Talking Stick - September/October 2015 - 45

campus; because Nylen was confident
in sharing the resources his area could
provide and sought to understand their
specific needs, the group was able to
find a home in the newest residence
hall on campus, Horizon Village.
Institutions differ in how
conference services are managed;
not surprisingly, 90 percent of
respondents indicated that conference
services are handled within the
university, with the remaining
respondents saying they were handled
by the combined efforts of private
contractors and the institution. To
further refine this point, 55 percent of
respondents indicated that conference
services exist within housing, and
41 percent indicated that they are in
another unit or department.
Professional and student staffing
is an essential aspect of providing
a positive conference experience,
yet only 26 percent of respondents
had one professional staff member
dedicated wholly to conference
services management, only 33 percent
had more than one, and 40 percent
noted that no one person is dedicated
wholly or partly to this job. Although
this may be affected by institutional
program size and structure, the
lack of centralized management is
somewhat striking given the increased
needs for youth protection and the
administrative consistency and
coordination associated with it. The
University of Florida is one of the
institutions that employ two to three
full-time professionals in conference
services. "We have three full-time staff
dedicated solely to conference services
and several hourly staff members
that join the team seasonally. Having
more than one full-time staff member
allows us to accomplish several things.
First, we can have a higher level of
consistent service for our customers.
We can provide reliable support for
each group, from the initial booking
stage through contracting and billing.
As we work to grow our conference
business by adding non-affiliated
groups, having the ability to deliver
on our value proposition is important.

Second, this staffing model allows
us to have a sales function available
throughout the year. Our team is
always working to identify and attract
new business for the conference
season. This happens through reverse
sales conferences, advertising outlets,
and making sales calls to potential
clients," Logan explains.
Students make up a large
percentage of the conference
operations staff, serving as resident
assistants, working at the front
desk, or helping with planning and
coordination. The range of student
employment revealed in the survey

results was fairly large and may be
representative of services offered and
policies related to staff provided by
individual groups. A high number
of respondents, almost 21 percent,
employed more than 31 students in
conference services, with most other
institutions employing anywhere
between 3 and 20 students. A majority
of the respondents (87 percent)
employ students as front-desk
employees, while 56 percent hire them
as counselors or resident assistants.
The number of student staff hired
and the roles they play will most likely
be changed by the Affordable Care

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Talking Stick - September/October 2015

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