On Campus
Back to school takes on a new meaning at college-based meetings.
By Libby Hoppe
It’s summer, and college students across the country have vacated university campuses, but that doesn’t mean the school grounds are empty. Meeting planners are turning to some of our nation’s oldest institutions to use as new sites for meetings and conferences.
Meetings can mean big business for universities. Last year, college-based meetings and conferences brought in $1.04 billion in revenue, according to the Campus-Based Economic Impact Study conducted by the Association of Collegiate Conferences and Events Directors-International (ACCED-I). The same study revealed that 11.7 million people attended an event on a college campus last year, a number that continues to rise every year, says Deborah Blom, executive director at ACCED-I. “It’s a growing business,” she says. “It’s a niche market, but it does have a significant impact for colleges and universities and the cities.”
Blom points to a few major events in recent years to explain the growth in nontraditional sites for meetings. When the government started calling out corporations and big businesses for their extravagant conferences, planners starting seeking out less flashy facilities to keep the events out of the headlines. The second reason college campuses have become more popular in recent years is because they’re more affordable than traditional venues, says Blom, especially when it comes to lodging. That makes them attractive to faith-based groups and associations, which are watching where every penny lands on the ledger.
Affordability is one reason colleges are good alternatives to the hotel/convention center route, but it’s certainly not the only reason. Schools come equipped with all the services you find elsewhere — meeting rooms, convention space, food and beverage service, audiovisual technology, even speakers — and they can provide housing on campus, too. But Sherry Ebrahimi, director of conference services at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., is quick to point out that lodging options vary, and attendees don’t have to feel like freshman in college. “We have the traditional double-loaded corridors, but we also have suite-style. We have apartments,” she says.
Better than the lodging options are the recreational options at Emory, says Ebrahimi, which are available on most college campuses. Summer conference attendees can use Emory’s recreation center with a gym, indoor pool and rock-climbing wall. Planners can organize a barbecue at the campus outdoor pool. And for relaxation, people head to Lullwater Park, a huge, grassy common area in the middle of campus. “We feel like we’re in the middle of suburban woods even though we’re so close to downtown and the interstate,” she says. “When you’re planning a meeting or conference, it’s not about the bricks and mortar. It’s about the experience.”
Campuses are traditionally very safe, says Blom, which makes them popular for youth events. Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, is booked for events all summer long, including a number youth camps. (Summer is the busiest time for external conferences on college campuses because most students are out of school, but many can host events year-round.) “We’re always having to say ‘no’ now,” says Kristin Kirkpatrick, conference services coordinator, about new groups trying to hold an event at TCU. “We only have so many beds that we can fill.”
In fact, TCU had so many requests for conferences, it had to limit the bookings to groups that somehow benefit TCU, says Kirkpatrick. That’s why youth camps are a big part of the summer lineup; children and teenagers are getting exposure to TCU. Ebrahimi says the same is true at Emory. “I think the college environment is perfect for youth because most are going to be acclimated to a university at some point,” she says.
It’s hard to nab a new spot at TCU because of repeat business, says Kirkpatrick. Many groups form long-term relationships with colleges, especially in the faith-based market. Disciples of Christ plan a number of events at TCU each year. ACCED-I is based in Fort Collins, Colo., near Colorado State University. Blom says Campus Crusade for Christ has established a good relationship with the university and often uses it for summer programs. The same is true on campuses across the country, especially those that have a religious affiliation. Some college campuses that regularly host faith-based groups include Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga., and Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.
Emory University is a Methodist institution, and Ebrahimi says she has a number of Methodist groups that come to campus each year. Of the 50 groups headed to Emory for events this summer, 11 are faith-based. Ebrahimi says that planners can take advantage of the school’s campus chapel for events, as well as tap into the exhaustive list of speaker resources available on college campuses. Professors, ministers and leading experts employed by some universities can be booked for a fraction of the price of bringing in outside speakers for conferences.
While campus-based conferences tend to be more affordable, they still bring in a significant amount of money. ACCED-I’s report showed that the average total annual revenue earned by a school ranged from $84,000 to $10.9 million. George Androuin is the director of conference services at the University Center, a conference facility on the campus of the University of North Florida. He says that some planners opt to hold events at the school because they “realize that they are actually giving to UNF,” he says. “The money that they give doesn’t necessarily go to a corporation; it goes back to an institution to serve the community.” Revenue earned from conferences at UNF helped to build a new Student Union Center.
As with many traditional meeting venues, campus facility managers are also recognizing the importance of streamlining the planning process for conference organizers. “We are a one-stop shop,” says Androuin. “You call one individual to coordinate the event throughout the entire process,” he says, from site selection to audiovisual rentals to food and beverage services. (UNF does not provide lodging options for meeting attendees, which is the case with some colleges). Blom says the ACCED-I is trying to encourage more colleges and universities to move to this platform. “What we highly recommend is for meeting planners, when they’re looking at college campuses for their events, is to ask ‘are you a one-stop shop?’” The ACCED-I has instituted a certification process for campus facilities that provide planners with one contract outlining everything that’s covered for the conference and one bill for all services. So far, 30 campuses have been certified and are listed on the ACCED-I website (acced-i.org).
Walking onto a college campus is simply a different environment for a conference than a hotel or conference center, says Blom. “I think the traditional campus setting is very relaxing, rejuvenating,” she says. As an example, she describes Colorado State University. “I can’t think of a better location for a conference,” she says, noting the mountains to look at to the west, the trees and rolling hills surrounding the university, and historic architecture on campus. “It’s just a really nice setting.” And for adult conferences, campuses can be very nostalgic. “For those who have gone to college, coming back to a campus brings back good memories of the college days,” she says. Sometimes, that can be reward enough.
Q&A: Roger Davis
Senior Vice President and Executive Director of Ministry Events, Student Life
Site selection is a big part of what Roger Davis does every day. As executive director of ministry events for Student Life, he helps plan dozens of ministry events and summer camps every year, crisscrossing the country from Georgia and Tennessee one week to Texas and Colorado the next. Most of the time, the destination is a college or university campus, where the majority of Student Life events take place. We asked Davis why college campuses work so well for events and what makes them particularly good when youth are headed to town.
What makes colleges and universities attractive to you for Student Life events?
Colleges and universities have exactly what we need. They have lodging, auditorium space, dining, food space and meetings rooms. And guess what? They’re vacant during the summer months when we plan most of our events.
What are a few of the colleges and universities you regularly use for events and why do you like them?
We often go to Lee University in Cleveland [Tenn.], Covenant College, Baylor University, Cedarville University in Ohio and Wheaton in Illinois. A few of them are really smart and have conference services departments. If they have employees dedicated to special conferences and programs, you’re talking about a department that generates hundreds of thousand of dollars for the school during the summer. Colleges that have those departments go a long way to make the planning process easier.
Are there any special challenges in planning an event on a university campus?
Sure, we do run into some issues during summer. There are summer school classes, and sometimes and all of a sudden they say they’re going to close dorms for renovations. You run up against those types of things, or collegiate professors sometimes want it to be quiet during the summer, but that doesn’t happen with students running around.
Speaking of students, why do you think colleges and universities are good for youth events?
There’s usually built-in security. Most have campus police and campus security forces so there’s a safety net you don’t get at conference centers and hotels. And they have built-in marketing. It’s a college, so most people have seen it on TV or heard of it. Universities are academic institutions, so they’re looking at it as a recruiting opportunity. We pay the bill and they get the opportunity to host students for a week. It’s what we call “living brochures.”
