibilities to provide support activities required (clarifying purpose, type and size of event, identifying target audience and confirming numbers, planning tasks and resources); confirming venue with others 1 Organising a venue The venues for business events may be on the organisation’s premises.

In most cases these will have to be reserved to ensure they are available at the required times. Sometimes the venues will have to be sourced externally. These will have to be checked in terms of their facilities and their cost. The aim is to find cost-effective venues that will make it possible to deliver a high-quality event. 2 Getting the appropriate equipment The equipment required will be determined by the size and type of event. Some typical examples include: computers and screens for PowerPoint presentations, sound systems, stages and portable toilets. 3 Arranging for speakers to attend

For some events, such as conferences and seminars, the speakers are the central feature. Finding the required speakers, checking their availability and fees and arranging for them to attend are all important aspects of many business events. 4 Sorting out food and drink For many events it is important that appropriate refreshments are provided. This may be something simple such as providing tea / coffee / water for a management meeting through to three-course meals for large numbers of people. Often people will have special dietary requirements that should be identified and catered for. Preparing documentation The lifeblood of many business events will be the many forms of documentation. These will include things such as: promotional brochures, invitations, menus, conference packs, itineraries and minutes. 2. Complete the table below by identifying two ways of providing support before, during and after a business event. |Before |During |After | |1. Providing administrative support |1. Administrative support (accurate |1.

Vacating event (leaving venue clean | |(organising printing |note-taking, ensuring delegates have the |and tidy, returning or securing equipment | |and supply of any publicity material, |resources they need, ensuring delegates are | | |supporting documents or files, relevant |aware of location of event rooms and | | |meeting papers, travel instructions, |facilities, recording attendance and | | |informing relevant people of any |cancellations) | | |alterationsand changes in arrangements | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |2. Organising appropriate venues (location, |2. Health, safety and security support |2.

Produce a record of the | |size, |(checking |meeting/event; circulating materials (meeting| |layout, time required for advance notice or |emergency procedures, housekeeping |minutes, evaluation forms, making sure these | |bookings, assessing facilities for parking, |arrangements, security of materials and |are within agreed timescales) | |catering; number and type of delegates, |equipment) | | |special requirements; venue checklist | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Section 2 – Understand the purpose of displaying professional and helpful behaviour whilst supporting a business event and how to do so 1. Explain the purpose of displaying professional and helpful behaviour when supporting a business event. Reasons for displaying professional and helpful behaviour to present a positive image of the organisation, to make visitors feel welcome,to ensure a successful event A more efficient and effective event Internal and external customers will be satisfied Resources are not wasted People will be more co-operative

Less conflict Greater likelihood of support for similar events in the future. 2. Describe ways of exhibiting professional and helpful behaviour whilst supporting a business event. Ways: greeting visitors, confirming names forregistration, making sure visitors have necessary materials, point out housekeeping arrangements, refer difficult queries to line manager In everyday life, people are observing the behaviour of others and forming theories and ideas about a person’s commitment, competence and character. They may experience the person face to face or experience the results of their efforts. These judgements will be made whether staff like it or not.

The challenge for businesses and staff is to manage these judgements effectively and be as positive as possible, at all times. Some examples of positive qualities include: Appearance Clean Well groomed (eg hair, fingernails, hands) Clean clothes (in a style appropriate for the business) Polished shoes Perfume/aftershave not overpowering Non-verbal communication Smiling Making eye contact Looking attentive when an attendee is speaking Communication Speak clearly Speak at a sensible speed (not too quickly or too slowly) Listen carefully to answers Keep the attendee informed Behaviour Polite Friendly Attentive Professionalism and technical ability Deal with speakers and attendees promptly

Efficiently work through the event as appropriate, such as getting attendee details, completing paperwork, issuing badges and materials Effectively use technology such as telephone, computer and ticket systems Have a detailed knowledge of the event and being able to answer most people’s questions Section 3 – Understand how to deal with problems encountered when supporting a business event 1. What are the main types of problems that may occur when supporting a business event? You should include at least three different types of problems in your answer. Late or absent attendees – If people turn up late then they may miss things such as registration or early parts of the event. Staff that are expected to move onto other roles are forced to wait for late attendees.

If parts of an event are dependent on the participation of attendees these may be impossible to do or be less effective due to the smaller numbers. There are similar problems when people are absent and there may be further administrative costs of chasing up absent people after the event. Equipment problems Failure of audio visual equipment – For many events, such as conferences and concerts, a failure in the audio visual equipment will result in an inferior or failed event. Failure of computers / computer aided activities – Many events rely significantly upon computers. Activities such as ticketing and audio visual presentations are frequently dependent upon specialised hardware and software.

Failure of kitchen equipment – If the event requires catering then the failure of kitchen equipment may result in people not being properly refreshed and fed. Process problems The wrong people invited / the right people are not invited – If the wrong people are invited then it will be virtually impossible to achieve the objectives of an event. For example if the event aims to sell human resource management services then attendees should ideally be budget holders with control in human resource management areas of a business. If the attendees have other specialisms / do not hold relevant budgets then the event may have a reduced level of success. Special requirements overlooked – When organising an event it is important to ask about any special needs of the attendees.

For example people may have limited mobility, be visually impaired or have dietary restrictions. Failure to acknowledge these needs may result in attendees having a very poor experience. Insufficient documentation / papers / delegate packs – Failure to get documents, paperwork and delegate packs right can undermine an event and deliver a poor service to delegates / attendees. This may be incorrect numbers, poor quality materials and incorrect delivery dates. 2. Identify possible solutions for each of the problems you have listed in Question 1 above. Prevention – from the outset, eliminate the chance of a problem occurring. Contingency plans – factor in a fallback plan to minimise disruption if things do go wrong.

Flexible and calm response on the day – even if you’re not calm on the inside, projecting a calm attitude can help keep other people’s reactions in check The best way to deal with problems is to eliminate them from the beginning. If an event is well planned and organised then the scope for problems is significantly reduced. 1 Registrations Allowing people to register for events right there on your website can greatly boost attendance. The path a user has to take from discovering the event to participating becomes that much shorter, which translates into a better user experience and more registrants. You will also need to be able to manage registrations through the back end. Registrants should be listed somewhere, with easy access to their details. Equipment problems

Good event management is about organising people to be in charge of individual areas of the event and that everyone knows what the plan is. This means making sure that things are kept to schedule and assisting or having backup plans if it falls behind. The best way to deal with problems is to eliminate them from the beginning. If an event is well planned and organised then the scope for problems is significantly reduced. There are some easy ways to reduce potential problems. Learn from previous events Get advice from experienced people Get advice from other sources Have colleagues review any plans Use proven and tested suppliers Use proven techniques for project planning Double-check things carefully.