Conference Planning Handbook

A Guide to Planning a Successful, Controlled Stress Conference

Introduction
Congratulations! So, youve volunteered (or had your arm twisted) to chair a conference. Organizing a conference will require a lot of hard work, dedication, organization, and humor, but the experience can be extremely rewarding! In this handbook you will find some guidelines, marketing suggestions, and administrative and vendor information that will assist you in planning your conference. Please note that events hosted by student groups reflect on the Wharton School as a whole. We trust that you understand the importance of building and maintaining a strong Wharton brand. In planning your conference, please strive to organize a professional, well-run event. To host a high-quality conference, it is essential that students plan well in advance and assemble a strong executive committee. This handbook has been compiled based on helpful information passed along from previous student groups. The accuracy of the information depends greatly on students like you who take the time to update the handbook. If you have any suggestions, corrections, or questions, please contact a member of the Student Affairs Office at gsao@[Link]. Good Luck!

Part I: Getting Started/Planning Ahead

Students should start planning a minimum of 8-12 months in advance. Although this seems a little early, please remember that a) venue selection may be limited; b) available dates on the school calendar go quickly; and c) high-profile speakers tend to book their schedule 6 months to a year in advance. When asked what they would do differently, former student chairs unanimously reply: Plan Ahead! We urge you to read the following steps and carry out them in a timely manner. Step 1. Plan an Executive Committee Assembling a strong executive committee comprised of dedicated, hardworking people is the key to a successful conference. Designate an Executive Committee as soon as possible. Try to fill in the VP slots as early as possible and ask VPs to fill in subsequently the sub-slots. When recruiting volunteers, dont forget to recruit Wharton undergraduates! Wharton undergraduates can be a great source of labor and marketing vehicle. They are dedicated, hard-working individuals who can do a lot of the grueling legwork. Come marketing time, they can help pack the rooms with lots of undergraduates as well. Offices that you may wish to fill include: Chair Marketing VP Director of Student Relations Director of University Relations Director of Community Relations Director of Alumni Relations Director of Public Relations Director of Website Development Director of Promotional Materials Director of Sales Corporate Relations VP Treasurer Logistics VP Content VP Panel Directors ***Please see Appendix 1 for list of duties entailed with each office. Step 2. Set-up Email Lists/Regular Planning Meetings In light of the large number of people and tremendous amount of work involved in organizing a conference, it is advisable to set up from the outset an email list to facilitate communication among the organizers. Past conference committees have used [Link] and found the

service very satisfactory. The web cafe is also an option, but egroups is a little easier to use and can be accessed anywhere. Meet with past executive committee members to ascertain that all data and information have been uploaded to egroups and that old members have been removed and new members have been added to the list. The transfer of information from one group to the next is extremely important to ensure continuity of the conferences. Much time and energy are wasted each year in reinventing the wheel due to misplacement of data. Please make sure to ask outgoing officers to upload all relevant conference information onto the egroups site before taking off. Information such as speaker contact, sponsor contact, vendor information, attendance data, mailing lists, etc. should be listed. Step 3. Select a Venue It is advisable to secure a conference site as early as possible. Most conferences use off-campus facilities. Philadelphia is a popular conference destination and hotels book up rather quickly. This is especially important if you intend to organize a conference of 400+ attendees since there are only a handful of hotels that can accommodate group of this size. Contact various hotels to receive a list of available dates and ask if their facilities meet your needs, e.g. breakout space, size, number of large ballrooms, etc. Once they have indicated that they have the necessary facilities, visit the site to confirm the quality and size of rooms. Find out how long reservations can be held, cancellation deadlines, sleeping room requirements, etc. If you are interested in using university facilities, there are several lecture halls and auditoriums at your disposal, please note that these spaces also book up rather quickly. Popular sites include the Museum, Logan Hall, Bodek Lounge, Irvine, and Annenberg. International House, while not a university facility, is a good and very reasonably priced alternative close to Penns campus. ****Please see Appendix 2 for list of available hotel space and university facilities. Step 4. Select a Date Once several conference sites are available, confirm with Student Affairs as to available dates. Wharton holds numerous events throughout the school year. Make sure that the date selected does not conflict with another major event or conference. Avoid dates that come before or follow a major holiday. Once you have selected a date, lock in the date by requesting Student Affairs to reserve the date on the MBA calendar. Dates are reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis. Step 5. Develop a Theme and Panel Topics Every conference needs a theme that highlights the objective of the conference. A theme is necessary in order to send invitation letters out to keynote speakers. Panel topics are also

