NCUR Event Proposal

NCUR AT ITHACA: Proposal for host event

Submitted by

Patricia Langenau Lia Micheels
Student Student
PLangen1@Ithaca.edu LMichee1@Ithaca.edu
(845) 242 – 1921 (978) 273 – 6345

Heather Mueller
Student
Hmuelle1@ithaca.edu
(242) 506-3733

Ithaca College
Roy H. Park School of Communications
953 Danby Rd.
Ithaca, NY 14850

Signed: ___________________________________
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Date

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Patricia Langenau are needed to see this picture.
Student

___________________________________
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Lia Micheels
Student

Authorizing Official

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David Prunty
Director of Conference and Event Services
at Ithaca College

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary...............................................................3
Goals......................................................................................3
Theme & Description.............................................................3
Dance Variety........................................................................4
Location & Decorations.........................................................5
Transportation........................................................................6
Food & Beverage...................................................................7
Marketing...............................................................................8
Safety & Security...................................................................8
Registration & Attendance Fee..............................................9
Challenges & Solutions..........................................................9
Budget....................................................................................10
Measuring Success.................................................................10
Conclusion.............................................................................10
Appendixes............................................................................11
References..............................................................................15

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Ithaca College will be hosting the National Conference on Undergraduate Research

(NCUR) during March of 2011. NCUR is, “dedicated to promoting undergraduate research,

scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study by sponsoring an annual conference for

students,” (Dolan, J., & National Conference on Undergraduate Research, 2009). NCUR was

first held in 1987 and currently hosts approximately 2,000 students and their faculty mentors

annually (Dolan, J., & National Conference on Undergraduate Research, 2009). Beyond being an

opportunity for participants to show what they have learned and learn from others, it is also an

opportunity for Ithaca College to showcase itself. The host event is a perfect opportunity to do

this. The purpose of this proposal is to explain why an event where dinner will be served,

dancers will entertain, and then dance lessons will be provided would make an enjoyable and

unique conference experience.

GOALS

Our goals for this event are as follows:

 Create a fun and unique experience for conference attendees
 Give attendees participation choices; if they do not want to dance we want to
provide them with a relaxing alternative
 Create an atmosphere that lends itself to socializing
 Stay within a reasonable budget

THEME AND DESCRIPTION

The theme of our event is “Footloose” after the famous film where teenagers rebel

against extreme structure by throwing their own dance (The Internet Movie Database, 2009). We

have chosen this theme because although research conferences are engaging, they are

academically focused and we want to provide attendees with an opportunity to release some

energy. This event is good for our target audience because most of them are college students. It

will give the students an opportunity to relax and socialize, while at the same time mentors and

students who choose not to dance can go to the lounge.

Our theme can be seen throughout the entire event. We propose hiring three different

dance professionals and some of their dancers. During the meal, the professional dancers will

each perform a different style of dance. Then, after the meal, attendees will have the choice to

either go learn a dance or socialize in the lounge area. Only one style of dance will be taught at

one time to ensure that there are not sound complications and to allow attendees to have breaks

in between. The lounge area will have a large television set up showing different dance films and

clips, couches, a bar serving mocktails, and games. This will provide attendees with the option to

learn a dance or relax in the lounge and will ensure that we meet everyone’s entertainment

needs.

DANCE VARIETY

In order to be cost-effective and avoid complications, we have chosen to pick no more

then three styles of dance. Although these styles and the people teaching them can be changed,

we recommend staying within this number. We have chosen to have belly dancing, hip-hop, and

the hustle at our event. We have chosen these dances for many reasons. One reason being that

they show variety and will illustrate the diversity of the region. Furthermore, these are dances

that do not require a partner. Thus, although people will be mingling and coming together

towards the common goal of creating a great dance, attendees will not be forced to be physically

close to people they do not know. These dances are also great because they are fast and group

oriented. This is imperative because if someone feels uncomfortable they will not have fun at our

event. Furthermore, group dances are easier to teach because the steps are simple and do not

require one-on-one attention between the instructor and the student.

Hip-hop lessons can be taught by Roger M. Christian from Ithaca Dance. He has an

extensive resume and has expressed interest in the conference. He offers a variety of dances

during a four hour time slot for $400.00. Since we only need him for about two hours, the

performance and dance lesson would be approximately $200.00. Belly dancing and line dancing

will not be as expensive. Belly dancing will be taught by Yasmina’s Joy of Belly Dancing

Company. Yasmina provides two-hour workshops for events and can provide a variety of

different kinds of belly dancing depending on our needs. The hustle will be taught by Kurt

Lichtmann who, like Mr. Christian has a lot of dance and experience and could be hired to teach

another kind of dance if we desired.

