In This Issue Current Issue Archives

January, 2007

Trends in Events for 2008
The year 2008 is sure to bring challenges for event planners. In addition to the usual concerns coming from campuses, event planners are likely to deal with challenges springing from the national climate this coming year.CEP sat down with Deborah Blom, executive director of ACCED-I, and Jack Raab, events office director at UCLA, to identify the major trends impacting events in the year ahead.

Campus Events Professional - January, 2008 - Full Issue PDF
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Preparing for a Crisis Before It Hits
The most intimate reception has at least one thing in common with a campus-based presidential debate attended by viewers, dignitaries, press, and Secret Service: either could fall victim to a crisis. Crises, including tragic ones like the Virginia Tech shootings, somewhat predictable ones like inclement weather, or facilities-based ones like a broken water pipe, all need to be prepared for so that all parties involved in an event can handle them as safely and efficiently as possible.

Two Reviews of the CASE Conference on Special Event Fundraising - First Reviewer: Jenny Cobb
By Jenny Cobb
Those of us in special events rarely get to write more than five to 10 lines of text on an invitation or a save-the-date card. I am fortunate to share with you my experience of attending the "CASE Special Event Fundraising: Strategies for Professionals in Education" conference. The conference kicked off on Monday, November 12, in Orlando, Fla., at the Orlando World Center Marriott with attendees from across the U.S. and Canada.

Two Reviews of the CASE Conference on Special Event Fundraising - Second Reviewer: Connie Cochran Toole
By Connie Cochran Toole
As I shared a plane ride from Chicago Midway airport to Orlando, Fla., I sat next to a family with three young boys who were excitedly anticipating their arrival to meet Mickey and Minnie. The boys reminded me of my own two amazing sons, Tucker, age 9, and Tate, age 6, who were left behind in wintry Chicago. (This wasn’t an easy task, since the boys knew Mom was traveling to Disney World.)

Beyond Fund Raising: The Dual Dynamics of University Special Events
Kay Sprinkel Grace, CFRE, is a San Francisco-based organizational consultant who provides workshops and consultation to local, regional, national, and international organizations in strategic planning, case and board development, staff development, and other issues related to leadership of the fund-raising process. Her current major contract is as principal external consultant to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Major Giving Initiative.

Ensuring the Integrity of Endowments
By Dennis R. Black
This month, we offer a review of a few issues related to campus operation of endowment funds. How responsive have campuses been in protecting these funds? Who is watching? And what happens when campus use is challenged? Consider the following…

Resources
Special Events: Proven Strategies for Nonprofit Fundraising by Alan L. Wendroff is the ideal companion for anyone planning a special event with a fund-raising purpose. Chapters include discussions of choosing the event, setting monetary goals and budgets, recruiting volunteer leadership, marketing, and what to do on the big day. Each chapter includes several checklists, samples, and to-do lists to keep any event on track. An appendix of special resources and a companion website further enhance this book’s ability to serve as primer, reminder, workbook, and guide.

Lost and Found
By David Treber
What do you do about “lost and found”?I know, I know, we are not responsible for items that are left. But in a customer service–based collegiate conferences and events operation, our reputation with groups can go a long way if we track items left behind, keep bags with room numbers, or use whatever system works so that we are seen as getting items back to guests. I will admit that our storage of such items takes up a fair amount of space, because our guests leave a lot of things here!