Connection Crew CIC @connectioncrew-blog - Tumblr Blog

We’ve moved our blog

We’ve just re-branded and re-launched ourselves at Connection Crew. And as part of that we’ve got a new website which integrates our blog, as you can see in the screenshot above.

For our posts from April 2016 onward please visit: http://connectioncrew.co.uk/blog/

Event Industry Apprenticeship Standard is now a thing and we helped make it

A new Event Management apprenticeship standard has been signed-off by the Government - look!

We were invited to join the board that developed the standard to bring our years of experience in training marginalised individuals on the nuts-and-bolts of the industry to the table.

The Standard describes the knowledge, skills and behaviors that all apprentices will have achieved upon completion of the apprenticeship.

The next phase of development is all about formulating the assessment plan that will outline how each apprentice will be assessed through and at the end of their apprenticeship.

These are exciting times.

There hasn’t been anything like it before and it has huge potential to open up the ever growing event industry to more robust and diverse pipelines of future talent.

Watch this space....

We’ve been named Best Crewing Company by the Event Production Awards 2016.

Here’s what some of the judges said about us:

“Connection Crew CIC – Impressive scale and a genuinely inspiring social scheme – case studies show a good understanding of how their story impacts their own clients’ businesses.”

“I have to say that I was really taken with Connection ... they have noted a commercial growth and show two case studies with strong testimonials, and they make a great case for agencies selling their agenda as part of their own credentials, to potential clients.”

Boom! We’re absolutely delighted.

Connection Crew at Christ Church Spitalfields

Connection Crew de-rig at the Excel

#CrewCam

Connection Crew Academy is back: homelessness charities apply now

Connection Crew Academy is back and open to applications until 22nd January. We’re inviting homelessness charities looking for routes into employment for their clients to get in touch with us about this unique programme. The Academy is a 10 week on-the-job training programme dedicated to those who have experienced homelessness, to provide them with a viable opportunity for a fresh start in life, and potentially whole new a career. Our recruits will receive practical and on-the-job training to learn the basics of event crewing – it covers everything you need to know to set-up some of London’s most exciting events; from staging and infrastructure to manual handling and loading, audio and AV to carpentry and set-building. On top of that our Impact & Personnel Officer will provide complementary training sessions covering soft-skills and CV and portfolio development. And everyone who gets on to the programme is fully supported by a mentor from our experienced crew. At the end of the 10 weeks, the most suitable recruits will be offered a job at Connection Crew. All recruits will receive advice and guidance on how to maximise all the very transferable skills and experience gained to appeal to employers, and where possible, we’ll even broker introductions. The programme returns following a successful pilot in partnership with Crisis at the end of last year. For further information please contact [email protected]

Season’s greetings to one + all from Connection Crew

The Christmas weather forecast has been changeable - first of all we were to expect a balmy one, now we should to expect to be struck by terrifying storms.

Either way, it was a white Christmas at Olympia for the Ideal Home Show at Christmas thanks to our snow crew.

Here’s some celebs enjoying the end result! https://twitter.com/ExhibitionNews/status/672789083052228609

Underbelly has topped our list of event industry major players in creating jobs for ex-homeless people

Underbelly, Media 10 and Production Bureau (pictured in that order) are among a host of event industry organisations that in just 12 months have collectively created over 11,000 hours of work for people who have experienced homelessness.

We collated the figures as part of our Connection CSR Account initiative which gives clients evidence of their individual impact in terms of hours of work provided to ex-homeless crew members.

Here’s what they said about it:

“We’re thrilled to be top of the Connection CSR Account list for 2015. It’s great that we can support Connection Crew’s social agenda while doing business with them – because of the impact it can have on peoples’ lives and also because we feel the positive effect that the organisational ethos has on the service we receive on site.”

