Hello AEP fellows! I would love it anyone can share their final run of show for their campaign kick-off launch event. Additional details of the event would also be appreciated – like how many speakers, student involvement, etc. Thank you! Feel free to email me (sbugarin@luc.edu) if you have documents you are willing to share or are open to a meeting 🙂

Hi, AEP Friends!

I am hiring! If you know anyone interested in a new role in Boston with events and Commencement experience, please feel free to send them my way.

https://emerson.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Emerson_College_Staff/job/Associate-Director–Institutional-Events-and-Commencement_JR008968

Excited to see everyone at Duke!

-Matt

emerson.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com

Associate Director, Institutional Events and Commencement

Join our community and experience Emerson College! The Associate Director, Institutional Events & Commencement reports to the Director, Advancement Events on the Advancement Communications & Institutional Events team within the Office of Institutional Advancement. Serving as a central pillar of … Continue reading

What are other Presidential Suites utilizing for name tags for football games? We typically have lanyards but will be transition to a wristband process however, we don’t want to lose the functionality of names being easily displayed.

There is not a forum for this, so putting it here. We, Wheaton College MA, rely heavily on summer camps for revenue. Does anyone else host camps? How are you finding new camps to host on your campus? I would LOVE to chat!!

Hello! Not exactly sure what category to put this in, but I’m curious what kinds of camouflage you’ve used on staging to conceal confidence monitors during an address.

We’ve used black fabric skirting, and we’ve also done floral and plant installations in front of them, which can look really beautiful. I’d love to hear what other innovative or visually attractive solutions you’ve used.

What has worked well for you while still maintaining sightlines for presenters and technicians? I’ve shared some examples we’ve used at previous Board of Trustees meetings.

• This discussion was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by  Kendra Robinson.

This job opportunity at Duke University was just shared with us. It’s for Director, Special Events and University Ceremonies. If interested, please follow this link: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__careers.duke.edu_job-2Dinvite_271819_&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=_VDEmcKjSuahe0ct-PuTEk55atcQSum3UKK4GJsmk3s&m=cCkyD5S2MYGG31V1jiV8ncu-JJA8kBuffng2Q7FFRBxRTlj28Ff6DcnmA4PxccW5&s=QHjZPGbICUKQZIS-GZlGZ2QZy2kt52abfC6fn28HjZQ&e=

Hi everyone—looking for advice and best practices from peers.

At the KSU Foundation, we’ve had great success filling our premium spaces for home football games, but we’re still trying to find the right approach for men’s basketball and would appreciate any feedback.

What’s worked well for football:

• We use premium seating (President’s Suite + our KSU Foundation Suite) as a cultivation/closing tool.
• Audience: prospects with open major gift proposals in delivered status at $50K+ expected to book within the next FY, with at minimum $5K lifetime giving).
• Process:
  • That curated group receives an invite with RSVP link
  • During RSVP they rank preferred games
  • We assign them to one game based on availability/preferences
  • I manage all communication from invite to logistics and ticket communication (one central person)

This has been very effective and scalable.

Our current basketball approach (less successful):

• Each collegiate/unit lead is assigned 1 non-conference and 1 conference game to fill
• They’re responsible for inviting and confirming attendees
• Once names are submitted, I handle logistics and ticket communication

Challenges:

• Requires constant follow-up to get names
• Inconsistent execution and strategy across units
• Hard to manage across 19–20 home games
• Feels inefficient and reactive

What we’re exploring:

• We have secured and are transitioning to an 8-seat loge box this upcoming season (previously had a 4-person loge + 4 baseline courtside seats)
• Moving away from relying on unit leads as the “middle layer”
• Potentially adopting a more centralized, football-style RSVP/preference system

Questions for the group:

1. Do you utilize premium seating (suites/loge boxes) for football/basketball donor engagement?
2. If so, how do you structure your invitation and selection process?
3. Have you found scalable ways to consistently fill seats across a long home basketball schedule?
4. Any tools, workflows, or strategies that have worked particularly well?
5. How do you balance cultivation vs. stewardship vs. closing within these experiences?

I’d love to hear what’s worked (or hasn’t) at your institutions—especially anything that has reduced administrative burden while still maximizing donor engagement.

Thanks in advance!

Talk to me about your prospective student events…

Is anyone doing anything outside of the box / exceptionally fun? We’re a small, private university. I can’t host a concert. LOL

• This discussion was modified 2 months, 3 weeks ago by  Mitzi Overturf.

Has anyone ever collected preferences (favorite drink, apparel sizes, dietary, etc.) from their board? If so what all information did you collect?

Does your campus have a university-wide balloon policy, or is this something managed at the building or department level?
I’m curious whether institutions have a centralized policy that applies across all campus spaces, or if restrictions vary by venue based on factors such as facility operations, custodial concerns, sustainability, fire/life safety requirements, or specialized spaces (e.g., performance venues, laboratories, historic buildings, or athletic facilities).

If you have a policy in place, I’d also be interested in hearing what types of balloons are restricted (helium, latex, foil/Mylar, etc.) and the rationale behind those decisions.