Overall, our goal with the dance lessons is to not only create a fun experience for

attendees, but to also make it as easy and comfortable for the instructors as possible. This is why

we recommend hiring three different groups. Although this may be a little more complicated in

regards to contracting and budgeting, it will allow the instructors to take breaks.

LOCATION & DECORATIONS

We propose having the event at Barton Hall because it is large, transformable, only 10

minutes from Ithaca, and geographically close to most lodging. Barton Hall is an on-campus

field house on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. It is a large multi-purpose

venue that can hold any type of event. We chose Barton Hall to host our event instead of a

location on Ithaca College’s campus, because unlike any venues on the Ithaca Campus, Barton

Hall can hold up to 7000 people. Because Barton Hall can hold so many more people than we

actually need, there will be plenty of space for the dancing, tables, and lounge. Even though it is

more expensive to hold the event in Barton Hall, it makes sense in terms of space. In addition,

the hall has well-located parking facilities within short walking distance for attendees who

choose to transport themselves. The Hall costs $1000.00 per night, plus site staff fees, which is

$7,200.00. To have a stage that is 24X32 feet with steps and a skirt for performances costs

$1,800.00. Table and chairs will cost $1,562.50 in total.

This event will depend a lot on atmosphere. Thus, we have strategically chosen

decorations to create our desired mood. Beyond using creative lighting, there will be a music

note centerpiece on each table, and the music note will be either an eight note, a one sixteenth

note, or a G-Clef (Appendix A). There will also be gold star confetti placed on the tables along

with the centerpieces. There will be 300 9” mylar balloons, with 100 black, 100 white, and 100

purple to be placed around the hall (Bargainballoons.com & Themusicspot.com, 2009). In total,

these decorations will cost approximately $532.30. In addition, there will be gold foil musical

instrument cutouts, and musical note silhouettes to display around the hall. We will also utilize

curtains to make the general feel of the hall more formal. For an event like this, you'd probably

want to hang the curtains to block the equipment up against the wall. Custodian set-up of these

curtains would cost approximately $1,000.

TRANSPORTATION

Attendees have two options: they can transport themselves from their lodging to Barton

Hall by their own means, or attendees can sign up to take a shuttle bus from Ithaca College to

Barton Hall for a small fee of about $1.00. We will only provide the shuttle service for 1,000

attendees. For this reason, we will require attendees to register for the event and shuttle service

by February 1, 2011 so that we have ample time to confirm all of our arrangements. Participants

who choose to take advantage of the shuttle service, will still be responsible for getting

themselves from their lodging to Ithaca College and vice versa.

We propose taking advantage of Ithaca College’s relationship with Ithaca Airline Limo

Vans and Busses for the transportation for this event. The shuttle service will begin one hour

prior to the event and two runs will need to be made. Upon registration, attendees will be

informed of which shuttle run they will be on. This will ensure that the runs are punctual and

organized. There will be Ithaca College event-planning staff at the college to help attendees with

transportation questions and to keep everything moving in a timely fashion. One staff member

will be assigned to two buses and will be responsible for checking attendance on the bus,

answering questions, and leading the attendees off the bus and into the event. One Ithaca College

staff member will be stationed at the college to organize attendee arrival prior to boarding the

buses. Each bus can carry 72 passengers and we will need 14 buses to bring 1,000 participants

and 7 Ithaca College chaperones. This will cost approximately $1,148.00 resulting in a minor fee

of $1.48 to each attendee riding the shuttle (Appendix B).

Overall, the benefits of using a shuttle service are that it gives attendees a choice and

ensures that the majority of attendees will make it to the event on time and safely. It will also

relieve some strain off of the Ithaca public transportation system. This is important to keep in

mind not only to keep positive relations with the Ithaca community, but also since both colleges

will still be in session during the time of the conference and students use a lot of public

transportation.

FOOD & BEVERAGE

For this event, we will take advantage of the Ithaca College Event Services catering

menu. This is cost-effective and since it is on the Ithaca College campus we know that it will be

easier to communicate, make changes, and trust has already been established in comparison to

working with an outside vendor.

Due to the large group of attendees a buffet will be most efficient. Dinner buffets include

china service, food tables draped, guest seating tables covered and production, delivery, set-up,

pick-up, and attendant labor. China service outside the Campus Center or Dining Hall will be an

additional $1.25 per person. Upon registration, attendees will be required to let us of know of

any special dietary needs. However, our buffet menu was strategically selected to ensure that

most dietary needs will be met (Appendix D). The lounge will also provide food including

cheese and crackers, fruit, vegetables, and cookies.

MARKETING

Our marketing decisions were based on being cost-effective, sparking interest, and

having a flexible budget. We will be sending out a poster with the bundle of NCUR materials

that will be sent to the participants (Appendix E). Sending it out with the bundle will not only

spark interest in the event, but it will also remind people to register and save on mailing costs.

