January 2007

Campus Events Professional - January 2007 - Full Issue PDF
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Editor's Letter
I am always intrigued by the way each month’s Campus Events Professional seems to develop organically, even when I think I have a set plan. For our January issue, I started with the intent to produce a roundup feature detailing some of the newest technological solutions available to the event planner; you will find the results of my research in our feature article.

Planning an Academic Conference for Undergraduates: Lessons from Moravian College
PowerPoint presentations about scriptoria filled with monks laboriously copying documents? Smart classrooms full of attendees who have traveled farther in one day than their study subjects would likely travel in a lifetime? Such a delightful juxtaposition of the old and the new characterized Moravian College’s December 2006 Conference in Medieval and Early Modern Studies. Moravian's experiences provide a template for other universities that may wish to plan such an academic event.

6 Technology Ideas for the New Year
The New Year always brings with it the resolve to improve the way one works, to make things more professional, more efficient, or just plain easier. And for many of us, this means an upgrade in technology. We put out a call for new and improved technologies to help the event planner, and we were inundated by good ideas. Many of these ideas are new takes or improvements on existing ideas, and any one of them could be a boon, especially to event planners looking to handle large events or complex problems. One or two may well find their way onto your 2007 shopping list.

A Heavenly Visit
Event planners overwhelmed by their current campus-based projects might take a moment to consider the challenges faced recently by Theo Nicolakis, director of informational technology and Internet ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in New York City. In late November, Nicolakis was charged with coordinating the first visit by Pope Benedict XVI to Turkey. But more important than the job of tracking a single holy man was the task of coordinating access and movement of thousands of reporters, vendors, visitors, and staff--and doing the work from several time zones away.

Large Risks in Large Crowds at Concerts
Large campus crowds are expected at large sporting events, and plans are generally carefully made for them. But what about campus concerts? Do colleges and universities exercise the same care for campus concerts that is displayed for football and basketball games?

The Art of the Tour
By David Treber
A campus tour is a great way to kick off a camp’s visit to your university. It can set the tone for the rest of the week, including setting expectations for campers’ behavior and instilling a sense in guests that they are welcome. As I have learned, tailoring a tour to a particular group is an art.