necessary in order to invite panelists. Please note that it is more important to come up with a rough theme and panel topics in order to commence the process of inviting speakers and panelists. If necessary, develop dummy themes and panels that can be modified later. Step 6. Invite Speakers and Panelists Keynote Speakers Securing high-profile speakers is not as easy as people think. Although Wharton has a strong brand, please keep in mind that CEOs, political leaders, ex-presidents, ambassadors, entrepreneurs, VCs, etc. are extremely busy people who book their schedules several months in advance. It is advisable to send out keynote invitation letters as early as possible. Marketing the conference is much easier once youve secured at least one. When sending out keynote invitations, send them in waves of 10 letters. Follow up with invitees 2 weeks after letters have been sent. Always attempt to get 1 or 2 more keynotes than you need since cancellation occurs frequently. Talk to Cacky about this part ***Sample invitation letters can found on [Link]/eroom/clubs/wcs. All conference chairs should have access to this site. If you do not have access to these, please ask a member of Student Affairs to add you to the list. Panelists Securing panelists tends to be easier than securing keynotes. Brainstorm with your group to devise a list of targeted speakers and go after them. A strong, interesting list of panelists can serve as your most effective sales pitch. Be prepared for the possibility that a panelist or moderator may cancel very close to the date of the conference. It is wise to maintain a list of potential panelists who could possibly be secured within a limited timeframe. Use of Letterhead Usually, conferences use their own letterhead with their own logo printed. This can usually be done at Campus Copy or Kinkos. However, if you dont have letterhead, Student Affairs can provide you with WGA letterhead. If you feel that it is more appropriate to have an invitation issued by the Dean, please forward all finalized letters with addresses to Student Affairs. Student Affairs will then forward them to the Deans Office. Please note the Deans Office has to approve all letters and list of invitees. Turnaround time is usually 5 to 10 business days. The Deans Office has the right to deny a request for an invitation letter signed by the Dean.

Honoraria Honoraria are not paid. However, if it is within the conferences budget, travel expenses and hotel stays may be paid. Step 7. Fundraising/Sponsorship Add policy from the Wharton Council Organizing a conference is a very expensive endeavor. Depending on the size of your conference, most conferences usually run between $40,000 - $130,000. The earlier student groups mobilize their fundraising efforts, the more successful they will be in raising money and finding sponsors for their events. Please keep in mind that companies have limited sponsorship funds. The later you wait to solicit funds, the greater risk you run that the sponsorship pool may be dry by the time your request is reviewed. In crafting a strategy to solicit funds, please keep in mind that companies are bombarded with requests for sponsorships from all different organizations at Wharton and from other organizations at other business schools. Potential sponsors will want to assess how your conferences objectives will increase their visibility and presence at Wharton. Be prepared to answer: What events/panels do you have planned? How can the company play a role in making them a success? How much financial assistance is requested? What benefits can the company receive in return for their financial contribution? Helpful Hints When Soliciting Funds 1. Ask early. A good number of companies make their sponsorship decisions between May and July. 2. Create an attractive list of benefits. 3. Include any marketing materials, e.g. past brochures, articles, website addresses, etc., with your solicitation letter. Sell your conference as the hottest event on campus! 4. Leverage any student contacts that you may have. Remember -- most sponsorship funds come from the companys recruiting budget. Ask second years to solicit funds from their summer employers this usually is the most effective strategy to secure funds! 5. Follow up! Follow up! Follow up! Recruiters are very busy people and your request for funds is probably low on the totem pole. Companies are most likely interested in learning about sponsorship opportunities, but need to be kindly reminded that a prompt response would be appreciated. Be persistent. 6. For company contacts, ask around! Career Management, Student Affairs, Corporate Relations, and current students are great sources for finding helpful contacts. Dont forget about our alumni database, WAVE. Working with the Office of Corporate Relations and Development The Office of Development can help student groups raise funds. However, please keep in mind that their resources are limited and that they strive to secure funds for the entire school, not just

for student groups. The Office of Development can connect you with companies that have expressed interest in a certain area. It is always a good idea to send an email to their office to let them know what your plans are in the event that they can give you some leads. Please note that any funds generated by them or funneled through them will be excised a 20% overhead fee. For example, if you receive $10,000 from Merrill Lynch and Merrill Lynch has an account with the School, then Corporate Relations will transfer this money from the account to your student group. However, you will see only $8,000 of the $10,000 due to the excise fee. Consequently, the WGA encourages all student groups to funnel their money through the WGAs separate offcampus account in order to avoid the 20% excise fee. Whenever possible, ask that checks be made payable to the WGA/(your conference). Other Resources Dont forget to tap into university-allocated funds. The first stop is GAPSA (Graduate and Professional Student Assembly). This is the organization that represents all graduate students. Grants awarded range from $500 to $3000. Submitting the grant request online is an easy process that takes 10 minutes. More information can be found at [Link] Certain centers and institutes may also be interested in helping out. For example, the Center for African Studies, Small Business and Development Center, etc. have partnered with Wharton conferences. ***Examples of script, solicitation letters, benefits, and sponsorship levels can be found in Appendix 4. Step 8. Promotional Materials and Website Planning a conference usually entails printing self-mailers, save-the-dates, posters, programs, etc. and designing a website. Having attractive, mistake-free marketing materials is essential to the successful branding of your conference. Print materials are the first impression that targeted marketing groups will have of your conference and Wharton. These materials can determine whether people will visit your website to learn more about the conference. Therefore, it is imperative that publications be proofread very carefully to avoid mistakes. Use of the Wharton Logo Wharton is striving to develop a consistent brand image, and the proper use of the Wharton logo is a primary part of that effort. The consistent and effective use of Wharton's identity marks plays an important role in strengthening the identity and visibility of the School and University overall, as well as increasing the individual impact of each communication. If students elect to use the Wharton logo, then only the official Wharton logo may be used. An individual conference logo may also appear in conjunction with the Wharton logo. Wharton Publications can provide electronic copies of the logo. It is important to run drafts of all printed conference materials by Wharton Publications to ensure proper use of the logo. For more information, visit Wharton Publications at [Link]

