Thank you Goldsmiths!

I cannot even begin to explain how grateful I am for this experience.  Goldsmiths truly took me under their wing and made me one of their own.  By the time I left I really did feel like an employee of the university - waving to people on campus I recognized, greeting the team in the morning, making tea in the department kitchen and cruising the university hallways like a regular staff member.  Thank you, thank you Goldsmiths!  Special thanks to...

Magnificent Mary, head of RCCS (Residences, Catering & Conference Services)

Charming Caroline who works for Vanessa...

Adorable Anita (in purple) who let me steal her desk...

Fantastic Fred, security guard who greeted me every night I came home (wish I had a photo)..

And lastly, Vivacious Vanessa!  My London BFF (Best Friend Forever) who hopefully does not kill me for putting this photo in :-). 

 

So who is ready to do this in 2011!

Notable Websites

For those in the U.K.:

http://www.acced-i.org/
All are invited to attend our conference held from March 27-30 in Orlando, Florida

For those in the U.S.:

http://www.venuemasters.com/
Website of our sister association

http://www.conferencecare.com/
Venue search site for meeting planners.  No charge for service but site makes commission from booking

http://www.travelstay.com/
Searches for hotels, B&B's, hostels and university accommodations in the U.K.

http://www.universityrooms.co.uk/
Search site for university accommodations in the U.K.

Beautiful Dorich House at Kingston

Vanessa and I took a trip over to Kingston University on Friday where she was employed for five years prior to her move to Goldsmiths earlier this summer.  The Conferences Office runs and manages Dorich House which was the studio, gallery and home of the sculptor Dora Gordine (1885-1991) and her husband the Hon. Richard Hare (1907-1966), a Professor of Russian Literature.   The house was built in 1936, and restored by Kingston University in 1994.  The meeting spaces are simply stunning and truly unique.  I am not sure if my words can do it justice.    Please check out the website and see some of my photos below

http://www.dorichhouse.com/homepage.html

Board Room

Look at those doors!

Sculptures inside one of the meeting spaces

Roof top terrace

A priceless photo

Well I took Judith up on her offer and went back to visit the Principal of Heythrop College. The Principal is the chief executive and the chief academic officer of a university or college in certain parts of the Commonwealth.

I was able to sit and chat with Dr. John McDade, who is also a Jesuit priest, for approximately 30 minutes this morning. He has been in his position for 11 years and his 12th year will be his last. We discussed the purpose of my visit, the latest news from LMU and Los Angeles, getting the word out about Heythrop and a little bit about good Scottish whiskey!

It was truly a pleasure to meet him and I was glad he was able to take some time out of his day to greet me.   The photo below will be taken home and shared with LMU. 

The afternoon at Goldsmiths brought a baby shower for one of the staff members in the office.  She is allowed 1 year off of work - jealous!!  I was also happy to be at my desk when both Vanessa and Caroline secured 3 new pieces of business - one of them being quite a large overnight conference for 2011.   A great day in the Conferences office.

Dr. McDade and I outside of Heythrop

Vanessa and I at our desks in the office.

Another great day at Goldsmiths

It is amazing how comfortable I feel working at Goldsmiths.  Vanessa and I bounce ideas off each other all day, staff let me sit and listen in on meetings, I make tea for myself in the kitchen - I feel like part of the team! 

Today we walked the meeting spaces again in the new media building of Goldsmiths and discussed how it could be marketed to external conferences or groups.  Between two large lecture halls and breakout space they can easily seat 400 participants and offer overnight housing accommodations in the nearby Loring Hall (my current home).

The building is set to officially open the first week of September...I just wish I could be here to see it in action!

http://www.gold.ac.uk/newacademicbuilding/imagesandwebcams/newacademicbuilding-workinprogress16august2010/ 

One of two new lecture hall rooms

Atrium space outside of lecture hall

View from top floor of new building

Breakout space in media building

Soft seating area in building

Kings College

It was a another wonderful day of touring, this time at  Kings College London.  There are four Thames-side campus locations within a square mile and I was given the opportunity to visit 3 of the sites.   The Strand Campus has the most amazing location next to Somerset House and the Waterloo Bridge.  A walk across the Waterloo Bridge gives you a fantastic view of the London Eye and the action of the Thames.

