Unit 8: Understanding Working Relationships in the Events Industry
Unit reference number: H/600/8556 Level: 3Credit value: 4Guided learning hours: 24
Unit aim
This unit focuses on developing productive working relationships with colleagues, within learners’ own organisation, with other organisations and with identified stakeholders. It involves being aware of the roles, responsibilities, interests and concerns of colleagues and stakeholders and demonstrating how to work with and support them in various ways. The need to monitor and review the effectiveness of working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders is also a key requirement of this unit.
‘Stakeholder’ refers to individuals or organisations that have a material, legal or political interest in, or who may be affected by, the activities and performance of learners’ organisations.
‘Colleagues’ are those with whom learners work, and may be at the same or another level within the organisation.
Essential resources
There are no special resources needed for this unit.
Learning outcomes, assessment criteria and unit amplification
To pass this unit, the learner needs to demonstrate that they can meet all the learning outcomes for the unit. The assessment criteria determine the standard required to achieve the unit.
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Learning outcomes
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Assessment criteria
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Unit amplification
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1
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Understand the value of working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders during the planning and co- ordination of an event
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1.1
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Describe the types of colleagues with whom an events co-ordinator works
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□ Types of colleagues: those within the organisation involved in planning and coordinating events; at the same level, at a different level; colleagues at the same site, colleagues at remote sites
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1.2
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Explain the different roles and responsibilities that different colleagues have
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□ Different roles and responsibilities of colleagues, e.g. contract negotiation, financial management, budget setting and monitoring, administration, marketing and sales, safety and licensing compliance, procurement, legal, customer liaison; the importance of knowing what different colleagues do and the part they play in planning and coordinating events; who to include when planning and coordinating events; the added value that effective working with colleagues can bring to event planning and coordination
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1.3
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Explain the concept of ‘stakeholder’ in the context of an event
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□ The concept of ‘stakeholder’ in the context of an event: individuals or organisations that have a material, legal or political interest in the event, those who may be affected by the event or related activities
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1.4
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Describe the different types of stakeholders that might be relevant to an event
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□ Different stakeholders for events, e.g. commissioning agents, performers, facility owners and managers, contractors, suppliers, security officials, emergency services, licensing authority officers, neighbourhood or local community members and groups, members of the public
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1.5
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Evaluate the interests that different stakeholders may have in an event
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□ Stakeholder interests: the range of financial, material, personal, political interests which different stakeholders may have; how these will differ depending on type and size of event, location; the possible conflicts of interest that may create issues; why it is important to assess these and evaluate their impact when planning and coordinating an event
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Learning outcomes
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Unit amplification
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1.6 Explain the importance of maintaining effective working relationships with colleagues
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□ Importance of maintaining effective working relationships with colleagues to ensure cooperation in meeting requirements, e.g. health, safety and security, to encourage teamwork, to build commitment to achieving the event aims, to overcome problems, to ensure communication channels are open and direct, to promote pride in high standards of performance
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1.7 Explain the importance of maintaining effective working relationships with stakeholders
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□ Importance of maintaining effective working relationships with stakeholders: to ensure cooperation in complying with site safety rules, to resolve problems, to overcome objections and concerns, to encourage joint commitment to achieving a successful event, to enable communication to be meaningful, to build rapport between different stakeholders
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Learning outcomes
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Assessment criteria
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Unit amplification
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2
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Understand how to establish working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders during the planning and co- ordination of an event
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2.1
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Explain how to identify which colleagues and stakeholders an event organiser may need to work with
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□ Identifying relevant colleagues and stakeholders: the importance of ensuring that all relevant colleagues and stakeholders are identified when planning an event; through seeking advice from experienced colleagues or stakeholders to confirm their possible relevance in planning an event; through researching similar events to identify potential stakeholders; by reading guidance from professional bodies,
e.g. HSE, by reading cases studies of similar events
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2.2
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Describe how to make contact with relevant colleagues and stakeholders
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□ Making contact: making contact with colleagues and stakeholders via phone, email, using websites, sending letters and circulars, placing advertisements, notices; selecting the most appropriate means depending on requirements, e.g. urgency, confidentiality; how to prioritise contact with colleagues and stakeholders to ensure protocols are observed
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2.3
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Describe how to agree working arrangements and communication methods with colleagues and stakeholders
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□ Working arrangements and communication methods: selecting and defining appropriate working arrangements, e.g. meetings, line management responsibilities, authorisation levels, designating roles of key event personnel; the importance of doing so at an early stage in planning an event; when to use certain methods of communications,
e.g. phone, email, text, letter; how to observe protocols when circulating information with colleagues and stakeholders, e.g. copying in, group circulations; when issues of security or confidentiality affect contact and communications with and between colleagues and stakeholders; how to ensure contact is secure and confidential, e.g. restricted circulation, need-to-know basis; why it is important to follow agreed methods of communications and contact with colleagues and stakeholders
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Learning outcomes
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Assessment criteria
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Unit amplification
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3