***Specific guidelines on the use of the Wharton logo can be found in Appendix 5. Print Materials Having nice, professional looking print materials are essential to creating a strong brand. Do not underestimate the amount of time required to design and print marketing materials. Although you will retain a vendor to design the materials, you will still need to provide the designer with content and keep in mind that proofs have to be exchanged several times before the final draft is completed. Printing the materials usually takes 2 weeks. Some materials that you may want to consider printing: 1. Self-mailers. Self-mailers, or tri-fold mailers (brochures that can be mailed out) will aid you in getting the word out to alumni and businesses about your conference. This should be mailed out 6 8 weeks prior to the date of the conference. Most printers for a small fee can assist you with sending out the self-mailers directly from their office. In most instances, you will have to provide them with a list of names and addresses in an excel spreadsheet. As for postage, most printers can affix first-class stamps to the self-mailers. If you would like to defray the postage costs, you may use the Universitys non-profit status to send out bulk mail at a reduced rate. A copy of the Universitys indicia can be located in the Student Affairs. The printer will print the indicia on the self-mailer and then will need to take the bulk mail to University Bulk Mail Services located at Left Bank for payment (tel. 215.898.8665). Please note that first class mail takes 3-5 days for delivery. Bulk mail, on the other hand, takes 10 21 days for delivery. If you are pressed for time, you may want to consider using first-class mail. Distributing mailers to students mail folders is also an effective means of alerting students to the nature of your conference. 2. Posters. Attractive, informative posters can be effective in attracting attention to your conference. Try to limit the information contained in the poster to what is essential to attract attention. Visual impact is your marketing goal. Posters should go up 2 4 weeks in advance. 3. Program Brochure. Creating a program brochure is very time-consuming and challenging. The program should include a schedule, description of panels, speaker bios and photos (if feasible), sponsor ads, welcome letters, and acknowledgements. Do not underestimate the challenge of collecting speaker bios and sponsor ads. The program should look as professional as possible. At the end of the day, the program brochure is the only tangible item that attendees take with them that will remind them of the conference. Aim to have all content to the designer a minimum of one month prior to the conference date. Getting info about Graphic Designers for Flyers Getting info about Tickets for Conference Recommended designers and printers that have partnered with Wharton include:

Krista Baker Polite Design krista@[Link] Kerry Polite 2116 Locust St. Tel. 215.985.4818 Dyad Communications Vicky Lee 303 N. 3rd St. Tel. 21.925.7835 Vicky@[Link] [Link] Margie Politzer 4626 Hazel Avenue Tel. 215.726.6636 margems@[Link] Brian Groth CRW Graphics BGroth@[Link] [Recommended by WWIB 2001] Website Development Jonathan Goldring Color Reflections 400 Green St. Tel. 215.627.4686 [Link] goldring@[Link] JT Desktop Juan Torres 1520 Locust St., 3rd Fl. Tel. 215.546.5831 [Link]

Miraaj Design Hasan Shaheed Tel. 610.352.5551 miraaj@[Link] [Link] Ryan Burkey Offset Impressions rburkey@[Link] [Recommended by WWIB 2001]

Richard Fichter Philly Color phillycolorrick@[Link] [Recommended by WWIB 2001]

The conference website is the first place people go to obtain information about your conference. Although speakers, panels, schedules, etc. will be confirmed at a later date, conferences should post a homepage that indicates the work-in-progress of the website. A link to past conferences website would also be helpful. Some Helpful Hints for Designing a Website 1. Register the website with various search engines such as Yahoo, Lycos, Google, MSN, etc. This will help to increase traffic to your website. 2. Request a password protected access to the website once the frame has been developed. Free access to the website will allow you to make text and graphic changes to the website. This will allow you to update the website instantaneously and reduce the costs of maintenance. Designate only one person to make these changes; otherwise, changes made simultaneously can cancel each other out. 3. Request logos from sponsors in eps or jpeg format. EPS and JPEG are easier to manipulate than TIF or PPT. Logos in MSWord are unacceptable.

4. Request a training session from the website developer on how to use html, Microsoft Frontpage, etc. for maintenance purposes. ***Print developers can also assist with web design to create a common look. Step 9. Budget Once you have a rough idea of the costs for site and equipment rental, food, and marketing, establish a realistic budget. Determine how much funds you will need to raise to cover your expenses. When creating a budget, please take into account the service and tax charges. For example, most hotels excise a 20% service fee. As for taxes, the WGA is exempt from both federal and state tax. The WGA became exempt from state tax as of March 2001. All student conferences fall under the purview of the WGA. Therefore, your conference should have a WGA account. All conference-related expenses should be submitted to the WGA and signed by the your conferences treasurer. If you do not have a WGA account, you can establish one by contacting the current WGA treasurer. ***A sample budget can found on [Link]/eroom/clubs/wcs.