My extensive tour was taken with Ian Hughes, Deputy Conference Services Manager and Farnaz Ayrom-Walsh, Senior Event Coordinator.  The full name of their department is Conferences & Timetabling Services or CATS.  How fantastic is that name!   I was also happy to find a native Californian in Farnaz who grew up in the Los Angeles area and moved here three years ago.  I knew we had the same accent!

I found the CATS department to be setup very similar to my own at Loyola.  Their Timetables department is equivalent to our Events Scheduling Office who reserve all non-academic meeting spaces.  I could not imagine having this office separate from my department but I am not quite sure how common that is among universities in either the U.K. or the U.S..  Kings has something like 200 meeting spaces - so wonderful!  They do not have much storage space so groups typically use the in-house equipment for their meeting.  They also have 3-4 Event Coordinators responsible for coordinating internal and external events which is also similar to my department.  Something I was interested to learn was that ALL groups (including internal) are charged for meeting space.  I am sure many of us would like to follow this model, right?

Please visit their website to learn more about the CATS department and services: www.kcl.ac.uk/kcvb

The Great Hall on the Strand Campus

Principle's Dining Room

Guy's Campus

Edits

It has come to my attention that people are actually reading this blog.  Hi everyone! 

With that said there are a few minor edits I wanted to mention on my previous posts.  Please note the following:

1. UCL stands for University College London

2. Correct conference website for Imperial: http://www.3.imperial.ac.uk/conferenceandevents

Thank you for the feedback.  Feel free to e-mail me directly at tcarlson@lmu.edu with any additional comments or questions.

London Eye and River Thames

A fellow Jesuit experience!

Before I start I just want to mention that I am looking at the most beautiful full moon outside my room at Goldsmiths.  This is the first clear night sky since I arrived so I am quite grateful for the view!

I was thrilled to visit a fellow Jesuit University called Heythrop College today.  Heythrop is a small university located in a beautiful Kensington neighborhood.  When you walk into the square you find a lush park, historical homes and Heythrop! Such a stunning area.  Please see my photos below. 

My visit was with Judith Crimmins, Facilities and Services Manager.  Heythrop has only recently acquired accommodations from an order of sisters.  Their building can house approximately 97 guests/students if I remember correctly.  This past year was their first full year of operation for students as well as summer guests.  Unlike other universities in London Heythrop only allows for group bookings since they do not have a large operational staff.  The distinct difference in accommodations compared to other universities in London I have visited was that all rooms had shared bathrooms.  Each flat also had a shared kitchen which is currently being remodeled for the new school year.

Judith also showed me their conference space which is currently under renovation as well.    This definitely seems to be a recurring theme on my visit here.  I have found that most London universities are either undergoing major renovation of their current spaces or having new meeting spaces built .  To me this shows how much value the university is placing on meetings and events.   So refreshing.

When I was leaving,  Judith told me she was sorry I could not meet the Principle (President of Univ) as he was out of the office today.  She said I should stop back later in the week to meet him and say hello.   Really?  How fantastic!  I cannot believe how easy it would be to meet him but I guess that just goes to show you how small the school is.  Trust me...I will be going back for a meet and greet if I can :-).
http://www.heythrop.ac.uk/

Heythrop - located in the background.

Dining Hall with pre-set beverages and fruit on the table for lunch.

Friday morning was spent sitting in the Goldsmiths office continuing with my my own work while listening in on the daily activity of their office.  Two new inquiries came in for the summer of 2011 and it was interesting to hear what types of groups were calling in. Goldsmiths has the same limitations as LMU: a lack of classroom/meeting space in the month of July since many of our existing groups utilize most of our campus space.  Where I am trying to get groups to visit LMU in June (our low season), Goldsmiths is trying to promote groups to visit in August since school does not start until mid-September.

