Event Assistant
Exempt: No
Department: Event Center
Reports To: Manager, Events
Location: Fayetteville Public Library
Date Revised: March 29, 2024
Safety Sensitive: No
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF POSITION
As an Event Assistant, you help create an experience that makes our community say, "I love Fayetteville Public Library!" When you work at FPL, you are working alongside a dedicated team that brings their passion and pride to all that they do. You share your technical and product knowledge with customers and other staff, contributing to the overall success of the Library. You relate easily to others, building rapport and collaborative relationships with both the staff and customers. You can communicate and interact with all customers, create a welcoming and inclusive experience, are a good listener and enjoy working with people. You have a passion for what you do and enrich the customer's experience by using your knowledge to determine the customer's needs and exceed their expectations. You are comfortable in a changing environment, with multitasking, and with learning new systems and procedures.
As an Event Assistant, you offer support to the Events and Facilities Teams, specifically to the Event Coordinator, in the tasks necessary to plan, organize, and deliver a superior event experience to our community. You will handle a variety of tasks related to a vibrant and active event process. You will support the Event Coordinator in aiding the coordination of many events per year (100+). You will work with appropriate FPL staff to proactively identify customer needs for events as well as flawlessly execute the event booking process. You will assist with a diverse range of tasks necessary for event execution, including event set-up and tear-down as needed.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
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Proactively greet and establish rapport with patrons, including enthusiastically engaging them in conversations about all our materials and services. Provide exemplary customer service in-person, through electronic communication, and over the phone. Answer general questions about library programs, services, and event space rental opportunities. Return phone calls and emails with a sense of urgency (generally within 24 hours).
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Effectively communicate to patrons regarding a variety of topics including, but not limited to: library products, programs, and services, policies, responsibilities, and code of conduct. Blend creativity, problem solving, and decision making to positively impact the customer experience, de-escalate any negative situations, and resolve customer questions and concerns.
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Ask open ended questions to assess, understand, and ascertain the customer needs, determine how to tailor your approach, and provide recommendations using your institutional knowledge to connect our customer with the right solution. This includes complex patron inquires such as meeting room rental check in/out process, event space bookings, and routine technical assistance with AV systems.
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Work cooperatively with all library departments to effectively assist with the planning and successful delivery of public programs and event booking processes.
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Maintain and cultivate relationships with current and potential event customers and follow up on their involvement in specific programs or initiatives. Meet with current and potential customers and partners as needed.
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Maintain an accurate and up-to-date calendar of meetings and events and communicate logistical information internally and externally as appropriate.
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Secure meeting room space for both internal and external customers and ensure that facilities staff executes room set-up and tear-down.
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Assist with event execution as needed.
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Participate in meetings and activities of the department and the library. Assist with library services, programs, events, and outreach opportunities as needed.
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Pursue professional development to keep informed of current and emerging library trends, particularly as related to events and hospitality. Maintain professional and technical knowledge through attendance of educational workshops, seminars, and webinars, review of professional publications, establishment of networks, and participation in professional organizations.
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Collaborate with supervisor on departmental projects to ensure the smooth operation of the department.
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Conduct special projects as assigned.
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Represent your department on various library committees as assigned.
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Help orient new staff, ensuring a smooth acclimation to the library and our culture. Train new staff members as assigned.
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Display excellent time management skills, attention to detail, problem solving skills, strong organizational skills, and the ability to work proactively to balance multiple tasks and prioritize work. Complete work at an appropriate pace with a sense of urgency.
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Assume personal responsibility for building maintenance and solving minor issues and problems.
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Perform any other related duties as required or assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education and Experience
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High school diploma and two years of college, plus two years of related experience and/or training, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
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Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to write reports, business correspondence, and effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
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Intermediate math skills, including the ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, and percentages. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
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Intermediate computer skills including proficiency with office productivity software and event management software.
Skills and Competencies
All library positions require customer-focused service to both internal and external customers, flexibility, teamwork, punctual and reliable attendance, and compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws.
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Ability to work a flexible schedule as assigned that includes evenings, weekends, and holiday shifts is required.
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Perform both independently and as an effective and valued team member.
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Strong organizational, time management, and interpersonal skills.
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Work under pressure on multiple projects with frequent interruptions and tight deadlines.
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Must have significant initiative and drive.
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Must be able to appropriately handle sensitive information.
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Ability to provide own cell phone.
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Multilingual skills a plus.
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Valid Driver's License.
WORK ENVIRONMENT & REQUIREMENTS
The following physical activities described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions and expectations.
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Ability to tolerate moderate noise that comes from an office environment with typical HVAC performance, constant visitors, telephone calls, computers, and printers and light traffic and the ability to tolerate an increased level of noise during programming events.
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While performing the functions of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, talk or hear; occasionally required to reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
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The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds; frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and color vision.
