BFRS Aldershot Event Feedback - 12th March 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 Aldershot Careers Event

12th March 2015

Prince’s Hall, Aldershot

Event Feedback

Prepared by: Stacey Holmes

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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

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Contents BFRS Aldershot Careers Event ....................................................................................................... 1

12th March 2015 .......................................................................................................................... 1

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

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

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

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

Aldershot, 12th March 2015 ............................................................................................................. 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

Venue ................................................................................................................................... 9

Venue Location ................................................................................................................. 9

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

Visitors ............................................................................................................................... 11

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

Level of interest .............................................................................................................. 13

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

Recommendations for future events ................................................................................... 14

Attendees .................................................................................................................................. 15

Attendee Demographics ........................................................................................................ 16

Gender ........................................................................................................................... 16

Age Range ...................................................................................................................... 17

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Current status ................................................................................................................. 17

Distance Travelled .......................................................................................................... 18

Attendee Feedback ................................................................................................................ 18

General Feedback .............................................................................................................. 18

Arrival and registration .................................................................................................... 18

Location of Event ............................................................................................................ 19

Event Venue ................................................................................................................... 20

Professionalism of Staff .................................................................................................. 20

Exhibitors ........................................................................................................................... 21

Number of Exhibitors ...................................................................................................... 21

Variety of Exhibitors ........................................................................................................ 21

Relevance of Exhibitors .................................................................................................. 22

Overall ................................................................................................................................ 23

Do you think that the event was worth attending? ........................................................... 24

Would you attend another event in the future? ................................................................ 24

Would you recommend these events to others? ............................................................. 24

Recommendations for future events ................................................................................... 25

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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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Aldershot, 12th March 2015 The Aldershot Careers Event on 12th March 2015 was held at the Prince’s Hall in Aldershot,

Hampshire 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 and also highlighted whether they were

an employer or trainer.

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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 43 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 17

Silver x 24

Gold x 2

Platinum x 0

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 Aldershot event on 12th March 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 Aldershot Careers event showed that 50% of the respondents

stated that the information they received pre-event was “Excellent”, and 45% responding “Good”.

Although the remaining 5% said the information was only “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.

At this particular event, during the set up stage of the event BFRS staff were making a point of

offering exhibitors refreshments and fetching them for them so that they could get on with setting

up their stands and materials for the event.

The feedback results showed that 64% of the exhibitors said that the support on the day from the

BFRS team was “Excellent”, with Helen from Explosive Learning Solutions quoted as saying

“BFRS staff are always really helpful. Thanks for all your help on the day.”

36% said that the support they received was “Good”, which means that none of the respondents

said that the support they received on the day was negative.

This shows that following on from the Oakham event in January the BFRS team have taken on

board the comments and feedback left at that event and made a more conscious effort to be more

supportive to the exhibitors on the day of the event. This is something that we need to continue

with to keep this feedback at a high level.

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.

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64% of the respondents stated that the Professionalism of Staff

on the day of the event was “Excellent” and the remaining 36%

said that the professionalism was “Good”.

This is a very positive response from the exhibitors as it shows

that the BFRS team are doing their job properly and we are

getting the feedback we deserve. This is already an

improvement from the feedback received at the Oakham event.

It was highlighted that the team needed to be briefed in more

detail about their professionalism at the event and how to talk

and interact with exhibitors. These results show that the team briefing beforehand is exactly what is

needed and we should continue to do so at future events.

Pete Morgan from Nuco Training can be quoted as saying “All BFRS staff are brilliant!” and Tracey

Yorke from UK Trades Training sent a follow up email after the event that thanked the whole team

for another good event for them as she left with a large number of leads.

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

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positive.

18% said the venue location was “Excellent”, 64% said it was “Good” and the remaining 18% said

it was a “Satisfactory” venue.

The majority of exhibitors really enjoyed the venue, providing very positive feedback on the day,

but for those who said the venue was only “Satisfactory” they made some valid points as can be

seen below.

“Need to have parking at the venue and more information about the car parks pre event” –

Lisa Killinger, Chevron Traffic Management.

“Need to have parking nearer to the event” – Tony Gaunt, Network Training & Resource

Solutions

“The layout of the room needs improving” – Stu Gatherum, T2 Fitness

Before we held the event at the Prince’s Hall we were already aware that parking would cause

some issues and complaints from exhibitors as unfortunately there is no parking onsite at the

venue due to the location. There are many alternative options for parking in and around Aldershot

that they were all made aware of in the ‘Final Event Details’ and maps were also printed out to give

to exhibitors on the day of the event.

All exhibitors were also called before the event to check that they were all ok for the event timings

and that they were aware of the car parking situation.

For the next event at Aldershot or any other venue with limited parking we need to make more of a

point of discussing alternative parking options and explaining the situation to exhibitors. Potentially

we could send out multiple correspondence to exhibitors to reiterate the parking options on a

number of occasions in the run up to the event.

In regards to the layout of the room, we have held this event at this venue on a number of

occasions and the floor plan has always been a tricky one due to the stage at the front of the hall.