In the afternoon Vanessa and I met with Steve Eagle, General Catering Manager at Goldsmiths College.  Catering at Goldsmiths is contracted out to Chartwells.  Steve tells me Chartwells is the largest university dining service provider in the world.  I was a bit embarrassed to tell him I had never heard of them.  After doing a check on the Internet I discovered they operate under the name of Compass Group in the U.S. (Bon Appetit is part of the family of companies).  He kindly took us on a trip to UCL (Univ. College London) to take a peek at their facilities since they provide food service on that campus as well.

I mentioned in an earlier blog that Goldsmiths and LMU have a similar type of group - what they call "summer school" and what we call ESL (English as a Second Language) programs.  These are groups from Spain, Italy, France, China, etc that visit England or U.S. and take English classes in the morning and tour the surrounding area for the afternoon.  Their diet is typically different than that of an average US guest so I have been making personal observations about the food while eating in the dining hall at Goldsmiths.  First of all, I noticed the options are limited (one meal choice), whereas at LMU we offer an all you can eat buffet with a variety of options.  I was discussing with Vanessa and had been advised that some European groups like to keep meals quite simple and fresh.  Adding a popular spread like Nutella at breakfast could make all the difference.  Hmm...I wonder if Sodexo would let me do this?

Visit to Queen Mary University of London

I was happy to meet and chat with Simon Barlow, Marketing and Communications Executive at Queen Mary University of London.  We spoke for hours about our respective universities, student admission to the U.K. universities (fascinating!) and general conference operations. 

I was amazed to find out that U.K. university accommodations could be awarded a star rating just like a hotel (1-5 stars).  Can you imagine?  The ratings are awarded by a group called Quality in Tourism http://www.qualityintourism.com/.  (click on University/Campus for information).  You do have to pay for a representative to visit your campus and from what I understand there are two types of visits: day visit and overnight visit.  Once completed you are provided with a rating and told what items or amenities could be added to bring your rating to the next level (i.e. bed side lamps, bath mats, etc.).  I wonder if this is something we would ever want for U.S. university accommodations.  Interesting concept, right?

Queen Mary had very nice en suite rooms (pictures below).  I was impressed with the bedding, towels, pillows (2), bottled shampoo and fridge in every room.  Many of the residence hall rooms face a canal that weaves its way to Central London.  Their university is also only 1 mile away from what is going to be the main Olympic Village so they will be quite busy in 2012.

In talking with Simon I found out Venuemasters offers their members a "mystery shopper" service whereby a rep from Venuemastars will call your university posing as a potential client.  Once the inquiry is completed they provide you with a report on the quality of your service.  How would we all rate?  Do any of the U.S. schools have something like this in place?    I would be interested to hear.

For more information on the Conferences Department at Queen Mary please visit their website at:
http://www.conferences.qmul.ac.uk/

Thank you for the wonderful tour and chat Simon!

Visit to Imperial College London

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to visit the beautiful campus of Imperial College.  I left my room at 8:30am and joined the throngs of daily commuters using the Underground to get to work.  I  had to squeeze my way on to a train and bobble back and forth with everyone else until I reached my destination (secretly I was loving it :-).  Once I arrived at Imperial I was able to speak with Michael of the Events Department, Lauren Helps who is the Business Development Manager and Amina Hofri the Accommodation Business Development Manager.

Michael is one of the Operation Managers overseeing the setup of campus events. The amount of meeting spaces and lecture halls this campus has is truly daunting.   I gave myself blisters looking at all their lecture halls and conference space.   I would kill to have that much space.  Lauren then gave me an overview of her sales strategy and marketing efforts.  They are one of the many universities who use universityrooms.com and have an excellent website themselves. 

Lastly, I toured the housing accommodations with Amina who is in charge of overnight accommodations.   Most of their rooms are sold as Bed and Breakfast type of accommodations and are just fantastic.  Great comforters, complimentary bottle of water, coffee maker and a comfortable bathroom.  I was even given the opportunity to go behind the front desk and watch guests check-in. All keys are activated for the entire summer and are hanging on a wall behind the desk.   There is also a full bar available to guests and neighbors with unbeatable prices. Burger, fries and beer for about 5 pounds!