10

Part I Checklist
Recruited Executive Committee Set up Email List/Eroom/Egroups Met with Past Organizers Transferred data and information Obtained past brochures, banners, posters, etc. from previous organizers Selected venue Confirmed availability of date with Student Affairs Signed site contract Developed a theme Developed panel topics Selected targeted keynote speakers Selected targeted panelists Drafted speaker invitation letter Obtained letterhead and envelopes Drafted sponsorship letter and benefits Obtained addresses of company recruiters Requested assistance from conference members to provide company contacts and solicit sponsorships Selected printer designer Selected website developer Created budget

11

Part II: Maintaining Momentum

Now that the ball is rolling, you need to maintain the momentum to ensure that speakers are confirmed and that conference rooms are packed with participants. This requires relentless follow-ups and aggressive marketing. And you cant forget to iron out all those logistic details such as food, beverages, a/v, t-shirts, etc. A. Speakers/Panelists Once a speaker/panelist has been confirmed, please ask your panel directors to request a bio and photo (hard copy and digital) from the speaker. 150 words per speaker bio is a good length. Prints may work better than electronic photos for the brochure. Do not underestimate the difficulty of procuring speaker photos and bios and the time required. Please remember that without bios and photos, a program can look rather sparse and unprofessional. Also remember to ask your panel directors to follow up with the speakers/panelists regarding travel, hotel arrangements, program agenda, arrival time, departure time, a/v needs, etc. Many speakers have expressed frustration at being left in the dark until a couple of days before the conference. Please keep in mind that speakers/panelists are extremely busy people who have taken the time out of their busy schedule to participate in your conference. Please act in a respectful, considerate manner. B. Online Registration Most of your attendees will register online. At present, all conferences outsource their online registration to various online registration companies. Fees for online registration range from 3% - 8%. Companies that you may want to consider using: [Link] Tel. 408.562.1090 [Link] (877) 855-8646 Instantis Shekar Ayyar (Wharton Alum) shekar@[Link]

Features you should look for: ability to collect data, manage database, track data, global listserve, password/user id sensitive, ability to process refunds, etc.

12

sensitive, etc. When deciding online ticket sales, dont forget to discuss price strategies such as group rates, advance registration, etc. C. Marketing

It is of utmost importance to the success of the conference and to the branding of the Wharton name that conference rooms are filled to capacity. Please keep in mind that a half-filled room can dampen the mood and energy of the conference. Furthermore, speakers and panelists will probably be disappointed to have traveled so far to speak to only a handful of people. Marketing will take up the bulk of your time. Do not underestimate the time and energy needed to market your conferences effectively! Determine what your goals are and what markets you intend to target. Recent conference attendance data has indicated that approximately half of the conference attendees were comprised of alumni and community members. In other words, look beyond the student population for attendance. Conferences usually target four markets: 1) Wharton/Penn students; 2) Wharton alumni; 3) regional schools; and 4) Philadelphia business community. Conferences also attempt to attract regional and national attention by soliciting media sponsorships as well. 1. Wharton/Penn students Approximately one half of your conference attendees will be Wharton students. Some effective ways to reach Wharton students are: Transmit Emails through Class Email List. Please note that there are separate class email lists for graduate and undergraduate Wharton students. Please contact the Undergraduate and Graduate Student Affairs Office for email addresses. Add policies Spike Calendar. A request for an event posting can be made by sending an email to gsao@[Link]. Please note ticket sales cannot be posted on the Spike Calendar; that notice will go on Whats New at Wharton. Link on Wharton Worldwide Web. Conferences can request Wharton Publications to create a conference hyperlink on Whartons homepage. Tom McMahon, Associate Director, has to review the conferences website to ascertain the correct usage of Whartons logos and information before creating the link. Email Tom at mcmahon@[Link] for additional information. Mail Stuffing. Your group can insert flyers about your conference in student mail folders. Alternatively, for a nominal fee, the WGA can mail stuff for you. To create a memorable impression, it is advisable to stuff mail folders one week in advance.

13

Ad in Wharton Journal. Ad submissions for the Wharton Journal are due by Monday at 5:00 pm for the following weeks issue. Contact the Wharton Journal for more information. Add in First Call

Banner Display. All banner displays must be approved and hung by Facilities located at 317 SH-DH. Facilities request that work orders to hang banners must be submitted to their office at least 2 days in advance. To publicize your conference, most conferences order 2-3 banners to be hung across Lehman Quad, in front of SH-DH or Vance, and in the stairwell of Vance. To order banners, contact: Can Do Services Center 1530 Locust St. Tel. 215.790.1100 Color Reflections Jonathan Goldring 400 Green St. Tel. 215.627.4686 When ordering banners, please remember to specify size. Banners hung in front of Vance, SH-DH, or in Vance stairwell should be 4 x 7, 4 x 8, 4 x 9, or 4 x 10 (ft.). Banners hung across Lehman Quad should be 5 x 20 or 5 x 30 (ft.). Also, remember that if you intend to have your sponsors logos displayed on the banner, banner printing companies will need the files in eps format. Please ask sponsors to forward their logos in eps format.

Poster Display. Foam-backed posters should be placed on easels in both Vance and SHDH for prominent display. For visual effect, foam-backed posters should be larger than regular posters. Foam backed posters should be 2 x 3 or 3 x 4 feet whereas regular posters should be 18 x 24 inches. In addition to posting posters on bulletin boards throughout Vance and SH-DH, a poster can also be placed in glass display case in Vance. Ask a member of Student Affairs for the keys to the glass case. PLASMA SCREEN FOLLOW UP

Reaching students at Other Penn Schools: GAPSA list serve. GAPSA is the umbrella organization for Penns 12 graduate schools. Therefore, GAPSAs list serve is one of the most effective ways to publicize your event to other Penn graduate students. All announcements sent to gapsacom@[Link] will be forwarded to graduate students in the 12 schools. Please note that the lag time from the date of submission of announcements to their transmittal is 5 days.

