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June 25 – 28, 2008, The Westin Nova Scotia (Halifax)
The Product
When the weather, venue, presenters, participants and finances cooperate, success is at hand. ARUCC 2008 opened on June 25 with the Preconference Workshop which exceeded budget estimates by 120%. The Preconference and the Opening Reception set the tone for an energetic and knowledge-based Conference.
The Events Planning Office at The Westin prepared the venue as scheduled and was on call to meet each request throughout the Conference. When catering numbers required adjustments on the spot and when regional associations requested catering for receptions, the requests were met to everyone’s satisfaction. The Planning Committee considered that the character of the Hotel and the support of its Events Planning Office contributed significantly to the success of the Conference.
In summary, the Conference registration numbers were:
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Full Registrations 230
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Day Registrations 21
With regard to the Conference Program, all sessions were presented as scheduled. The Planning Committee considered this to be exceptional given our individual, previous experiences with conferences and their cancelled/ altered sessions.
The final budget statement is attached and details the Conference Revenues and Expenditures. The budget figures are cast against the initial budget forecasts for the Conference.
ARUCC 2008 generated a “profit” of approximately $31,316.69. The Planning Committee budgeted a breakeven point at approximately 200 registrants. Based on the actual registration numbers, several revenue areas exceeded budget forecasts.
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Number of registrations (particularly late registrations)
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Number of guests at the lobster party
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In the final program, one break was eliminated from the schedule.
The number of room units booked through The Westin exceeded all projected levels (600 room units booked) and reduced The Westin’s potential room rental fees by 75 percent ($8,000 reduced to $2,000).
With regard to the remaining expenses, most were kept within budget and several were under budget, thanks in large part to the contributions of the Planning Committee members and their institutions.
The Planners
As Chair of the ARUCC 2008 Planning Committee, I want to acknowledge the significant contributions of each of the committee members and their institutions. The time spent by the committee members and the “in kind” contributions of each of the institutions contributed directly to the Conference’s bottom line.
Asa Kachan, Dalhousie University
Asa graciously hosted our 8:00 am meetings and provided the caffeine to kick start the discussions. Asa chaired the program planning group for ARUCC 2008. Her connections with colleagues across the country and suggestions for keynote speakers were the bases of the quality of the Conference program. Throughout the Conference, attendees commented continuously on the pertinence of the keynote addresses and individual sessions.
Asa and Dalhousie University contributed staff to our registration desk, materials for the conference bags, the design and cost of the bags, and printing costs for the Conference program.
Patrick Donahoe, Nova Scotia Community College
Patrick played a significant role in planning the Conference catering needs and arranging the reception at the Maritime Museum. Patrick and NSCC contributed staff to our registration desk, arranged the design and covered the printing costs for the conference notepaper and brought the beautiful bouquets of flowers for the registration desk.
Greg Ferguson and Paul Dixon, Saint Mary’s University
During the initial phase of our Conference planning, Greg negotiated the arrangements with Saint Mary’s to provide the financial accounting needs for the Conference. Saint Mary’s kept the books for ARUCC 2008, received monies and issued the cheques for the expenses of the Conference.
Paul chaired the sponsors’ and exhibitors’ components of the Conference, facilitated the arrangements for the on-site exhibitors and produced the nametags for the participants. Nancy Redmond, Paul’s assistant, managed the registration components of the Conference. The Planning Committee was particularly grateful to Nancy for her management of the registration process—she tracked numbers consistently and provided ongoing information on all details regarding the participants, their dietary needs, payment of fees and refund requests.
Laurelle Levert, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design
Laurelle was an enthusiastic participant in all Conference discussions. She arranged the NSCAD artwork buttons for the Conference bags, the easels for the venue, contributed staff to the registration desk and managed the Dine Around evening during the Conference.
Brigitte MacInnes, Mount Saint Vincent University
Brigitte joined our group following her arrival at MSVU. Brigitte contributed staff to design and prepare the layout of our Conference program. She contributed staff to the registration desk and throughout the Conference. Brigitte also introduced us to Sara MacInnes who provided the translations for the Conference materials.
Rosemary Jotcham, Acadia University
Rosemary, as Atlantic Representative on the ARUCC Executive, joined our meetings whenever possible and kept the Planning Committee on track with regard to the Executive’s requests and feedback.
David Hinton, President of ARUCC
As ARUCC President, David participated in our discussions as time permitted and liaised with the ARUCC Executive on all matters presented. David was extremely encouraging of the Planning Committee’s work and progress.
David made arrangements with Gil Vautour (University of New Brunswick), to manage our web requirements and Gil became a virtual member of our Planning Group. His set-up of the web site, maintenance and updates were design friendly, accurate and positive factors in drawing the membership to the Conference materials.
The Process
The ARUCC 2008 planning process began in June 2006 with an introductory meeting to discuss the Conference dates and to develop a Conference theme. Emerging from these initial discussions, the Planning Committee identified the major components of the Conference package and worked throughout the two-year period to deliver a knowledge based and memorable conference experience.
The ARUCC 2008 Committee created specific agendas and followed concrete timelines to plan and deliver the major components of the Conference package. The Committee did not have an initial platform from which to launch the Conference planning. This was a disadvantage in the early phases of our progress as we attempted to identify and timeline the critical components of the Conference plan. Therefore, as we developed these pieces, we did so with the intention of creating a Conference Planning Manual. The Manual outlines the major components of the planning process and includes significant documents used through the Conference preparation. The Committee has prepared this document as a record of its planning and also as a planning base for subsequent ARUCC Conference planning committees. The Manual does not replicate documents from the Conference website. The website will be archived and available for future planning committees.
In concluding this Report, and on behalf of the members of the Planning Committee, I want to express our appreciation for the opportunity to plan and deliver ARUCC 2008. It was a great experience and by all measures of feedback, a good time was had by all.
Sincerely,
J. Lynne Theriault
ARUCC 2008 Conference Coordinator
February 8, 2009
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