The cost to print 2,000 posters will be $3,845.20 through FedEx office. However, this number

could be negotiated since we have such a large order. At the event itself, we will have a menu

and agenda. It will cost $410.00 to print 2,000 menus/agendas. We also propose printing 50

posters to be distributed throughout the campus during the event costing $96.13.

SAFETY & SECURITY

Since this event involves physical movement, it is imperative that all attendees are

contracted. We propose having them do this via the internet upon registration. Because they will

not be able to complete registration without agreeing to our terms and conditions, this will ensure

that all attendees are contracted. It will also be more convenient logistically to have all of the

contracts ready to be printed one month prior to the conference and to have a digital backup. The

contracts will state that Ithaca College is not responsible for any injuries, food allergies, or stolen

items among other liabilities discussed with risk management as the event nears. We will also

contract the dance instructors to confirm their attendance, dances that they will be teaching,

amount of help they are allowed to bring, and to agree that Ithaca College is not responsible for

any injuries, food allergies, or stolen items among other negotiations.

In regards to security of the location during the event, 1-2 officers would need to be hired

at $60.00 per hour. EHS personnel would not need to be hired, but would need to do a

walkthrough prior to the event and this should be free-of-charge. Overall, since our event is not

controversial and is organized, we will not have to spend too much on security.

REGISTRATION & ATTENDANCE FEE

Attendees will be required to register by February 1, 2011. This will give the event

planning committee time to make last-minute changes, and will ensure that everything is

organized. Furthermore, it will help to reduce costs since we will know exactly how many

materials to print by that date. There will be no registration fee for the event itself. However, if

attendees choose to use the shuttle service they will be charged.

CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS

The main challenges we see in hosting this event are the amount of people we are

hosting, noise control, interest in entertainment provided, and comfort of attendees. We plan on

dealing with the large amount of people through being extremely organized and well staffed.

Again, we have chosen dances that can easily be taught to groups so that everyone can

participate with little instruction. It is our hope that having people pre-register will help with

logistics. We also want to keep an open floor plan for our event so that people do not feel

cramped. In regards to noise control, we have chosen to only have one dance taught at one time.

This will ensure that only one kind of music will be played. All of our instructors will have

microphones so that they can be heard. In regards to keeping people entertained, we created the

lounge with the intention of giving people choices of what to do. The lounge also contributes to

the challenge of keeping our attendees comfortable because it will provide ample seating and

snacks. However, it is also imperative that our attendees are notified to wear comfortable shoes

to this event so that they can participate. Finally, we want to make sure the room temperature

does not get too hot and we seek to work closely with Barton Hall management to successfully

combat this issue.

BUDGET

The total cost of this event will be approximately $61,000.00 (Appendix B). However,

one benefit of our budget is that it is flexible. We could save approximately $2,000.00 by

changing the size of our posters and printing them in black and white. We should also save

money in regards to using Ithaca College Event ad Catering Services because we will not need

them to set up any tables/decorations. Attendees will pay us back the $1,148.00 for

transportation and of course, we could always cut some of our decorations if necessary. These

changes alone could bring our budget down approximately $5,000.00.

MEASURING SUCCESS

Success will be measured by attendance and participation. If people are participating in

the dancing we will know that our dance choices and instructors were correct. If there is high

attendance, we will know that we made effective marketing choices. We also propose that Ithaca

College and NCUR send out a survey after the conference to gain feedback. Because there is no

real appropriate place during this event for us to gain tangible feedback, we would like the

following questions to be asked about our event in the general NCUR feedback survey:

1. “Did you enjoy the NCUR host event, why/why not?”

2. “What would you have changed about the NCUR host event?”

We feel that a combination of getting these questions answered and watching the reactions of

participants will give us an understanding of our success.

CONCLUSION

Overall, “Footloose” would be a successful host event because it is entertaining, has a

flexible budget, and provides attendees with options for participation.

APPENDIX A

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APPENDIX D

Figure 1: Side 1 QuickTimeª and a

Figure 2: Side 2

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APPENDIX E

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References

Barginballoons.com. (2009). 9” Latex Balloons. In Bargin balloons. Retrieved May 3, 2009,

from Special Buys Co. Inc. Web site: http://www.bargainballoons.com/10browse.asp

?Category=9%22+Latex&Page=1&Display=High

Dolan, J., & National Conference on Undergraduate Research. (2009, January 29). National

conference on undergraduate research. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from

http://www.ncur.org/theconference.htm

The Internet Movie Database. (2009). Plot summary for footloose. Retrieved April

1, 2009, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087277/plotsummary

Themusicdepot.com. (2009). Party supplies. In The music depot. Retrieved May 3, 2009, from

Sure Solutions Web site: http://www.themusicdepot.com/acatalog/Party_Supplies.html

NCUR Event Proposal

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