- James Oakley, Production Manager, Underbelly

“We have been using Connection Crew since our first outdoor event in 2008. They are a totally reliable and effective extension to our team, and we now use them on pretty much all of our events both indoor and out. The fact that we also get an annual endorsement of the social impact our business creates is a bonus’”

- Richard Morey, Group Events Director at Media 10 Ltd

“As an organisation we’ve got a well-established approach to sustainable procurement. We started working with Connection Crew because it seemed like a great way to help people and we’ve stayed for the quality of service. It’s a proud moment each year when the Connection CSR Account certificate comes through – it allows us to share the social impact of working with Connection Crew and our clients are invariably impressed when they hear about it.”

- Sarah Martin, Travel & Logistics Co-ordinator, Production Bureau

In the last financial year Connection Crew employed 25 people with a background of homelessness. Every ex-homeless recruit in the last ten years that has left Connection Crew has gone on to either other employment or education, and two of the team left to go travelling - no one has returned to homelessness.

www.connectioncrew.co.uk/csr.htm

Share social impact creds - before it’s too late

50 of our top clients have collectively created over 11,000 hours of work for people who have experienced homelessness by procuring our services. We are encouraging them to share these creds now, before it’s too late.

We noticed social impact starting to become more present on the corporate and public sector procurement agenda over three years ago.

Keen to find a way for our clients to benefit from this, we launched the Connection CSR Account in 2012. It quantifies clients’ individual contributions toward the employment of ex-homeless people so that they can in turn use the endorsement to win business.

In addition, we are the only social enterprise in the crewing industry - as such, we are also the only crewing company that can ‘payback’ social impact to clients in this way.

We’re encouraging account holders to use our unique status within the events industry to stand-out when it comes to bidding for new business, customer engagement and brand differentiation.

Choosing to include us as part of their supply chains creates a point of difference between them and their competitors worth celebrating, and referencing proper, regulated social impact measures strengthens any claims.

Crucially though, with social impact still a relatively new player in the CSR space, in comparison to sustainability or environmental impact at least, it’s high-time to start sharing.

“Cola Wars”, for example – Market rivals Pepsi and Coca-Cola both adopt similar approaches to CSR, such as zero net water usage strategies and bottles made from sustainable packaging. They don’t exactly stand-out from each other but the waning brand differentiation is a sign that CSR in terms of sustainability is taking hold and is not just a fad.

There’s still a very long way to go, but let’s hope that the same thing happens with social impact. In the meantime, we know referencing it works - according to a recent survey a third of our clients said that they have already successfully cited the figures to win business.

Celebrate your social impact – before it’s too late.

Connection Crew were invited to support a project to help rebuild the camps in Calais, initiated by Block9 and funded by Help Refugees UK.

Eight crew members loaded 180 wooden panels onto this truck bound for France earlier this week. It will help create 30 temporary shelters providing accommodation for up to 360 people living in the ‘Jungle’ camp in Calais.

Block9 are based in East London and specialise in very cool and radical set and environment design.

#HelpRefugees spun out of the #HelpCalais campaign to raise funds and collect goods in response to the current refugee crisis - It was started by Radio X presenter Lliana Bird, writer and TV presenter Dawn O’Porter, activist and comedian Heydon Prowse and friend Josie Naughton set up the hashtag.

To support this great cause visit http://www.helprefugees.org.uk/

#HelpRefugees

Five of our favorite social enterprises that are smashing it in London when it comes to helping people from vulnerable backgrounds into a better life. From top to bottom:

Bikeworks recycle, refurbish and sell second hand bikes. Employment and training opportunities for marginalized individuals are integrated into the heart of the enterprise. www.bikeworks.org.uk

Inside Job Productions is an award-winning film company providing employment opportunities for ex-prisoners, helping them to stay out of prison and into a new career. www.insidejobproductions.co.uk

The Old Spike Roastery in Peckham was set-up to provide fine, fresh coffee and to help local homeless people in the community into long-term employment. www.oldspikeroastery.com

Luminary Bakery is an innovative response to a need for vulnerable women who have had a social and economic disadvantage, designed to offer opportunities that build a better future for themselves and their families. www.luminarybakery.com

The House of St Barnabas is an employment academy for people affected by homelessness, which is funded by a not-for-profit members club in the heart of Soho where the participants are trained. hosb.org.uk

Social impact isn’t just good, it’s good for business. And that’s OK.

