Classroom Management & Conference Planning

Author: Leah Wotherspoon, Special Events Assistant, Meetings & Special Events, University of Calgary

Managing non-academic classroom bookings on campus has its share of challenges at the best of times, but as the academic off-season approaches, preparation for the flurry of spring and summer activities is in full-swing.

A university has a wide variety of priorities, and sometimes these priorities end up competing with one another for the finite resources that the campus has to offer. Once the winter session ends, the conference season begins. It is important to try to strategize space utilization for the conference season in order to be able to not only provide the best possible experience for the conference organizers, but also to be able to prevent turning conference clients away and to honor agreements that are made well in advance.

One of the big challenges with managing space for conferences is that conference planning begins quite far ahead, but the academic schedules are not finalized until enrollment for the courses is closed. Even though there are few course offerings in the Spring and Summer, there is still a chance that academic class scheduling can throw a wrench in even the best conference planning.

This year, I am trying to plan ahead for the potential pitfalls of room booking, by coming up with multiple room configurations, in partnership with our conference planner, in order to try to avoid last minute scrambling caused by unanticipated academic schedule changes or even the necessary-but-dreaded room closures due to renovations or upgrades.

In all of this, communication, thinking ahead, and flexibility are all key to successfully managing the conference season, as well as the summer schools and summer camps that dominate campus during the spring and summer.
What are some of your strategies for managing space during conference season?

Leah Wotherspoon, Special Events Assistant, Meetings & Special Events, University of Calgary
Telephone: 403-220-6229
Email: ljwother@ucalgary.ca

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