Point of View: Kay West
Kay West
Commercial Events Manager, The House of Commons
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaywest/
As part of our commitment to championing the industry, we are talking to people about their careers and what IEM means to them.
Kay West graduated in 2010 with a BA (Hons) in Events Management. Moving to London after her degree, Kay worked with the event catering company; Richmond Creative Events managing events across many unique venues in London including; Kew Gardens, London Film Museum and Freemasons Hall before managing the sole contract for Forty Hall Coach House in North London. In 2014 Kay was brought into the House of Commons to launch their events venues to the commercial market, over the last 5 years the commercial events business at the Palace of Westminster continues to grow. Through marketing activities for the House of Commons Kay joined the Board of Directors as Company Secretary for the Westminster Venue Collection in 2017, a consortium focused on marketing member venues from the Westminster area to the corporate events market.
Q What does the IEM mean to you?
A It is an opportunity to further professionalise the events industry.
Q Why did you decide it was important for you to get involved?
A When graduating from University I was lucky in the sense that the company I carried out my placement year with offered me a full time event management position. Many of my colleagues from university struggled to find employment within the events sector. At the time there was a lack of resources to call upon for employment and development within the events industry. I was delighted when I heard about the plans for IEM, it is just what our industry needs. I look forward to watching the Institute grow and support both graduates and professionals alike and gain recognition and support for the highly skilled practitioners that we have within our industry.
Q Where do you hope to see the IEM in 20 years time?
A I look forward to the IEM becoming a platform internationally recognised as the professional body for events management. A platform where professionals can gain industry recognition through professional development events and fellows are inspired and supported to achieve their full career potential.
Q What is your favourite event related memory?
A I have worked with many great clients over the years planning everything from conferences to weddings, the personal ones are always those that I remember most fondly. I think my favourite has to be a South-African themed Bat Mitzvah. The event included the infamous ‘welly boot’ dance from South Africa, miniature animals for the children, mini dessert buffet, zebra print chair covers. Being able to work with the family to build and deliver their dream day and to see their satisfaction as it all played out was such a great feeling.
Headline: #GetBritainMeeting
We are delighted to see that the government is allowing meetings to start again, and so begins a long road to a new normal for our industry. Susan Spibey, Executive Board Chair of the IEM, is keen to point out that hybrid seems to the way to go, harnessing all that we have learnt during Lockdown and achieving the aim to #buildbackbetter from the affects COVID-19.
If you need reminding how important events are, we are pleased to share this Mash TV video, which in our opinion says it all.
Headline: Code of Professional Conduct
Following in from our Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions on IEM Membership, we thought it would be useful to share with you our draft Code of Professional Conduct for comment.
As the professional body for Event Management, the IEM is committed to championing and protecting the quality and integrity of the event management profession. We set high standards of entry for membership and require all of our members to adhere to the standards and behaviours (‘obligations’) set out in this Code of Professional Conduct.
These obligations are grouped under four principles:
- Professional Competence and Behaviour
- Ethical Standards and Integrity
- Representative of the Profession
- Stewardship
They apply universally – at all stages of an IEM member’s career, regardless of size, sector or specialism, and the individual’s membership commits them to upholding and maintaining these.
1 Professional Competence and Behaviour
Members of the IEM shall:
1.1 Maintain professional knowledge and competence through continuing professional development, to ensure they provide a professional, up to date and insightful service.
1.2 Seek appropriate support if business needs require involvement in new areas of activity, only act within the scope of knowledge or ability, seek advice or support or refer work where appropriate.
1.3 Accept responsibility for their own professional actions and decisions, rectifying issues as soon as possible, informing the client of any likely impact to them and taking all reasonable steps to mitigate their loss/harm.
1.4 Apply professional high standards of relevance, accuracy and timeliness in the information and advice they provide to stakeholders, ensuring adequate liability insurance is held and terms of reference are established for all work and commitment.
2 Ethical Standards and Integrity
Members of the IEM shall:
2.1 Establish, maintain and develop business relationships based on confidence, trust and respect.
2.2 Exhibit and role model professional and personal integrity and honesty at all times.
2.3 Demonstrate and promote sensitivity for the customs, practices, culture and personal beliefs of others.
2.4 Champion employment and business practices that promote equality of opportunity, diversity and inclusion and support human rights and dignity.
2.5 Safeguard all confidential, commercially sensitive and personal data acquired as a result of business relationships and not use it for personal advantage or the benefit or detriment of third parties.
3 Representative of the Profession
Members of the IEM shall:
3.1 Always act in a way which supports and upholds the reputation and values of the profession, if the Member becomes aware of a potential breach of the Code, they must report this to the IEM.
3.2 Uphold their responsibilities as professional people towards the wider community.
3.3 Comply with prevailing laws and not encourage, assist or collude with others who may be engaged in unlawful conduct, taking action as appropriate.
3.4 Exhibit personal leadership as a role model for maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct.
3.5 Identify where there is a conflict of interest. If an action could be perceived as a conflict of interest the Member should carefully consider whether it is appropriate to act in all the circumstances and evidence independence and be able to demonstrate the distinction between the personal and professional capacity.
4 Stewardship
Members of the IEM shall:
4.1 Demonstrate and promote fair and reasonable standards in the treatment of people who are operating within their sphere of influence.
