BFRS Oakham Event Feedback - 29th January 2015

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 52

Registered office: 2 Merus Court, Meridian Business Park, Leicester LE19 1RJ.

BFRS Oakham Careers Event

29th January 2015

Greetham Valley Golf & Conference Centre

Event Feedback

Prepared by: Stacey Holmes

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Contents BFRS Oakham Careers Event ........................................................................................................ 1

29th January 2015 ....................................................................................................................... 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 BFRS The 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 do

The 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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Oakham, 29th January 2015 The Oakham Careers Event on 29th January 2015 was held at the Greetham Valley Golf &

Conference Centre in Oakham, Rutland 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

Maritime/Offshore

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 their assault’ for the day. It was situated at the

entrance of the venue so it was the first thing they saw as they entered the event.

Exhibitors

On the day of the event there were 35 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 8

Silver x 23

Gold x 3

Platinum x 1

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.

Exhibitor feedback

Every 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.

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 Oakham event on 29th 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 Service

The 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 information

The 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 guide

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 WIFI 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 Oakham Careers event showed that 73% of the exhibitors stated

that the information they received pre-event was “Excellent”, and 18% responding “Good”.

Although the remaining 9% said the information was “Satisfactory”, no comments were left to

explain why they chose this answer.

In the run up to the event we had some last minute sign ups, which means that they won’t have

received the same level of pre-event information as other exhibitors such as the regular updates

and phone calls.

When signing up late, an exhibitor still receives all the 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

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

beforehand.

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Support on the day

On 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 73% of the exhibitors said that the support on the day from the

BFRS team was “Excellent”, with Tracey from UK Trades Training quoted as saying “Always very

supportive, especially as I attend by myself. There is always someone on hand to help. It is

appreciated.”

18% said that the support they received was “Good” and 9% said it was “Satisfactory”.

Again, there were no comments left to explain why they found the support on the day to only be

“Satisfactory”, 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 staff

The 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.

Therefore, the fact that 91% 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.

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Unfortunately there was a minority of 9% who said that the professionalism was only “Satisfactory”,

but this could be down to them having higher expectations in regards to professionalism.

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.

Wilplan Training can be quoted as saying “We

have supported BFRS events since the beginning and have always enjoyed working alongside the

team who have been thoroughly supportive and always willing to assist us in any way possible.”

This is great feedback from a regular exhibitor with BFRS, this is something that we need to aim to

hear from all exhibitors and have this kind of feedback from all events.

Efficiency of staff

Efficiency is a very important aspect to consider

on the day of the event. Ensuring that things are

done promptly and in a timely manner is vital to

ensure a smooth running event.

All BFRS team members are briefed that when

asked to do something or they have something to

do that they need be efficient and precise with

what they do.

The feedback reflects this well as all responses

were positive with 82% saying the efficiency of

staff was “Excellent” and the remaining 18%

choosing “Good”.

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This supports that the BFRS team need to carry on with how efficient they are and how they

respond to requests and demands on the day of the event. What the BFRS team have done so far

has proven that it is working and well received by exhibitors, therefore this needs to be carried

across to the next event.

Venue

Feedback 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 Location

When 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.

The feedback received based on the location of

the venue for the Oakham Careers event was

very mixed, but with a large proportion still

being positive.

36% said the venue location was “Excellent”,

55% said it was “Good” and the remaining 9%

said it was a “Satisfactory” venue.

The majority of exhibitors really enjoyed the

venue, providing very positive feedback on the

day.

The 9% of exhibitors who said the venue were satisfactory did leave comments to explain their

reasoning.

Elaine Harries from Action Express said that something we could improve on would be “Possibly

the venue – it’s a little out the way. Would be better if it was just off a motorway.”

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These were very valid points made about the venue that will be taken into consideration for other

events. As it is a golf club as well as a hotel, it is located very out the way so that they can

accommodate a golf course. This means that it can be very hard to find unless well signposted.

BFRS do put up our own signs to direct people to the venue, but this isn’t always sufficient as it

can be confusing to get to the venue from various locations. Also, the original postcode provided

by the venue for sat nav’s doesn’t always work on the older versions, so if someone has an older

sat nav and hasn’t read the event details which gives the alternative postcode their sat nav won’t

direct them properly to the venue.

For future events at this venue it would need to be made clearer to exhibitors where the venue is

and how to get to it. Instead of only providing the additional postcode on the final event details we

will need to ensure this has been relayed throughout all event updates,

Also, we need to look at potential locations for additional signage that can be put up to direct

people to the venue. Alternatively, if there are any other venues in the surrounding area we can

look at these for potential events.

Rachel Shanley from Wolseley UK said “The venue felt quite remote for the weather conditions –

however saying that, the venue was very good and there was adequate space and parking.”

Unfortunately, we can’t control the weather so this isn’t something that we can necessarily improve

on. But if we were to look at different venues the weather may not have any effect on numbers or

accessibility. With the Greetham Valley Gold & Conference Centre being located very remotely, it

is hard to get to on a normal day, but on the day of the event there were harsh weather conditions

that made it hard to drive on the country roads surrounding the venue.

Venue exhibitor space

At 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 2x2metres up to 5x2metres. So it all depends

on the size of a company’s stand as to which

package they take.

Depending on what package a company has, BFRS

always ensure that there is sufficient space for their

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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 all positive, with 64% saying it

was “Excellent” and 36% saying it was “Good”. This is great feedback about the spacing as it

shows that the time spent on organising the spacing’s and floor plan is worthwhile and working

well.

We need to continue with this for future events where we do as much as we can to ensure an

exhibitor receives the specified space that they have paid for in their package. 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.

Visitors

The 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.

Rob 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

Over half of the exhibitor feedback identified

that the number of visitors on the day of the

event were positive. With 18% saying the

numbers were “Excellent” and 46% saying that

the numbers were “Good”.

Elaine Harries from Action Express was very

impressed with the event, saying “It exceeded

our expectations – extremely well organised

and well attended – would definitely

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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.

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.

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Level of interest

Following 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

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.

Overall

At 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.

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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

“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 events

Throughout 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,

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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,

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.

Attendees

On 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

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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

BFRS Website

Posters

Det Commander

HIVE

MOD Internet

Resettlement Advisor

Newspaper

Attendee Demographics

Gender

Male Female

82% 18%

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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.

Current status

Service

Personnel

Service

Leaver

Reserve

Forces Veteran

MOD

Employee Family

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.

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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

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 Feedback

This 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.

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Arrival and registration

87% 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.

Location of Event

The 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.

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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 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 Venue

The 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

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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 Staff

We 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”.

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.

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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 Exhibitors

There 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 Exhibitors

For 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.

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”.

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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 Exhibitors

Gaining 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.

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”.

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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.

Overall

At 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.

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.

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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 events

After 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.

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.