In the past exhibitors have been placed on the stage and have received little interaction from

attendees. At this event it was decided that it would be a one way system that made attendees go

on to the stage to be able to get round to the other side of the room.

Amy-Joy Dawson from Quanta Training also said “It was a bit tight between stands”. This is

something we need to be more aware of at events so that exhibitors are receiving the space they

have paid for.

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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

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 mixed, with 14% saying it was

“Excellent” and 50% saying it was “Good”. The remaining 36% of respondents said that the

exhibitor space was “Satisfactory”.

Although we took a lot of time to put together the floor plan for this event, not all exhibitors were

satisfied and happy with where they were or the spacing. This is something that we will always

struggle to ensure that everyone is happy as different people have different sized stands and take

up various amounts of space.

Something we can do to try and increase the positive responses would be to be stricter on the size

and space that exhibitors take up on the day as some do over stretch the space that is allocated to

them.

During the set-up of the event we need to be more aware of the space allocated to each stand and

ensure that they are not taking up space from another exhibitor.

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.

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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 9% saying the numbers were

“Excellent” and 45% saying that the numbers were

“Good”.

Steph Jones from Sodexo was very happy with

the event and location of their stand, saying “Our

position at the entrance was great – thankyou!”

Throughout the event they were very active with

making an effort to speak to each and every attendee who came through the door which reflects in

their feedback as they had a good day in relation to visitor numbers to their stand.

Helen Peedell from Explosive Learning Solutions said they had “Nice steady numbers and

definitely more ‘warm’ leads from Aldershot and a wider range of visitors.”

This is great feedback as it shows that the range of attendees and number that we attracted to the

event was successful.

The remaining 46% of respondents said that the visitor numbers were only “Satisfactory” or “Poor”.

This could be down to a number of reasons that may or may not be controllable.

Some of the feedback included comments from Stu Gatherum from T2 Fitness who said there was

“Not enough traffic in the middle aisle”.

Some solutions to this feedback involve;

Review the floor plan at the event to try and direct people down every aisle of the event so

that they see all exhibitors

Ensure there is plenty of space around stands and in-between aisles to encourage people

to travel down each aisle

Kayleigh Winter from The IET identified that there was “A lack of engineers” at the event, but also

pointed out that she didn’t feel this was our fault.

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For every event we advertise it in a large number of locations and to a wide target audience from

the Tri-Services to try and attract a range of attendees from a variety of backgrounds. We can’t

always guarantee that these people will attend or that there will be the wide variety that exhibitors

require on the day.

This is the same for Chris Bradford from Gavin de Becker who would like us to “Bring a wider

range of expertise through the door” as they would have liked to have seen more Infantry soldiers

on the day.

This isn’t something we can guarantee for exhibitors but we always strive to attract people from the

Tri-Services and different skill levels and backgrounds.

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 14% saying the level of

interest was “Excellent” and 55% saying it was

“Good”. This left the remaining 31% of respondents

who said the level of interest was “Satisfactory” or

“Poor”.

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

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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.

91% 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 Aldershot careers event worth their time and attendance.

Some of the comments left were;

“Our position at the entrance (first stand) was great, thankyou!” – Sodexo

“A very good event – we engaged with approximately 40 people and had 30 express an interest” –

FDM Group

“Definitely more ‘warm’ leads from Aldershot than at Oakham, a wider range of visitors” –

Explosive Learning Solutions

“A very good event!” – Chevron Traffic Management

“I found this to be the best event I have attended so far!” – Edge Hill University

“Very good – all BFRS Staff were brilliant!” – Nuco 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

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feedback about future improvements which we can take into account for our next event. These

points were;

The layout of the room – some exhibitors highlighted issues with spacing and footfall to

their stand. This is something that we need to look at to ensure that all exhibitors get the

space they have paid for and to also try and encourage all attendees to make their way

round the whole of the event to see all of the exhibitors.

A small number of exhibitors commented on the feedback that in the afternoon the visitor

numbers quietened down. 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 Aldershot 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;

1 Medical Regiment

1 Royal Irish

10 QOGLR

103 Bn REME

13 Air Assault

11 Brigade PRU

15 Sig Regt (IS)

2 Para

2 Rifles

160 Pro Coy, 4 RMP

Bicester Garrison Support Unit

Royal Navy – HMS Lancaster

RNAS Yeovilton

Royal Logistic Corps

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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;

Web search

BFRS Partner

Email

Social Media

Totaljobs email

Poster

Postcard

Magazine

Resettlement pack

Security Cleared jobs

Job & Course Alert

Dependant

Through their unit

Meeting

Unit orders

Wrexham event that Robert and Dominic attended

Attendee Demographics

Gender

Male Female

79% 21%

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 21% of the respondents being

female.

This is a higher number of females at this event in comparison to our Oakham event in January.

Throughout the day there were quite a few families with small children at the event which is great

as these people are part of our target market for the event.

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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+

7% 36% 57%

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 Aldershot careers event.

7% 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

25% 46% 3% 12% 7% 7%

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 Aldershot 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 7% 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.

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Distance Travelled

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

45% 12% 27% 12% 4%

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 Aldershot careers event on 12th March 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.

