Case Study: Technology Upgrade

Planner: Gary Paschal, Chi Alpha Campus Ministries

Event: The Chi Alpha Campus Missions Conference, July 12-16, at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix, brought together the national staff for the campus ministry. “We had right at 650,” says Gary Paschal, district coordinator and conference meeting planner. “It was the largest staff attendance ever.” The conference hadn’t taken place as a full-blown, multi-day event in several years, and Paschal says the organization saw a need that they could fill with the national conference.

Revamp: At the conference leaders unveiled a new website, logo and campaign for Chi Alpha. “We needed a clear message to communicate our mission on campuses,” he says. “We were doing some things, but it wasn’t clear. It was hodgepodge.” The conference included time to show the staff how to use the website and its integration with social media. “There was a lot of integration [between] the conference and online,” says Paschal. Organizers used Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to engage with the staff at the conference and to show how social media can be used to engage students on campus.

Reception: “We had quicker communication,” Paschal notes as a benefit of the use of social media. “We had greater buy-in from our tech-savvy audience.”

Attendance challenge: Paschal and his team realized a few months prior that attendance would nearly double their original estimate. “Our initial thoughts were to plan for 350 and see what happens,” he says. “The thing just grew on us.” He credits timing, the need for a national gathering for staff and that each attendee’s cost is heavily underwritten by the national organization. Fortunately, the location still worked with an increased attendance, and the planning staff had time to make minor adjustments such as more chairs in the ballroom, relocation of certain sessions and events, and different locations for exhibits.