My 1st University-Based Event - Lessons Learned

I recently returned from planning a university-based event and have had some time to gather my thoughts about how we, as event planners, can help improve the event planning process and make all of the events we work on more sustainable. I’ll stop short of deeming myself a hotel snob, but I have some lessons to share from my first large university-based event and the hotel stay that was part of the experience. 

I laughed with the team, who hired me as a subcontractor, as I shared my stories about working as a Banquet Manager at Walt Disney World, where I could get anything by calling someone on my radio. 

“Oh, you would like a palm tree in the corner?” 

“No problem!”

“Different-colored tablecloths?”

“Can do!”

Let’s just say university-based events are certainly NOT Disney - and, in this case - not necessarily streamlined for any event planner’s process. This particular event started with one catering contact who detailed the event, which was the extent of that person’s role. The hotel’s general manager handled reservations and room billing routing, and a banquet manager provided room diagrams for the meeting rooms.  When I asked to speak with someone from audiovisual, I was directed back to the banquet manager.  However, I learned that I really needed to speak with the Information Technology department.  I’m not sure if every university is set up the same, but I would encourage anyone working in a similar situation to ask specifics based on the task to get a more streamlined response from your designated point of contact; lesson learned - they may not have a department dedicated to it, but there should be someone with the expertise you need. Don’t be afraid to give a detailed request for what you need!

Now, let’s talk about missed opportunities. This particular event featured a dorm, dining hall, and hotel with conference space. Typically, I like to do a pre-event site visit, but in this case, due to elements out of my control, I was literally learning about the campus as I encountered it for the first time. I had many questions and research to do! Even with all of the information I could gather once on site, I was surprised at my findings.  For example, this client was a government agency.  Most government agencies like to have a sustainable event.  This client didn’t talk to us about having a sustainable event, nor did they inquire about this as an option. We were so short on time to plan everything that it was non-stop until the event began.  We booked a university-catered event for one of the group’s dinners when I noticed the meal included compostable plates.  

I thought, "Oh, cool, I wonder if they compost”?  I spoke with the catering manager and learned that the university composts all catering items on campus through a Sustainability Committee, but I couldn’t talk with them.  I also couldn’t find any information online about this committee, so I had to let go of the idea of nerding out with them about composting. What a missed opportunity!

A couple of weeks later, I’m finally onsite.  As soon as I walked into the dorm, I noticed it was LEED Silver.  Again, I got very excited and wanted to learn more about their certification.  According to the university website, “Thirty-six LEED Gold-and Silver-certified buildings account for 36 percent of the building’s square footage on their main campus.”  The dorm and dining hall we were using were certified LEED Silver, but I couldn’t find any additional information about their rating or the green elements they used to get that LEED Silver. If you are going to get your LEED certification, don’t miss the chance to share the news! 

Finally, there was the hotel that housed the conference rooms and the planning team's guest rooms. Simply stated, it was not a sustainable hotel. While they had the standard signs on the bed and bathroom about changing out linens, it wasn’t implemented.  I immediately put out the do-not-disturb sign when I checked into my room.  However, some of my cohorts didn’t.  Their linens were replaced even though they hung their towels as instructed.  After the first day, the housekeeping team provided new soap and shampoo.  By the second day, all of the planning team had their do-not-disturb signs on their doors. 

This hotel offered continental breakfast - a great amenity - but used black plastic serving ware that never breaks down in a landfill.  Leftover fruit was thrown out instead of composting.  Food items were from generic chains instead of local sources.  I was disappointed at so many missed  - and easy to implement - opportunities to raise the sustainability efforts in the hotel.  My cohorts and I filled out the hotel survey when I checked out, and I am hopeful they will see the opportunity to make those changes 

So, what happens if you are in a similar situation for one of your events?  What if your event was never meant to be sustainable; however, some elements were.  Share these successes!  Then, educate how things could have been better from a sustainability perspective.  This particular event happens twice a year, and I hope to be involved as a subcontractor again.  This is my opportunity to educate my client, who will then educate their client.  Sustainability isn’t perfect - there is never a perfect solution - but I believe sustainability is about educating and storytelling.  We had some great green elements, so I am hopeful to build on that for the next time!  

Do you have any success stories or challenges you would like to share?  I would love to hear them!  Please don’t hesitate to reach out…talk soon!