May 2007

The Perils of Decentralization
By David Treber
Many collegiate conferences and events professionals prefer a one-stop-shop model: one point of contact, one contract, one bill. I agree with this model. However, not everyone on your campus will be in favor of a centralized approach. If you are, it is important to marshal your arguments.

Campus Events Professional May 2007 full issue PDF
…

Bullies in the Workplace: Two Myths and Four Tips for Handling a Bully
Mention that you are having trouble dealing with a bully, and pictures of elementary school seem to rise unbidden to the mind. Back then, bullies were tough, menacing little punks who were always ready with a threatening comment out of the teacher’s sight on the playground or a clandestine shove against the locker that was just a bit too hard to be friendly.

Editor’s Letter
By Jennifer Patterson Lorenzetti, Editor
It has been many years, but I still can clearly remember the day that I had a showdown with an office bully.The person in question and I had never really gotten along. He was famous for ignoring office deadlines that needed to be met in order for me to do my job, and he loved to criticize me for not being available every time he thought of a whim I should satisfy. Thank heavens this was in the days before cell phones were ubiquitous, because the ladies’ room was my one refuge from his requests.

Expert Tip…Focus on Idea Publicity for Your Next Event
CEP asked Dick Jones, principal of higher education public relations firm Dick Jones Communications, for his top advice for promoting events on and surrounding a college campus. He advises event planners to look beyond news of the event to find the big idea.

Case Study: Taylor University Finds Increased Event Awareness with New Calendaring Program
Sometimes, the simplest tools can be the most valuable when promoting campus events. This is the lesson learned by Taylor University when it recently upgraded its calendaring system to Trumba Connect. In the process, it found that the right calendar can get the information about upcoming campus events into the right hands, increasing awareness and decreasing the amount of searching that members of the campus community need to do to stay up to date.

Book Reviews
Books reviewed: Contemplate Your Business Navel and Let’s Put On a Show! Theater Production for Novices

The Technology of Interaction: Four Tips for Event Success
An event planner can control many factors that go into making a successful event, but it is nearly impossible to control the interaction of the attendees. More than one well-planned event has had uncertain results because the attendees who most needed to interact did not find the opportunity to do so. And identifying these needed interactions can be difficult for even the most experienced event planner.

New Products Showcase
Looking for something to keep meeting attendees busy during often-boring downtimes? Entertain them with Kapla Blocks. “Kapla” is Dutch for “pixie planks,” and these small, flat planks created from sustainable forests offer a host of possibilities for an icebreaker or table activity.