14

Ad in Daily Pennsylvanian. An ad in the DP reaches the entire Penn community. However, they tend to be pricey. Ads must be placed 2 business days before the desired publication date. However, the DP does offer free event listings. Log onto [Link] for more information. For more information, call the DP at (215) 898-6581. Penn Almanac. Penn Almanac, a campus-wide newsletter, offers free event listings. Request for event listing must be submitted one month before publication date. For more information, visit [Link]/almanac/calendar/[Link]. Banner Display. Banners can be displayed in various places on Locust Walk, Walnut, and Spruce. University Facilities is responsible for approving work orders and for arranging to have work carried out. For more information, contact Kris Kealy of University Facilities at kristyne@[Link] Flyers and Posters. There are announcement stands located throughout the university. A stapler gun is recommended to affix the flyers and posters on the wooden blocks. Residential dorms and educational departments also have bulletin boards where posters and flyers can be affixed. To obtain a full listing of available buildings and departments on campus, please refer to the back of Penns telephone directory. Email List Serve. There are various ways to reach student groups. One way is to contact student groups listed on [Link] Another way is to contact each schools admissions or student affairs office to inquire about their student listserve. Below are some contact information: Annenberg Communications: Nicole Dickerson (ndickerson@[Link]) Law School: notices@[Link] School of Social Work: Dr. Linda Hartocollis (ce@[Link]) School of Dental Medicine: Sheila Royal Moses (srmoses@[Link]) Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: Dr. Marco Manzo (nmanzo@[Link]) School of Medicine: Barbara Wagner (Wagnerb@[Link]) Wharton Undergraduate: Beth Hagovsky (Hagovsb@[Link]) School of Education: Lois MacNamara (loism@[Link]) Engineering School: (apo@[Link]) Executive Masters in Technology Management (emtm@[Link]) Master of Computer and Information Technology: (cis-gradadmin@[Link]) Undergraduate Computer Science: (cis-info@[Link]) WEMBA: Nancy Dupont (dupontn@[Link]) Wharton Evening: evening@[Link]

15

2. Wharton Alumni There are essentially 2 ways to reach Wharton alumni. One way is to send self-mailers to alumni. Please contact Rosemary Connors (connorsr@[Link]) in the Alumni Affairs Office to obtain addresses of alumni in an excel file. In light of their heavy workload, Alumni Affairs would appreciate it if you could submit your request at least 2 weeks prior to your scheduled mailing date. Provide the printers with the lists and they will do all mailings. Please note that our alumni database is under review and some changes may be made to it in the near future. We suggest that you do not rely too heavily on WAVE and consider supplementing the information you obtain from Alumni Affairs with your own research. Some conference groups have created their own alumni/industry databases based on recent graduates, conference attendees, var asked recruiters to supply them with all Wharton alumni working in their respective companies. A second way to reach alumni is to send email flyers through Whartons alumni listserve. Students do not have access to these listserves, but a member of Student Affairs can access these listserves through their global email directory. Current alumni email listserves include: wh94-class-of-94 wh99-asian wg00-argentina wg00-boston wg00-London wg00-philly wg00-latin wg76-Health-Care wg95alumni wg92 wg96-latin wg98_sf wg99-albany wg99-argentina wg99-atlanta wg99-austin wg99-australia [Link] major U.S. and international cities wharton_internet_ventures wharton-entrep96 wharton-london96 Wharton-Tech98-Necorridor wharton-technology-alumni

Please avoid spamming our alumni with emails as this may cause annoyance and resentment among our alumni. An email message sent every 2-3 weeks is preferred. When sending out email with graphics and images to individuals outside of the Wharton community, please keep in mind that different email systems are in placed and that there may be translation problems between the different systems. Therefore, it is advisable to send plain text emails (no funky html emails) out to non-Wharton networked individuals. 3. Other Schools In recent years, Wharton conferences have been successful in attracting graduate and undergraduate students from other schools. To contact specific student clubs, please visit the schools website. Usually, club information is posted on their website. Below are a few:

16

Harvard B-School: [Link]/career_services/subsites/club_directory_2001.html Columbia B-School: [Link]/students/clubs/new/[Link]#inactiveclub student-notices@[Link] Stern: [Link]/[Link]-act/[Link] Carnegie-Mellon: [Link]/afs/andrew/gsia/www/currentstudents/[Link] Darden: [Link]/students/ss_affairs_orgs.htm Chicago: [Link] Kellogg: [Link] American Univ. (Kogod): [Link]/[Link]?Parent=6&SiteMapID=6 SAIS-Johns Hopkins: [Link]/sga/Links/Student%[Link]; [Link]/services/[Link] Univ. of Michigan: [Link] Yale MIT