If  a group holds an event during the academic year Imperial has a staff member dedicated to booking hotel rooms for you at local hotels.  Of course they make commission off of this but it is such a great service to offer.

If you would like to see more of this college check out their conferences website as well as a site dedicated to one of their meeting locations:
http://www.3.imperial.ac.uk/conferenceandevents
http://www.170queensgate.co.uk/

A sampling of their meeting spaces:

Front desk for guest check-in

Sample B&B room and shared kitchen:

My Humble Abode

My bedroom and en suite bathroom at Goldsmiths.  Thank you for the flowers and chocolates Vanessa and Caroline!

London Greetings

Hello from London!

I arrived yesterday at Goldsmiths and received a warm welcome from the entire staff.  Of course I fumbled a bit on the Underground finding my way to the University but that is all part of the fun adventure.  I just wish we had this kind of transportation in Los Angeles!

I was able to sit and observe the conferences offices for a few hours on my first day and all day today and was amazed at the amount of similarities we share.  We both have ESL (English as a Second Language) programs and the students and guests profiles are nearly the same.   Vanessa has given me a desk to share in her office and it has been fascinating to listen and observe the daily workings of their department.  Students losing cards, guests requesting maintenance, a group cancelling their event, etc, etc. 

Today we took a wonderful tour of the campus.  I was amazed to find all the rooms on campus are single occupancy.  Can you imagine!  My room is in an adorable building called Loring Hall and has a single bed, built in desk, dresser and bathroom.  They still use hard keys for their rooms so I am very conscientious of keeping it safe.  I remember how difficult it use to be to change the locks once a key was lost.  Across the hall I share a kitchen with the other rooms in my hallway (only about 5-6 rooms).  The kitchen has a stove, a few fridges and small dining table.  It is quite comfortable.  The one thing I learned today about the U.K. is that it is not common for the campus to have or offer Wi-Fi .  Yikes.   

When I worked for Hilton Hotels it was required as a Sales Manager to stay at the hotel a few nights of the year in order to understand the guest experience.  I was thinking it was pretty funny that I had to fly all the way to England to gain this experience on campus.  Are any of you required to live in your campus accommodations to feel the guest perspective?  I think this is something I am going to incorporate for all of my staff (sorry guys!). 

A new media building has opened today at Goldsmiths and the meeting spaces and auditoriums in this building are simply amazing.  Wonderful colors, give or take 15 meeting spaces or so, a beautiful balcony overlooking London, a small cafe and so much more.  Such great potential!  They are also renovating a Victorian style building that is completely opposite in style and architecture from the new modern media building. 

Unfortunately I am having technical difficulties with my laptop so am unable to upload photos at this time.  I will get those up as soon as I get everything fixed.

OK, I am off for today!

Pilot Program Overview

Greetings colleagues, friends, family and co-workers!  I was thrilled last month to be chosen by ACCED-I (Association of Collegiate Conference Events Directors-International) to pilot a possible Conference Services exchange program between ACCED-I schools in the U.S. and Venumasters (our sister association) schools in the U.K.

Vanessa Gouws from the Conference Services Department at Goldsmiths University of London has graciously offered to be my host during my visit.  I will be traveling to England this weekend to live, dine and work on their campus until the end of the month.  While our conference season at LMU  is just ending, Goldsmiths will still be hosting guests and groups through September.  During my stay I will be given the opportunity to work in their Conference Services Department to observe and learn how business is conducted at their university. 

Along with Goldsmiths I will be visiting at least 3 other institutions. If you have any questions about or for the U.K. universities while I am there please send them my way and I will post answers for you if I can.   Lastly, I would love to hear your suggestions or feedback about this exchange in hopes of introducing it to the whole association.

Hopefully you will find this blog both entertaining and educational. I will post pictures throughout my stay and do my best to describe my experiences.  In the meantime, feel free to check out my new "home":

http://www.gold.ac.uk/conference-services/