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Understand how to maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
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3.1 Explain the importance of effective communication with colleagues and stakeholders
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□ Effective communications: how to provide colleagues and stakeholders with appropriate information, within agreed timescales and in the correct format; how to present information clearly, concisely and accurately so that others can understand and make judgements; using different communication styles to meet different needs
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3.2 Explain the importance of
respecting the roles and responsibilities of different colleagues and stakeholders
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□ Respecting colleagues and stakeholders: respecting the roles and
responsibilities of different colleagues and stakeholders; respecting the views of others; creating a common goal; why it is important to honour commitments to colleagues and stakeholders and to advise them of anything which might prevent this; recognising protocols, language needs, diversity; showing sensitivity to internal politics which may impact on planning and coordinating the event
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3.3 Explain the importance of understanding the expectations of colleagues and stakeholders
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□ Expectations of colleagues and stakeholders: the range of differing needs, motivations and expectations, e.g. financial, security, personal, material; expectations based on concerns from previous experiences
□ Why it is important to understand these so that critical success factors for the event reflect expectations where possible, so that liaison and communication with colleagues and stakeholders is adapted to suit expectations, so that issues or concerns are resolved, so that any limiting factors, e.g. cost, time, venue capacity, access, are discussed and expectations are adjusted where appropriate
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3.4 Explain the importance of fulfilling own commitments to colleagues and stakeholders
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□ Importance of fulfilling commitments to colleagues and stakeholders: to inspire trust in own leadership, to support the organisation’s reputation, to build confidence in working relationships, to lead by example, to promote goodwill
□ Consequences of not fulfilling commitments, e.g. loss of trust and cooperation, poor team performance, deadlines missed, problems unsolved
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Learning outcomes
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Assessment criteria
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Unit amplification
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3.5 Describe situations in which conflicts of interest may occur with colleagues and stakeholders
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□ Conflicts of interest: the types of conflicts of interest which may occur when planning an event, e.g. stakeholder profit targets conflicting with safety or security requirements, the need to economise on expenditure conflicting with target audience demands, personal goals or desires overriding professional advice, local community needs ignored to deliver an event, ethical or social preferences, e.g. merchandising conflicting with target profit margins, venue needs or transport requirements conflicting with environmental impact
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3.6 Explain how to resolve conflicts of interest with colleagues and stakeholders
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□ Resolving conflicts of interest through negotiation, through balancing different needs, by providing reasoned arguments based on fact, by establishing a ‘win-win’ situation, by clarifying areas of conflict, by ensuring that those involved understand each other’s points of view, by offering alternatives which will remove the conflict
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3.7 Explain the importance of consultation with colleagues and stakeholders prior to making decisions that affect them
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□ Importance of consultation: how this should form an integral part of event planning; the importance of working towards ‘win-win’ situations so that all involved have an interest in the event succeeding; ensuring that colleagues and stakeholders are aware of and comply with legal requirements, industry regulations, organisational policies and professional codes; the repercussions of not consulting prior to making decisions that affect colleagues and stakeholders, e.g. loss of trust, loss of cooperation, forming plans based on inaccurate or incomplete information, loss of organisational reputation, adverse publicity
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3.8 Describe how to consult with colleagues and stakeholders on relevant decisions
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□ How to consult with colleagues and stakeholders on relevant decisions,
e.g. verbally, by letter, by email circulation, by face-to-face meetings, teleconferences, surveys; selecting and using the most appropriate methods of consultation depending on time, costs, availability, confidentiality; prioritising consultations based on legal requirements, critical success factors, aims of the event; consulting in relation to key decisions and activities taking into account views, priorities, expectations and attitudes to potential risks; identifying and dealing with disagreements
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Learning outcomes
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Assessment criteria
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Unit amplification
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4
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Understand how to review working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
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4.1 Explain the importance of reviewing working relationships with colleag and stakeholders
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□ Importance of reviewing working relationships: to identify areas of success and areas needing improvement; to adjust performance targets where needed; to help to develop a supportive atmosphere between colleagues and stakeholders; to promote trust; to provide an opportunity for feedback
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4.2 Describe how to monitor and review the effectiveness of working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
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□ Monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of working relationships: monitoring working relationships through personal observation, from feedback, through discussion and meetings, through analysing performance data; evaluating the extent to which working relationships affected or were affected by communications, decision making, consultations; considering the impact of own behaviour and actions on working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders; the importance of having clear targets for effective relationships
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4.3 Explain how to seek feedback from, and provide feedback to, relevant colleagues and stakeholders to identify areas for improvement
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□ How to seek feedback from colleagues and stakeholders, e.g. directly, indirectly, personally, through others; via personal observation, using social media sites, from survey responses; providing verbal and written feedback to colleagues and stakeholders via one-to-one interviews and meetings, by open forums, by letter, by commendations; the importance of ensuring feedback is constructive; how to give effective feedback, e.g. being specific, performance or action related, choosing a suitable time and venue
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4.4 Describe the types of wider developments that may occur which might be of potential interest or concern to stakeholders in the future
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□ Types of wider developments include issues which may be of interest or concern to stakeholders now or in the future, e.g. new licensing requirements, new building or transport proposals, structural changes to venues, changing legislation or industry requirements which will restrict event size, location, times, level of support services, security clearances, use of volunteers at events
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