In addition to sending emails, you may want to consider sending posters and tri-fold mailers to these regional schools and asking them to post them in some conspicuous place. It is also a great idea to solicit help from current students at these schools. If you or members of your conference know people at these schools, be sure to ask them to lend a helping hand with affixing posters and sending out emails at their schools. ****A list of contact information for some regional schools can be located on [Link]/eroom/clubs/wcs 4. Philadelphia Business Community In recent years, more and more members of Philadelphias business community have participated in Wharton conferences. Attracting members of Philadelphias business community has several advantages: strengthening the ties between Wharton and Philadelphia, ensuring strong turnout, and earning huge profit margins. Past conferences have benefited greatly from creating a strong alliance with local business councils. In return for limited visibility, these local business councils offer Wharton conferences access to their mailing list, help promote the conference, and may also create a link from their website to the conferences website. Forming alliances with local businesses is a strategic move worth considering. Below is a list of organizations that have partnered with Wharton in the past: Eastern Technology Council Karen Carr 1101 West Dekalb Pike, Suite 200 Wayne, PA 19087 Phone: 610-975-9430 x 4007 Fax: 610-975-9432 Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Suzy Carney 200 South Broad Street Suite 700 Philadelphia, PA 19102-3896 Phone: (215) 545-1234
17

kcarr@[Link] [Link] Port of Technology 3701 Market Street, Suite 340 Philadelphia, PA 19104 Tel. 215.966.6000 info@[Link] [Link]

scarney@[Link] Silicon Philly 1220 Valley Forge Rd. Building 19, Box 911 Valley Forge, PA 19482 Phone: 610-917-1098 info@[Link] publicrelations@[Link]

Also, be sure to investigate partnership possibilities with Whartons Small Business Development Center. SBDC also has a most valuable mailing list and can be a great source for getting contacts. For international conferences, in addition to contacting Philly Chamber of Commerce, you may want to contact the numerous consulates located in Philadelphia. Contact information for foreign consulates can be found in the telephone book. Below is a short list of consulates in Philadelphia and their tel. number.
Austria Chile Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic El Salvador Finland & Sweden France Germany Haiti Israel Italy Japan Liberia Madagascar Mexico The Netherlands Norway Panama Spain Switzerland United Kingdom 215.772.7630 215.829.9520 215.646.7777 215.625.9900 215.923.3006 610.642.1354 215.465.5565 215.851.1474 215.665.3263 215.751.2516 215.546.5556 215.592.7329 215.553.2170 215.854.6369 610.640.7832 215.992.4262 610.520.9591 215.462.2502 215.574.2994 215.848.6180 215.922.2215 215.557.7665

18

5. Public at Large For a broader-based marketing strategy, many groups have solicited media sponsorships from companies such as the Asian Wall Street Journal, FastCompany, [Link], etc. To assist with press releases, Michael Baltes, Director of Public Affairs, can provide expert advice on garnering press attention. To contact Michael, email him at baltes@[Link]. Another incredible Wharton media resource is Knowledge@Wharton. K@W has been partnered with the student conferences for several years. K@W brochures helps to promote conferences by writing articles in K@W about the conferences. K@W is read by 80,000+ registered users and increases the coverage of the conference. For more information, contact Tiffany Huey at hueyt@[Link]. Admissions has also been very helpful with regard to marketing the conferences. Admissions representative travel throughout the States and overseas to host information sessions. They would be more than happy to distribute brochures, flyers, etc. at these information sessions. For more information, please contact Alex Brown at alexbr@[Link] or Rodney Morrison at rodneym@[Link]. Alternatively, please feel free to drop by Admissions in 102 Vance to chat with a member of their office! D. Print Materials

Once you have decided on which designer and printer you will use, you will have to start drafting the content for your self-mailer. The content for a self-mailer is usually very simple: schedule, panels, past speakers, venue, featured speakers (if available), website address, sponsor logos, and a short description. For samples of self-mailers, please contact a member of the Student Affairs Office. The most time consuming project is creating the program. You will need to draft the entire content for the program such as panel descriptions, obtain a welcome letter from the Dean, request bios and pictures from speakers/panelists, and request ads from sponsors. The legwork required for this project is tremendous since several follow-up calls have to be made to secure ads, photos, and bios. Attempt to have the bulk of the program finalized a month in advance of the conference to give you some wiggle room. Most designers will be able to make changes, e.g. speaker additions/cancellations, for a reasonable fee as long as the layout of brochure isnt drastically altered. As for the print job, most printers can complete the job if given 7 10 business days, however, there may be a premium fee placed on short turnaround jobs. Some things to keep in mind: All digital photos should be in jpeg or tif files. MSWord is not acceptable. Prints may work better for some designers. Sponsor logos should be in jpeg or eps files. If youre unsure about additions to the program such as speaker bios, ask the designer to create placeholders for you. Creating placeholders is a lot cheaper than asking the designer to revamp the layout.

19

Print cost depends on the cut of the brochure and the number of colors used. Black and white is the cheapest; 4 colors are the most expensive. Print cost also depends on turnaround time. Most of the costs related with printing are fixed. Hence there may a marginal price difference between printing 200 self-mailers and 2,000 of them. However, once a job is on press, there is no turning backtherefore, carefully proofread everything before going to press. Ask your designer and printer whether film or digital ads are preferred. In this time and age, many printers use only digital files and may charge an extra fee for converting film to an electronic file.

