Talking Stick - September/October 2015 - 44

A Developing Situation
As conference services continue to grow as a revenue source for
campus housing departments, questions will continue to emerge.

1.

Where does the conference revenue go, and how is it used?
While member institutions reported revenue, there was
no conversation about what that revenue supports. Each
institution may allocate it differently and will earmark based upon
current and future needs. In making crucial budgetary decisions,
data that illuminates trends in resource allocation, specifically related
to summer revenue, will help those managing the fiscal needs of an
operation learn about new practices and ideas.

2.

Where are our guests coming from? While we have
collected data regarding age and intent, we have done
little to measure international summer programs. As the
number of international students increase, we are most certainly
seeing increases in our summer populations.

3.
4.

What are new and creative ways that conference services
professionals are partnering with campus entities to
enhance recruitment, retention, and institutional goals?

What do conference services look like for our international
partners? Specifically, do member institutions across the
world experience similar things, and is there a need to further
expand the conversation to include policy, procedure, and approach
at an international level? Surely we have much to learn from one
another. Anecdotally, it's safe to assume that we're serving more
international guests in the summer given the rise in the number of
international students on campus. That being the case, how do we
learn from our global institutions to best serve these students?

5.

How do policy and procedure relate to guest conduct?
Campus guests have a unique relationship to the university,
as most are non-students staying within the framework of a
service-based contract.

6.

How can the link between campus dining and summer
conferences be strengthened? The relationship between
both areas, no matter where they are housed on campus, is
essential for success. How institutions navigate that relationship to
provide seamless service is an area needing more attention in the
future. Collecting information on the intersection of international
guests and dining needs may also be an important factor in
improving conference services, in addition to regular dining services
throughout the academic year. For example, Ramadan typically falls
during the summer conference season, and guests who observe it
have different needs for its duration than guests who do not.

44

TALKING STICK

2013/14, with 21 percent allocating 81-90
percent. The amount allocated may reflect the
types of housing available and the impact of
renovation and construction projects. David
Yoder, coordinator of conference services and
emergency training at Kansas State University
in Manhattan, notes that one or more of their
50-year-old facilities is unavailable each summer
because of renovations and upgrades. This, in
combination with smaller projects in available
areas, creates a unique set of circumstances for
conference usage and assignments.
In addition to total bed allocation, the
survey also asked for information about the
type of housing designated for conference
guests: 92 percent of respondents housed
guests in traditional double-occupancy
buildings, while 88 percent used suites and 60
percent used apartments.
Staffing and organizational structure are hot
topics within conference services. Questions
like "Who handles conferences?" and "Is it a
full-time job?" are asked regularly. The answers
depend on many factors, including institution
and program size, though they are also affected
by how services are delivered by and integrated
within the institution. Many groups need space
and service well beyond what a bed provides.
College and university campuses must
compete with other entities for hosting
conferences. Overwhelmingly, 87 percent
of respondents indicated that their campus
does not have a "right of first refusal" with
internal groups, meaning that internal and/
or institutionally affiliated groups can seek
housing outside of the university. This is
particularly important when discussing service
delivery through the lens of customer retention.
Often, private facilities are willing to cut rates
and run very narrow margins to woo groups
into occupancy. This can be difficult to compete
with, knowing that many of our costs may be
static. Lacking the right of first refusal forces
campus conference services to be competitive
with off-campus entities. Nylen says that
conferences services at his institution act as
the "ambassador of campus and community
resources" for groups. He is making a
concerted effort to learn more about faculty
needs, share the highlights of summer services
with campus partners, and develop longterm relationships both on and off campus.
Customer service is an important part of this
effort. He tells the story of a faculty member
who wanted to house a meditation group on
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