Social Enterprise is currently being bandied about as the solution to many problems across the UK and beyond – from solving the Greek economic crisis to bolstering up the NHS.

So, is it just the latest public sector buzz word / corporate sector gold-rush, or is there something in really in it?

We believe that there is. Of course we do. And when it’s done right, it’s not just good, it’s good for business.

To define why it’s good for business we must first define what it is. Social Enterprise UK defines social enterprises as:

“… businesses that trade to tackle social problems, improve communities, people's life chances, or the environment. They make their money from selling goods and services in the open market, but they reinvest their profits back into the business or the local community.”

So like charities, social enterprises exist to fulfil a social mission and reinvest the majority of their profits.

However, there is a key distinguishing characteristic between these two types of organisation: enterprise.

Successful social enterprises must have a sharp commercial edge. Healthy trading is required in order to be able to do any social good in the first place. Equally, the social achievements generated should also serve to fuel commercial success. This is what all the best social enterprises have in common.

When we started out, pushing 10 years ago now, social enterprise was still a relatively fresh concept. The buzz was just breaking with businesses like The Big Issue, Café Direct and Fifteen getting known for doing their thing and doing it well.

Since then the model has been adopted by a number of successful charities too, including The London Early Years Foundation and Turning Point.

In the very early days we had the balance weighted completely toward the social and not the enterprise; with all the best intentions employing 100% ex-homeless crew, the model started to fall down. We needed to bring experienced crew into the mix to help nurture and up-skill new crew members from homeless backgrounds.

After some experimenting we settled at 25% ex-homeless crew. Getting to this balance meant that we have been able to continue to create job opportunities for people with a history of homelessness for nearly a decade.

We’re launching new initiatives such as Crew Academy - a crewing industry training and work experience programme specifically for ex-homeless people, to build on this going forward.

It’s helping us to reach more ex-homeless people, but also to increase quality for our clients - our social agenda creates a supportive and positive working culture that motivates the whole workforce.

The fact that social impact is fast climbing the corporate procurement agenda is a very nice by-product of all of this.

In response to this observation we launched the Connection CSR Account back in 2012. It provides our clients with tangible recognition of the social impact that they have helped us to achieve and helps them use the information to win more business.

In conclusion, when social enterprise is good, it’s good for everyone.

On your bike: cycle safety for crew

One of the perks of crewing at Connection Crew is getting to go to work at top venues across London and cycling is a great way to get to them. However – it’s not always the safest way to get to them.

Sadly, this isn’t Amsterdam. London roads are not always accommodating to cyclists so it’s extremely important that crew take care. Especially at this time of year, when the majority of the time the roads are wet and dark and crewing jobs are coming in thick and fast, meaning that crew members might be working long and irregular hours.

We’ve compiled some top-tips for our crew on keeping safe, scouring the web for useful tools and advice.

1. Route planner

Planning your route allows you to take your time and ride with confidence. The latest Google Maps app, is the best navigation tool available for your phone at the moment. However, it’s still in beta mode so it’s not perfect yet. It has audio turn-by-turn instructions which can be handy though.

Download for Apple and for Android

2. The incident hotspots

It’s important to be as diligent on a quiet backstreet as you would be at a busy junction, but being aware of these top 10 cyclist incident hotspots won’t do you any harm either:

1. Elephant and Castle roundabout

2. Trafalgar Square

3. Waterloo Road roundabout

4. Lambeth Bridge/Millbank roundabout

5. Upper Tooting Road/Lessingham Avenue, Ansell Road/ Derinton Road

6. Grove Road/Mile End Road

7. Vauxhall Bridge/Wandsworth Road

8. Monument Tube station junction

9. Camberwell New Road/Brixton Road

10. Camberwell New Road/Kennington Road/Harleyford Street

Source London 24

3. Get a grip

For better grip in wet weather, go with a smooth, soft tyre. Who knew!

