Mission

Conference Services at Davidson College is responsible for scheduling and coordinating use of campus facilities and services by departmental programs during the summer months and by outside groups throughout the year with minimal disruption to central academic processes.  This activity promotes the college image, generates net revenue for the college budget, and cultivates relationships with individuals, corporations and foundations potentially beneficial to the college at large.

Strategic Goals

• Develop Facility Use Policy for outside groups that is vetted widely and adopted by the PES.  Consequently educate campus as effectively as possible, concentrating on de facto facility managers, members of the Special Events Coordination Committee, and any other service and support providers not represented by these two groups.
• Create a Conference Services web page that provides the following:
  • Statement defining the unique experience of renting space at the College
  • Facility Use Policy
  • Open dates for outside bookings
  • Insurance Requirements
  • Rental Rates
  • Contact Information
  • Email inquiry option as an online form
  • Photographs of commonly rented space
  • CAD drawings with scale of commonly rented space
  • Contract template
• Develop Alcohol Policy for campus that is vetted widely and adopted by the PES.  Consequently educate campus as effectively as possible, concentrating on de facto facility managers, members of SPECC, faculty department chairs, administrative department chairs.  Insure that plan provides appropriate protection to college as it manages alcohol.  Enlist help of legal advice that college retains as necessary.  Recognize that formally tended events currently bring greater charges to department reception activity.
• Hire and train a new Conference Coordinator for outside inquiries that come in for the school year calendar (as distinct from Summer Programs).
• Conduct risk management audit of outside group activity on our campus (in concert with Physical Plant).  Determine if there is activity that is not in our best interest to host of if there are adjustments to our contract, requirements of guests, or college insurance coverage that are called for in order to continue these.
• Adopt a marketing strategy aimed at high-end corporate clients to optimize our investment in Physical Plant and the limited opportunities that college calendar affords.  Capitalizing on the opportunities our recently refurbished and constructed facilities provide may require a hard look at how space is utilized currently during the summer months.  Success in this area should allow the Conference Services net to the college to reach $100,000 annual within five years.  This also holds promise for increased net catering revenue.