Sustainable Event Planning: An Exploration of University Conference Centers

Abstract

The use of conference services on university campuses has grown in recent years. Focusing on three university conference centers in Southern California in the United States, this study explores innovative practices, tools, and strategies that sales and marketing teams can use to attract potential clients to campus facilities. A Delphi method with a panel of eight sales and marketing experts from three university conference centers was used to examine tools and strategies used by university conference centers. The findings reveal that email marketing, tradeshows, and social media are effective marketing tools to show that universities are an economical option for meeting planners, providing meeting attendees with the college atmosphere that they would not receive at a hotel. Detailed implications of results are discussed.