According to 1010UKs essential guide to winter cycling (which is worth reading in its entirety actually):

“In summer, grip is never much or a problem for the urban cyclist, but winter is another story. It seems counterintuitive, but unless you're riding through mud or snow, tyres with a deeper tread pattern won't actually improve your grip at all. This article explains why.

The trick is to maximise the amount of rubber that's in contact with the road at any given time, so to get the best grip on wet roads, you're looking for a wide, smooth tyre. (Thanks to Peter Smith and James Russell for pointing this out.)

Going easy on tyre pressure can also help: firm tyres minimise rolling resistance and make hills less of a slog, but I tend to keep mine a tiny bit softer in winter for safety reasons.”

4. Night rider

The nights are well and truly drawing in so make yourself as visible as possible – check out Cycling Weekly’s top tips for cycling at night as well as some handy buyers’ guides for decent front and rear lights.

5. Enjoy the ride

City AM collated some scary statistics that highlight some really important points for cyclists – the dangers of riding at rush hour, the types of vehicles to really watch out for etc.

But it’s not all doom and gloom - Things are improving, what with talk of improvements like Crossrail for Bikes" along the Embankment. And cycling is still the cheapest and healthiest way to get around.

So stay safe and enjoy the ride.

Introducing Crew Academy. Read the blog below.

Introducing Crew Academy

We are very, very excited.

Our new ex-homeless recruits from our first ever Crew Academy have been going out to work on some of London’s major global events, such as the Rugby World Cup and London Film Festival.

So, what is Crew Academy and why are we doing it?

We are a social enterprise. We provide employment opportunities for work-ready ex-homeless people. We have been doing this for just about 10 years now but we want to make more of a difference to the growing issue of homelessness.

Until now, ex-homeless crew members were recruited through ongoing referrals from our primary partner and founding charity Connection at St Martins. But - inspired and guided by the success of the Pret Foundation Trust’s and House of St Barnabas’s own employment academies for the ex-homeless - we’ve decided to pilot our own programme, and have partnered up with Crisis to do so.

In a nut-shell, Crew Academy is a crewing industry training and work experience programme dedicated to those who have experienced homelessness, to provide them with a viable opportunity for a fresh start in life, and potentially whole new a career.

Crew Academy truly began ahead of the 10 week programme at the Crisis Employment Platform on the 1st October – a job fair for Crisis’ referrals where they had the opportunity to network with 31 companies and put themselves forward for opportunities. We gave potential applicants an insight into the industry and delivered interview skills workshops. Successful applicants were invited to join the Connection Crew Big Build Day, a taster session where the basics of crewing were introduced through the build of a mock event.

We took on four guys from the Big Build Day – Michael Crevier, Mario Hoti, Modou Lamini and Steve Summers. Once they completed two weeks of intensive training, including on-the-job experience to integrate them into the workforce, they entered the current phase – eight weeks of real paid crewing supported by a mentor from our established crew.

While only a few ex-homeless may be offered a permanent role after graduating from the programme, approximately 30 ex-homeless have benefited from their interaction with the programme as a whole.

This is what, Charlie Dorman, Director of Connection Crew said about it:

“We’re doing this, to support more ex-homeless people, but also to provide quality for our clients. That might be an unexpected outcome to many, but our social agenda creates a supportive and positive working culture that is better for everybody; better for clients, better for crew, and better for those who are looking for a way out of the cycle of homelessness.”

We plan to run the Crew Academy 3 times a year from 2016.

#socent #eventprofs #crewacademy

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