Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 1, Wednesday, June 15

NOON-1:00 PM
Registration

1:00-2:15
Event Strategies
Advancement events are an integral component of a comprehensive integrated communication strategy. Learn from leaders in the field how to ensure that events are focused, effective and mission-driven. We will zero in on your role as event strategist and on methods you can use to ensure your seat at the table alongside other advancement leaders.

2:30-3:45

Campaign and Milestone Events
Learn how to strategically integrate special events into your campaign, whatever your campus size or type. Find out how to partner with other departments to create sensational events. Discover how to trim your budget by tapping into hidden resources. This session will cover a few basics for participants who haven't been through a campaign cycle before, while seasoned professionals will benefit from hearing about event strategies that have worked at other institutions.

4:00-5:15

The Art of Negotiation
It may seem like your vendors are speaking an entirely different language—they are trying to sell you a product or service in a situation that is most advantageous to them and you are trying to

obtain a product or service for the lowest price and best value. Explore tools and techniques for helping you negotiate prices with vendors to receive the best price with maximum wow-factor for your events.

5:30-6:30
Reception
Join faculty and colleagues for complimentary hors d'oeuvres and cash bar.

6:30
Conference Adjourns for the Day
Dinner on your own

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Day 2, Thursday, June 16

8:00-9:00 AM
Continental Breakfast

9:00-10:15
Making the Emotional Connection
At some point in our careers, we've all been asked to create a spectacular event that will ceate an emotional connection between the institution and the attendee. Working to gather everyone in the door is futile if the event does not succeed in creating an experience that guests feel good about and remember. Learn how to plan spectacular events, big and small, that will keep people talking about the importance of your institution.

10:30-11:45
Planning from Distance
Are you being asked to take your show on the road, but can't go along for the ride? Perhaps you are helping regional colleagues plan alumni or campaign events from afar. Review the best techniques for using resources in far-off cities while still creating an event true to your institution.

NOON-1:30 PM
Luncheon Panel: Working with the President's/Headmaster's Office: Insight from a Chief of Staff
Understanding the demands placed on presidential staffs will help you make the most of your interactions with campus leadership and will often lead to you being seen as an ally and asset—not just another drain on the leader's time.

1:30-2:45
Working with Development to Create Intimate, Meaningful Events for Donors and Prospects
Smaller events with a specific purpose are sometimes the most challenging. What should you ask of your development officers and donor relations colleagues that will help make these events impactful for their needs and meaningful to donors, prospects and alumni?

3:00-4:15
Practical Uses of Technology for Special Events
As we attempt to make events memorable, bringing the process into the 21st century has, at times, been a struggle. Learn best practices for uses of Web 2.0, technological effects at events, modern and budget-conscious registrations, social media and eye-popping advances to make events run more smoothly. We will discuss how to drive larger response, and attendance, by the use of these new technology tools.

4:30-5:45
Pomp and Circumstances
This session will explore your campus' most important—and visible—formal events such as commencements, convocations, hooding ceremonies and inaugurations. University ceremonies are celebrations in the life of the university. They keep ceremonial traditions alive in the modern academic institution. Review best practices and participate in a thought-provoking discussion about creating innovations in future ceremonies.
Conference Adjourns for the Day

Dinner on your own

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Day 3, Friday, June 17

7:30-8:30 AM
Continental Breakfast

8:30-9:30
Revitalizing Traditional Events
How can recurring events be refreshed, revitalized and re-imagined without compromising tradition or constituent expectations? This session will highlight innovative approaches to homecomings, reunions and other campus customs.

9:45-10:45

V is for Volunteer, and Victory!
Volunteers can be the lifeblood of your events. How can you balance volunteer management and connection with your needs to get your job done effectively and efficiently? Who are the types of people who volunteer and how do we manage their unique skills? Examine best practices for volunteer organization, management and the dynamic relationships involved.

10:45-11:45

Events and Metrics
Events are used to accomplish a myriad of goals: stewardship, engagement, building new constituencies, branding, marketing, building recognition, etc. How do you know your event is a success? What does success mean? As institutions explore the most effective way to achieve certain outcomes, it's important to understand when, where, and how events fit in best. In this session, we'll discuss measurables and how to look at your events in that light. We'll examine possible things you may want to count and measure, and most importantly, how to measure them. The ability to measure means planning—we'll discuss how to work with your advancement services people to plan tracking the right kinds of data and reporting to help you understand the impact of your events on your institution's overall advancement.

11:45 AM-NOON
Conference wrap-up

NOON
Conference Adjourns

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