Emma Franklin
Hospitality and Event Management
How to Flip a Wedding at
John Ball Zoo
The following information is a proposed training guide for John Ball Zoo. The specific training is suggested for the Rental and Events team at the Bissell Tree House.
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This proposal is not a legitimate training project used for John Ball Zoo but a project for the Ferris State University Hospitality Management Guest Services program.
Learning Objectives
After completing this training, participants will be able to:
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1. Operate equipment safely and correctly.
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2. Explain the process of flipping a ceremony to other employees or new hires thoroughly.
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3. Assess the floor plan, execute it, and adjust as needed quickly, professionally, and discreetly.
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4. Recognize all safety concerns and generate a plan to address them in a professional and calm manner.
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5. Recite general tree house and zoo information and answer guest questions in a professional way.
Instructional Strategy
The main instructional strategy for this training is experiential. This training ideally requires the employees to be onsite and hands-on in order to fully comprehend the information. Although parts of the training should be taught through direct instruction in a classroom setting, it is more beneficial to have the employees experience other parts in supervised hands-on training.
Job Analysis
Training Sheet
Download the Job Analysis Training Breakdown sheet here:
Level 1: Reaction
Because this team is small and pretty tightknit, I would typically ask for verbal feedback after the training and watch their reactions during the training in order to gauge the reaction to the material. Some Questions would include:
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Did the training session accommodate your personal learning styles?
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What are the three most important things that you learned from this training?
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What support might you need to apply what you learned?
Level 2: Learning
Since this training is specific to the John Ball Zoo facility, there is not much prior-knowledge for the employee to have. The employer should verbally assess the amount of general knowledge the employees have about the zoo, equipment, and basic event-related terms. After the training has completed, the employer should ask the same questions that were asked beforehand and should also have the employees teach the material back to them in order to measure comprehension.
The specific outcomes that should come of this training include:
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Being able to quickly identify locations of tools, zoo areas, and items needed for an event.
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Have a confident understanding of the procedures required to flip a wedding ceremony to reception
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Be able to carry out emergency procedures and answer basic zoo questions
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Be able to understand and explain proper radio protocols
Level 3: Behavior
John Ball Zoo has implemented the use of “Caught Ya!” Cards that are used as rewards for employees who demonstrate some sort of positive behavior. During the first weeks of employment with the zoo, the employer should make use of these cards by distributing the cards to employees who implement their training into their daily use. This also creates a reward system that enforces positive behaviors.
Employers should (and already do) take the time to spend time with each team member one-on-one. Whether this is to complete a task together or to talk, it is important for the employer to get to know them and to assess how they are learning and how they act professionally.
Level 4: Results
The employer should observe the employees and look for these specific identifiers along with watching to see how they problem solve and what specific components they implement from the training.
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Increased customer satisfaction
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More involved and confident workers
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More efficient task completion
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Cleaner and more attractive facility
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Smoother events and event transitions
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Fewer amount of radio miscommunications
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More positive guest-employee interactions
Prefer a different view?
View each module in a PDF for more information presented in document format.
Learning Strategy and Mode of Delivery
Job Breakdown Sheet
Developing a Lesson Plan
Evaluation