Most posters can be printed rather quickly using digital printing. The quality of digital printing is poorer than that of conventional printing. However, digital printing is much cheaper than conventional printing and can be completed within a couple of days. Creating foam-backed posters is expensive, but the visual impact is so significant that it may be worth the costs. Again, carefully proofread everything before going to press. Sponsors Please remember that our sponsors financially support our conferences. Therefore, we need to make them happy. Please find below a list of deliverables for your sponsors. Request sponsor logos in jpeg and eps format immediately. You will need these files if you intend to place the sponsors logos on the self-mailer, banner, program, t-shirts, etc. It is better to ask for them early on. Send the sponsors ad specifications for the program. Ask your designer for ad specs and for the format requirement, e.g. film, digital file, black/white or color etc. In most cases, sponsors request that a representative from their company participate in one of the panels in return for sponsorship. Confirm with the sponsors regarding company reps and make sure you obtain the reps bio and photo. Also send them all pertinent information regarding agenda, hotel, logistics, etc. Sponsors habitually complain that they are left in the dark until the last minute. Ask the sponsor for their banner or poster. Ask the sponsors if they would like to give any promotional items away, e.g. folders, pens, bags, etc.

20

Ordering gifts LOCALLY For items of apparel, GSAO has had good success with: Skyline Screenprinting and Embroidery [Recommended by WWIB 2002: We just wanted to pass along a contact for anyone to use for ordering custom t-shirts, trinkets, etc. We are using this company for the WWIB conference and they have good prices and products. Contact: Lee Tappy ltappy@[Link] Phone: 248-588-8075, x110 SE Concepts [Recommended by WWIB 2001] Contact: Michael Maggio michael@[Link] Phone: 215-487-1900 POZ, Inc. 3149 Pennell Road Media, PA 19063 Phone: 610- 485-4092 Fax: 610- 497-4611 Triple D Screen Printing 2854 New Rogers Rd. Bristol, PA 19007 Phone: 215-788-4877 Fax: 215-788-4966 For gift items (e.g., globes, pens, plaques, etc.) Spike's (Michael Woodward) Center City Showroom Around 17th & JFK Blvd. Philadelphia, PA Phone: 215-448-3200 , x148 Fax: 215-563-8990 [Link] VIA THE INTERNET For items of apparel: Christy Bucsko [Recommended by WWIB 2001] LL Bean Corporate Sales 1-800-832-1889 ext 24550

21

cbucsko@[Link] Land's End Corporate Sales [Link] For apparel and gift items (e.g., globes, pens, plaques, etc.) [Link] WWIB used [Link] for canvas carry-all bags in 2001 and was very satisfied with the service. [Link]

22

III. Final Steps

Youre almost there! These last 2 weeks will be extremely hectic since this is now crunch time. Below please find a checklist to confirm that youve covered all your bases.

Publicity

Placed ad on Spike Calendar Submitted ad to Wharton Journal Submitted ad to Daily Pennsylvanian Sent global email (Save The Date) to faculty, staff, and students Placed posters throughout campus and at Wharton Sent email to GAPSA listserve Sent email to other Penn schools Ordered banners and submitted work order to Facilities Prepared flyers for mail stuffing Sent final email to alumni listserves Sent final email to other regional schools Contacted press such as Knowledge@Wharton, Daily Pennsylvanian, and Wharton Journal staff For publicity: Peter Winicov, Associate Director, Communications (winicov@[Link] )

Hotel

Reviewed menu with caterer Confirmed # of attendees (Aim below the expected #. You can always add more food, but you cannot decrease the amount of food once youve confirmed the head count.) Confirmed snacks/coffee/tea for breaks Requested telephone lines Requested Ethernet lines Requested easels Requested hotel pencils and pads Requested microphones Requested other A/V needs, e.g. screen, webcast, etc.

23

Requested podiums Arranged registration set-up and room set-up Confirmed placement of banner

Ticket Sales

Requested tables from Facilities for ticket sales Listed ticket sales on Whats New (similar to Spike) Purchased receipt books for ticket sales Requested Ethernet connection to sell ticket on-site Obtained blank name tags for day-of sales

Attendee Logistics

Prepared name tags Purchased Wharton folders for insertion of programs Confirmed the date of delivery of programs Ordered conference t-shirts

Speaker Logistics

Prepared name tents Prepared name tags Purchased speaker gifts Confirmed travel arrangements Confirmed A/V needs Confirmed dietary restrictions Sent final email to speakers regarding directions, parking, etc., and a panel overview for their panel, including, other panelists bios, times, panel overview and questions

Sponsor Logistics

Received banners, posters, give-aways, etc. Confirmed list of corporate representatives attending

Admin. Logistics

Confirmed with Deans Office regarding attendance Confirmed with professors regarding agenda

Volunteer Logistics

Recruited volunteers to sell tickets at Vance, SH-DH

24

Recruited volunteers for set-up and day of conference Recruited volunteers for clean up Prepared name tags

25

Appendix 1 Officers and Duties

Office Chair (It may be a good idea to select 2 chairs since the amount of work can be overwhelming.) Duties Responsible for overseeing the entire conference. Duties include: Ensuring that all operations run smoothly Following up with VPs to monitor progress Motivating volunteers Creating a budget and monitoring it Scheduling meetings Providing leadership and direction Responsible for overseeing all marketing aspects. Marketing can be the most time consuming area and also the most important task. Therefore, it is advisable to select several volunteers to help out. Consider selecting directors to handle specific tasks. Responsible for motivating students to attend the conference. Duties include: stuffing mail folders with announcements, sending emails to the Wharton community, affixing posters around Vance and SH-DH, and hyping up the conference to the student body. Also responsible for publicizing conference to local and regional universities. Report to Marketing VP. Responsible for contacting members outside the University community, such as the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, business councils, consulates, local businesses, etc. Report to Marketing VP. Responsible for encouraging the university to participate in the conference by placing ads in the Daily Pennsylvanian, the Almanac, etc., emailing other schools such as Engineering, Law, Annenberg, Felds, etc, contacting GAPSA. Also responsible for affixing posters throughout the university and emailing promotional messages to student groups.