4.2 Challenge others if they suspect unlawful or unethical conduct or behaviour, taking action as appropriate.
4.3 Ensure that their professional judgement is not compromised nor could be perceived as being compromised because of bias, or the undue influence of others.
4.4 Promote sustainability in developing and delivering their work and events, inspiring others to do the same in achieving business objectives.
4.5 Ensure those working for them have the appropriate level of competence, supervision and support.
If you have any comments or suggestions on any of the above please get in touch.
Headline: Membership FAQs
Since our Skills for Events Summit on 30th June we have had lots of questions and great suggestions, which we have been working on incorporating into our plans. Please keep them coming!
In order to make sure that everyone is informed of our progress we have come up with the following Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions on IEM Membership, which we hope you will find useful:
1. What would the main benefits be of being a member?
Being part of a network and support group for the industry, access to knowledge and development opportunities and professional recognition.
2. What levels of membership will there be ?
Affiliate and Student Membership (no designatory letters)
Associate (AIEM)
Member (MIEM)
Fellow (FIEM)
3. When do you plan to be open for business and how can I join?
We will be taking online applications from 19th October 2020, when we will officially launch and hold our Inaugural AGM at The Meetings Show.
4. What is the cost of membership ?
£50 per annum for Affiliate, which will be the entry level of membership and only level of membership available to start with.
5. Can I join based on experience and if so how will this be assessed?
You can join as an Affiliate only in the first instance, with or without any experience, and then upgrade your membership. To upgrade your membership based on experience alone you will be required to demonstrate either 3 years for Associate, 5 years for Member or 10 years for Fellowship grades.
6. What is involved in becoming a Founding Fellow?
Founding Fellows are sought to spearhead the membership body and champion the IEM. In response to several enquiries, we are also offering Founding Partner status for organisations.
7. How and when can I apply to be a Founding Fellow and what will it cost?
We are taking applications now until 14th October and there will be a one-off £1000 fee.
8. Is Affiliate Member the same as Student Member and how and when can I join either category?
Affiliate Membership will be available from 19th October and you can sign up without any prior experience, qualifications or need to satisfy any specific criteria.
Student Membership will be available from January 2021. It will be tied to an IEM Accredited course, so you will need to apply for this through an eligible university/college or training provider.
We plan to have Accreditation available from December 2020 and as a result we anticipate Student Memberships will be available from January 2021.
9. Will I be able to use letters after my name if I join and if so what?
Graded memberships will allow you to use the following letters after your name:
Associate – AIEM
Member – MIEM
Fellow – FIEM
10.Will you offer CPD and Mentoring for members?
Yes, CPD, mentoring opportunities, a freelance register and ambassadorial roles are key benefits to membership that we aim to offer in due course.
For more information also see Membership Grades
If you have any comments or suggestions on any of the above please get in touch.
Headline: #BuildBackBetter
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Skills for Events Summit on 30th June. Special thanks go to our great line-up of speakers including Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester; Tim Nichol, Pro Vice Chancellor of LJMU Liverpool Business School; and Dr Caroline Jackson, BVEP Vice Chair and AEME Board Member.
The feedback and enquiries we have received are so encouraging. We welcome all your thoughts, ideas and support to help us make this a professional body of which we can be proud and from which we can #BuildBackBetter.
If you missed it, or would like to watch again, you can do so below and, as requested, you can also access the slides here.
Point of View: Ash Rowe
Ash Rowe
Senior Event Manager at Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-rowe-3436689b/
As part of our commitment to championing the industry, we are talking to people about their careers and what IEM means to them.
Ash Rowe is a winner of The Marketing Show Tomorrow’s Talent. Within his current role, Ash has worked across a large range of engineering focused events on exciting topics such as 5G and the Internet of Things. He has also been directly involved in some of the IET awards focused events, which have given him the opportunity to work alongside celebrities and inspiring finalists. Prior to this, he worked for IHG in the hospitality sector and was lucky enough to work with organisations such as the Labour Party, Philips, Pepsi and many others to help them create dynamic and vibrant live events. Alongside his professional work, Ash is also a mental health ambassador and gives regular talks to schools to further the awareness of challenges that are specifically faced by young people.
Q What does the IEM mean to you?
A The IEM to me is a place to meet people and further myself as a person and a professional. It can be challenging to open yourself up to new skill sets within the events industry as the range of operation that the industry must manage tends to mean that organisations are focussed on what they do well with little scope to expand further. The IEM will allow open and honest discussions with like minded professionals outside of my organisation and provide not only an effective and non-judgemental place to learn but also and opportunity to impart some of the knowledge that I have developed over the years.
Q Why did you decide it was important to get involved?
A As an individual the IEM is something that I have been searching for in my career for a long time and I was lucky enough to find it whilst it was in development. Given my knowledge of institutions and the personal knowledge of my own ideal trajectory I felt that it was important that I gave my voice to the incredible people that have worked tirelessly to make the IEM a reality. The main reason that I want to be involved is to give back to the industry that has given me so much over the years and inspire the next generation of event managers that are due to enter the industry.
Q Where do you hope to see the IEM in 20 years?
A My dream for the IEM is that it becomes the worlds largest network of event management professionals and leads the way in shaping the landscape of the events industry whilst ensuring that we have an excellent pipeline of talent coming through.
Q What is your favourite event related memory?
A My favourite memory of working in events must be when I worked an engineering event at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. This single event changed my long term outlook on how an event is managed and what it should look like – and this will stay with me for many years to come!