Arrival and registration

85% of the attendees who left feedback at the event said that the arrival and registration process

was “Excellent” and 15% said that it was “Good”.

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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.

This is an improvement from the Oakham event where

some of the attendees put the arrival and registration

process as “Satisfactory”.

In preparation for this event in Aldershot the team were

thoroughly briefed on what was expected from them in regards to the registration desk at the event

and what they are expected to do and how to interact with attendees on the day. The results show

that by briefing the team before the event in more detail it provides a better experience for those

attending. This is something we need to continue to do at future events.

Location of Event

The Aldershot careers event was held at the Prince’s Hall in Aldershot, Hampshire. This venue is

located just on the outskirts of the city centre, right next to a busy crossroads so it is easy to find.

66% of the respondents to the attendee

feedback said that they thought the location

of the event was “Excellent” and 33% 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 1% of respondents said that the location of the event was “Satisfactory”.

The attendees also identified problems with the parking arrangements at the venue. Some people

had to travel a fair distance to the event so when they arrived and didn’t see clear direction as to

where they could find alternative parking it was confusing for them.

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At future events we need to ensure that as well as the exhibitors, the attendees are aware of any

parking restrictions on the day of the event. This could be discussed with them in the attendee

phone calls that the team do once someone has registered for the event. This will then hopefully

help to avoid any future problems or issues with parking.

Event Venue

The feedback in relation to the venue that was used for this event was generally positive, with 95%

of the respondents saying it was an “Excellent”

and “Good” venue.

Only a minor 5% of the results said the venue

was “Satisfactory” or “Poor”.

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 room was too hot – need air conditioning!”

“The venue was too small for the number of exhibitors, thus quite cramped”.

Throughout the day the air conditioning was on, but the sun was beaming onto one side of the

room through the windows which increased the temperature. The same as past events, we need to

ensure we pay attention to the temperature in the room so that we can monitor whether it is too hot

or cold.

The second point commented on the number of exhibitors in relation to the size of the venue. To

try and counteract this we need to look at the floorplan in more detail to ensure that the hall is not

too cramped and is easily accessible for all.

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”.

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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 Exhibitors

There was a mixed response in regards to the number of exhibitors at the event, with 39% saying

the number was “Excellent” and 55% saying the number was “Good”.

The remaining 6% said that the number of exhibitors

was “Satisfactory”.

This is an improvement on the results from our

Oakham event in January as the responses are more

positive, with no one saying the number of exhibitors

was poor.

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.

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79% of the respondents were happy with the variety of exhibitors

at the event, choosing either “Excellent” or “Good”.

18% said the variety was “Satisfactory” and only 3% 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;

“Missing big companies like BT, British Gas and Royal Mail”

We always try to contact the major employers before each event but this isn’t always

successful as they are hard to get in contact with and to get on board as the majority of the

time they are already connected with CTP or don’t have the resources available to attend

our events.

“Far too many training providers vying for soldiers enhanced learning credits”

At the event there a distinct mix of employers and trainers and this was highlighted both in

the event guide and on the floor plan at the event. There were more employers than

trainers at this event but the majority of attendees don’t tend to spend the time to research

the companies or have the confidence to speak to exhibitors to find out more about the

opportunities available.

“MOD Police and Sodexo stood out for me. Also the lady conducting the CV review was

extremely good and the best element of the day for me”

This is great feedback as it shows that although some attendees weren’t happy with the

variety of exhibitors, 2 of the massive employers at the event did stand out and made an

impression on some of the attendees.

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.

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70% 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

either “Satisfactory” or “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. The feedback form had been amended for the Aldershot

event, following on from the Oakham feedback and we have gained some suggestions for potential

employers to target such as BT, British Gas and Royal Mail.

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, 100% of respondents said that they did find the event worth

attending.

This is an excellent response from attendees as it shows that all of the hard work that we put in to

organising these events to make them worthwhile for attendees is working and attendees are

leaving having had a worthwhile experience.

Some of the feedback said;

“Very good event, lots of information and advice. Thankyou”.

“Exceeded all of my expectations and gave me more options for training courses than I thought I

had. Also gave me more options for future employment choices”

Would you attend another event in the future?

99% 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.

“Gave me more options for future employment choices” – 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 1% 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?

100% 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.

This is an improvement on the results from the Oakham event and is definitely something we want

to maintain as recommendations to others is a great way of attracting people to our events as they

can hear first-hand about the experiences people have at our events.

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.

On the floor plan and in the event guide at this event we had a key for who the employers

and trainers were which made it easier for attendees to identify the different companies. For

future events we could try to identify something else that we can do to make it clearer for

attendees to recognise who the employers are.

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.

At this event we had a Networking & Refreshments sponsor who provided free

refreshments for attendees in a dedicated networking area. It was mentioned on the

feedback that it may be a good idea to have drinks stations dotted around the event so that

people don’t have to go to the end of the exhibition for refreshments. This is something we

can look at for future events.

BFRS Aldershot Event Feedback - 12th March 2015

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Transcript of BFRS Aldershot Event Feedback - 12th March 2015