Marketing VP

Director of Student Relations

Director of Community Relations

Director of University Relations

26

Director of Alumni Relations

Director of Public Relations

Director of Website Development

Director of Promotional Materials Director of Sales

Report to Marketing VP. Responsible for creating and maintaining alumni database, sending out self-mailers to alums, sending emails to alums, contacting alumni clubs, and acting as liaison between the conference and Alumni Affairs Office. Report to Marketing VP. Responsible for contacting media representatives, e.g. TV, newspapers including on-campus newspapers. Also responsible for writing articles for submission to the Wharton Journal. Act as liaison between conference and Public Relations. Report to Marketing VP. Responsible for overseeing the development and design of the website, including online registration. Also responsible for updating and maintaining the website. Report to Marketing VP. Responsible for providing content and designing self-mailers, programs, posters and flyers. Report to Marketing VP. Responsible for overseeing ticket sales and monitoring sales (online, via mail, and at school). Duties include recruiting volunteers to sell tickets, reserving tables in student lounge, and managing comprehensive list of confirmed registrants. Also responsible for preparing name badges. Responsible for securing sponsorships by sending out solicitation letters and following up with companies to request sponsorship. Also responsible for obtaining sponsors logos, banners, posters, giveaways, etc. and for sending out thank you letters. Responsible for submitting deposits, approving reimbursements, and paying invoices. Also responsible for apprising Chair of conferences financial status. Responsible for selecting hotel venue and ensuring that all onsite services and equipment have been accounted for, including A/V, telephone, internet services, food, beverages, easels, microphones, etc. Also responsible for

Corporate Relations VP

Treasurer

Logistics VP

27

Content VP

Panel Directors

onsite registration. Responsible for supervising the selection of panel topics and invited panelists, procurement of speaker photos and bios, and correspondence between panel directors and invited speakers. Also responsible for preparing name tents. Act as the point person between the speaker and the conference. Follow up with invited speakers to confirm attendance, request bios and photos, send information to speakers, and coordinate travel arrangements. Report to Content VP.

28

Appendix 2 Sites and University Facilities

Suggested Off-Campus Sites Bellevue Park Hyatt Broad and Walnut Capacity: 600 rounds (grand ballroom and 4 breakout spaces) Contact: Kaven Wilson, 215.790.2861 Hyatt Regency Penns Landing (201 Columbus Blvd) Capacity: 700 rounds (2 ballrooms, 7 breakout spaces) Contact: David Hall, 215.521.6561 Wyndham Franklin 17th and Race Capacity: 1000 rounds (2 ballrooms, 10 breakout spaces) Contact: Stefanie Mattera, 215.448.2857 Doubletree Broad at Locust Capacity: 250 rounds (limited breakout spaces) Contact: Sharon Holland, 215.893.1600 Loews Philadelphia Hotel 12th and Market Capacity: 600 rounds (2 ballrooms and 3 breakout spaces) Contact: Brandy Bechthold, 215.231.7230 Inn at Penn 36th and Walnut Capacity: 250 rounds Contact: 215.222.0200 Sofitel 120 17th St. Capacity: 250 rounds Contact: 215.569.8300 Penn Tower 34th and Spruce Capacity: 250 rounds Contact: 215.387.8333

29

Pennsylvania Convention Center 11th and Arch Capacity: huge! Contact: Charlley Moore, 215.418.4750 Union League Karen, 215.563.6500 Marriott Hotel 1201 Market St. Contact: Jenni Pyne, 625.2900 Sheraton Society Hill Juan Gomez, 215.238.6000 Sheraton Rittenhouse Square 18th and Locust Capacity: 200 rounds Contact: 215.546.9400 Rittenhouse Square Hotel 19th Locust Capacity: 250 rounds Contact: 215.546.9000 Suggested Campus Sites and Facilities Houston Hall Capacity Bodek Lounge: 400 people (theater style) Contact: Nancy Wright wright@[Link] **For complete listing of available facilities, visit [Link] Irvine Auditorium Capacity 900 people Contact: Nancy Wright wright@[Link] **For complete listing of available facilities, visit [Link] Logan Hall Capacity 217 people Contact: Nancy Wright wright@[Link] **For complete listing of available facilities, visit [Link]

30

Dunlop Auditorium Capacity 480 people Contact: Univ. of Penn Medical Center, 215.898.2876 International House 3701 Chestnut St. 5 Breakouts of 120 - 200 Contact: Michele Brejande, 215.387.5125 Annenberg Capacity 900 people Contact: Marie Gallagher, 215.898.6688 The Museum Capacity Lower Egyptian Gallery: 200 people (reception) Harrison Auditorium: 700 people Chinese Rotunda: 1000 people (reception) Contact: Scheduling Office of the Museum, 215.898.4010 Institute of Contemporary Art Capacity 1200 people Contact: Office of Scheduling, Carolyne Chandler, 215.898.4980

31