Haas Retreat 2006

1
Haas Retreat 2006

• Building An Annual Calendar
• And Event Planning

2
Why Build an Annual Calendar

• Great view of holes in your plans both by theme
  and time period
  
• Allows enough time to address holes
• Creates a outline for each board meeting
• People work towards deadlines and planning ahead
  helps establishes deadlines
  
• Allow sufficient time for milestones or sponsor
  and partners contacts
  
• Event co-promotion web, acveta, email and at
  events
  
• Identify areas where alumni office assistance is
  needed so they have enough time to assist
  
• Allow time Avoid event fatigue helps avoid a
  calendar of all the same types of activities or
  too many close together

3
Balance Activities Types

• Cash Generating Events
• Professional Speakers
• Wine Food Events
• Money Losers
• Bar Nights
• Deans / Professor visits
• CAL and Other Joint Events
• Outdoor/ Family events
• Sports/ School Spirit

4
Balance The Year

• Free or low-cost activities and higher ticket
  events
  
• Look at holidays to avoid
• Avoid conflict with Major sports events - Or
  make them an event itself
  
• Talk to potential event partners months ahead

5
Our Annual Calendar Scary when Empty
6
Our Annual Calendar in the works
7
Our Annual Calendar Annual Events
8
Our Annual Calendar Partner Events
9
Our Annual Calendar fill the holes
10
Choosing Speakers and Topics

• Review History of Successful Events
• Look at other HAAS chapters
• Speak to other Alumni Organizations
• What Topics are Hot in the News?
• Talk to Alumni Office About Available Professors
  or Alumni (road trip for prior successes)
  
• Before Proceeding Make sure you have enough
  interest on your Board
  

11
Event Budgets

• Determine Profit goals
• Make Money or Break Even or Spend Excess
  Reserves
  
• Look at Variable Costs Separately from Fixed
  Costs
  
• Per person food and drink, parking, name tags,
  acveta fees, etc
  
• Venue, speaker gifts, A/V, comps, etc
• Budget for Sponsor donations
• Estimate Attendance and set price

12
Partnering With Other Organizations

• Partner with CAL Alumni, Boalt Alumni, or UC
  Alumni
  
• Partnering with other Business Schools
• Partnering with Professional organization and
  associations

13
Sample Event Plan New Student/ Recent Grad
Receptions

• Event History
• Budget
• Geography
• Secure Sponsorships (N/A for this event)
• Calendar Constraints
• Promotional Timeline
• Responsibilities

14
New Student/ Recent Grad Reception Event History

• Annual attendance from 43-90 people
• Budget of up to 300-400 for FBTT (food beverage
  tax and tip)
  
• We pay for food and 1st drink / pitchers
• Prior Years
• 2001 June 27th El Torito Grill Beverly Hills
• 2002 June 19th El Torito Grill Beverly Hills
• 2003 June 18th Qs Brentwood
• 2004 June 23rd Madame Wus Fairfax
• 2005 June 29th H. Hamlet Brentwood
• 2006 ??

15
Shift in Demographics

• Alumni are mostly 310,213, 323
• New admits are mostly 626 with many 909, 714
  949
  

16
New Student/ Recent Grad Receptions Calendar
Constraints

• Commencement UGs May 14/ MBAs May 21
• LA Alumni Board meeting June 14th
• Alumni Annual Retreat June 23-25
• Cal So UG transfer Orientation June 29th
• UG summer school Session begins July 6th
• Alumni Office Request for as late as date a
  possible to allow for promotions

17
Potential dates for New Student Event
18
Potential dates for New Student Event
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Potential dates for New Student Event
20
New Student/ Recent Grad Receptions -Ideal
Timeline

• Feb Finalize date and location
• March Invitations with HAAS Acceptance Letters
• Apr
• Deadline for article in Haas Week newspaper
• Website with all locations and dates across the
  country
  
• Begin 1 line mention of event in emails for other
  events
  
• May
• Begin email campaign of single event emails
• Assign phone call invites
• June
• Complete Phone calls 3-7 days before event
• Final Email Reminders
• Registration Confirmation Reminders

21
Event Responsibilities - Ideal

• Event Champion overseas all aspects
• VP Event Logistics contracts with venue
• VP Communications Promotions
• President general remarks to the group (and
  trivia game)
  
• Secretary Name Tags/ Acteva registration
• Membership/ Outreach handles distribution of
  phone tree
  

22
Venue Selection Basics

• Geography the right part of your promotional
  region
  
• Easy Freeway access
• Parking Constraints
• Room Sizes/ Configurations (70/150)
• Ambient Noise
• Where are Other Groups Holding Events?
• Everyone in our chapter suggests venues, but
  unless there is a personal relationship
  negotiations are handled by 1 person.
  

23
Venue Selection Sell the idea of working with
HAAS

• Quality group of potential clients with high
  disposable incomes
  
• Emails, web page, etc will be in front of
  thousands of people
  
• Venue listed as an event sponsor and include
  their logo and a few lines of text describing the
  place
  
• We are coming on a slow night and represent
  incremental profit, even if our margin will be
  lower than their normal or average

24
Every venue has a different negotiations
strategy, but generally

• Hungry venues negotiate more than city hot-spots.
  Choose places that appreciate your business
  
• Downtown lunch spots at Dinner, New Hotels,
  Weeknight at Restaurants
  
• Private Clubs, Banks, Book stores, Wine stores,
  Party spaces, Gyms dance studios
  

25
Every venue has a different negotiations
strategy, but generally

• Room rental fees can be waived
• Audio visual equipment must be specified BEFORE
  contract negotiations are complete or the venue
  will gouge you. Many add tax and tip to these
  fees as well. Some charge a plug fee or set up
  fee for outside A/V equipment. This can be
  waived if negotiated prior to contract signing

26
Every venue has a different negotiations
strategy, but generally

• Food prices are negotiable menus can be altered
  to fit the budget. Pasta antipasto buffets
  cost less than seafood. If you do not see a menu
  that fits your budget tell the venue what you
  would like to spend eat
• Prices should either be clearly indicated as
  inclusive meaning tax tip are included, or
  (plus plus) meaning you have to add tax and tip
  to the quoted price

27
Every venue has a different negotiations
strategy, but generally

• Tips should not be negotiated even when the
  amounts are too high. If you get the venue to
  reduce the tip they cut the amount from the
  portion the staff keeps, and service levels
  plummet

28
Every venue has a different negotiations
strategy, but generally

• Dessert prices offer to bring in dessert and
  pay a plate fee. It is often less money than
  buying a house made dessert. Plate fees are
  negotiable and can be waived

29
Every venue has a different negotiations
strategy, but generally

• Drink We know that our events average between
  1.1 - 1.3 drinks per person, because after each
  event we review the bar totals
  
• We want to know this even if we are not paying
  the bar tab ourselves because we can tell a
  venue to expect this amount of revenue. Hotels
  generally require a bar guarantee for each
  bartender or each bar set up. This is part of
  their profit for the event, and should be taken
  into account for negotiations and or costs

30
Every venue has a different negotiations
strategy, but generally

• Outside wine and corkage fees negotiable
  especially when you are spending enough on the
  meal. For our annual wine maker dinner the
  corkage is waved because we purchase 60-85 multi
  course dinners on a weeknight when they are
  quiet.

31
Every venue has a different negotiations
strategy, but generally

• Deposits We never put down a non-refundable
  deposit before people are signed up for an
  event.
  
• Excuses can you resend the contract I have
  misplaced it
  
• Our board meeting is next week well get
  approval then
  

32
Annual Plan and Event planning

• Q A