CU’s space, campus appeal, recreational opportunities attract conference planners

BOULDER — Not long after University of Colorado students and faculty have packed up for the summer, the staff of conference services gears up for another onslaught of visitors.

Last summer more than 11,000 people attended camps and professional conferences at CU.

Approximately 2,500 visitors were students and parents attending orientation.

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A variety of groups ranging from sports and cheer camps to professional and academic associations gather in CU classrooms, said Deb Cook, assistant director of the office of conference services.

The picturesque campus and plentiful recreational activities available in Boulder provide a natural draw. Cultural events like the Shakespeare Festival and art fairs enhance the appeal, she added.

“People come here because they want to be on a college campus,” she said. The groups are required to be educational or nonprofit to use the facilities. They must be sponsored by a campus department.

For example, the American Banking Association’s School of Bank Marketing has convened in Boulder for more than 40 years. The two-week graduate school of banking typically includes 150 bank executives.

“Trying to find a university that can supply housing, feed 150 participants and provide classroom space for a week or more is very difficult,´ said Shirley Hawkins of the American Bankers Association. “Boulder is a beautiful location, and the participants love it.”

The engineering and physics department faculty host conferences for professional organizations to present current research. The Symposium on Thermophysical Properties draws more than 400 scientists every three years.

“We have a lot of return business,” Cook said, estimating a 75 percent repeat rate. Cook attributed the success to the quality of service provided by one of seven assigned coordinators.

The coordinators match the conference group size and meeting requirements with square footage and seating capacity in a variety of campus locations. The engineering center’s four lecture halls seat from 96 to 142 people. The air-conditioned building has fully equipped audiovisual rooms and an adjacent parking lot. The math building lecture auditorium can accommodate 400 participants. Banquets, receptions, poster sessions and meetings work well in the multipurpose room of the University Memorial Center. For very large meetings, the Coors

Events and Conference Center can seat 12,000. Macky Auditorium, known as a premiere concert hall, can seat about 2,000.

“All youth groups stay in the residence halls and eat in the dining halls,” Cook explained. “Some adults stay on campus, or we can arrange local lodging. We provide catering, meeting space, audio visual equipment, transportation and arrange special events.”

The nightly room rates range from $26 for a dorm room to $62 for an apartment. The meal plans for three meals a day range from $21 to $27. Conference room rates are wide ranging depending on the size and location needed for each meeting. They range from $25 per day to $1,700 per day for a large auditorium.

In addition to handling conference reservations, the office staff helps prepare brochures and get information distributed among organizations. An online reservation service is available.

Cook said she has seen an increase in technology demands since she first started working in the office 22 years ago.

“People used overhead and slide projectors, now they use PowerPoint. Residence halls are all wired so participants have access to the Internet. All buildings have computer kiosks. E-mail is a big thing,” she said.

Budget constraints limit marketing of the facility, Cook acknowledged. “We are formulating a marketing plan and revamping our Web site in the spring.” Conference site competition includes other area schools such as Colorado State University, Colorado College, Denver University and University of Northern Colorado.

The growth in the conference business is limited by the availability of space. “We have to share the space with other university programs,” Cook said.

Of course the influx of visitors to CU is a plus for Colorado’s economy.

“It helps pay for our quality of life,´ said Mary Ann Mahoney, executive director of the Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Groups like the American Bankers Association take advantage of local recreation. Typical activities may include horseback riding in Estes Park, white-water rafting, a hike in the mountains, a tour of Coors Brewery or a Rockies baseball game.

“The dollars spent in Boulder generate revenues to business and add to the general fund of the city of Boulder. The money helps pay for open space, mountain parks and public safety,” she said.

While the city does not separate out the dollars spent by CU conferees, it is able to estimate the average amount of money a day visitor spends. For example, the average visitor not staying in a hotel spends $161 per day on sightseeing, recreation, sporting events, retail stores, restaurants and transportation.

Mahoney said her office works very closely with the CU Office of Conferences services to attract guests to the area. “By attending meeting market trade shows, we generate leads for Boulder and CU,” Mahoney said.

Nothing can compete, however, with the personal praise of a satisfied customer.

“Word of mouth generates others to visit. That’s a stronger endorsement than any type of advertising we could ever do.”

The university has a spectacular setting enhancing the draw.

“The campus is beautiful; the layout is unique because of the flagstone buildings. The university has a strong reputation in the scientific and business worlds. Add a unique community, diversity of thought and lifestyle, a good climate and wonderful restaurants creates an attractive package,” she added.