Special Event Industry Ethics | Special Guest Blogger John Daly

John Daly

We are deeply honored to have an industry leader and icon  kick off our inaugural Think About It feature, dedicated to special event industry ethics.  Mr. John Daly, founder of The Key Class & originally John Daly Inc, was dubbed "the Guru of Event Design" by Special Events Magazine in the mid-1980s. After retiring from events, John founded and is President of The Key Class, the go-to guide for good manners and job search success.

This is the first of a series of articles dedicated to real - life ethical scenarios that we as event professionals face daily and will include dilemmas and proposed solutions directly from professionals in the field.   

Ethics in the Event Industry

What Ethics is NOT

·        Always doing everything correctly

·        Never making mistakes

·        Never doing anything we would regret

·        Never missing paying a bill

·        Never saying anything that is not proper

What Ethics IS

·        Recognizing our mistakes

·        Making amends for mistakes

·        Reversing the damage of our behavior

·        Explaining truthfully why you missed paying a bill

·        Apologizing to someone that we have hurt with words written or spoken

·        Not sharing harmful information with others

The temptation to work in an unethical manner can be great, especially when it promises financial gain. These are the times to dig deep and ask lots of questions. Is the gain worth it in the long run? Will I be able to trade this action for my good reputation? Where will this put me in 20- 30 years?

For example, I had a freelance designer that I had worked with for a number of years. We had a wonderful relationship, and I called on him for almost every one of my jobs. On one project, with a client with whom we worked all of the time, the client asked him for his phone number as she had several small projects with shoestring budgets about which she wanted to contact him directly and did not want to hire him through my company. He gave her his number, and she began calling him for jobs. The jobs got larger, and he did more décor for her. Soon he improperly installed a prop in the ceiling of a ballroom, and it was not secure. Because he was just a freelancer, he did not carry any type of insurance. The prop fell and caused damage to the property. Of course, the client was sued for damages, and I ultimately learned what had happened. As a result, the freelancer was no longer called to work with my staff and ended up having to pay back to the client far more than he could have ever earned with her on her “little” jobs to cover the damage. Whenever I was asked for a recommendation on his work, I warned people he was not to be trusted. As for the client, I fired her! As you can see, the freelancer’s unethical behavior cost him not only future work with me but with the client and other prospective customers in the future.

Over the years, I have always worked with very high ethical standards, and it has paid many dividends. My clientele were people with whom I worked for anywhere from 5 to 30 years. Ninety-eight percent of my work was from repeat business. I never had to advertise I was fortunate to have business come to me. I enjoyed 44 years in the world of special events, and, I retired with no regrets. So many of my great friends have come from the business, and I still relish in the fact my reputation is untarnished, because I made ethical behavior one of my top priorities.

Today’s event industry affords its professionals tremendous resources to ensure ethical professionalism. Both ISES and SEARCH promote the practice of ethical behavior. The ISES Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP) program gives novices the tools they need to stay on a highly professional level. Top conventions, such as The Special Event and Catersource/Event Solutions encourage the need for ethical behavior through their educational programs. However the bottom line relies within each of us. Please use the Golden Rule: Do onto others as you would have them do unto you. You can’t go wrong if you do.

To learn more about The Key Class, go to www.thekeyclass.com. To get John’s book, click The Key Class.  Follow John on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thekeyclass and Twitter @johnjdalyjr. Do you have an etiquette question? ASK John at johnKeyClass@gmail.com.

______________________________________________________________________

Dedicated to the wedding and hospitality business partner, Engaging Inspiration provides sparkling training, marketing and social media solutions which engage and inspire.