UBC Reports | Vol. 49 | No. 8 | Aug.
7, 2003
Program provides novices with expert support
By Brian Lin
Every year, thousands of conference delegates descend on
UBC to discuss topics that could range from Organometallic
Chemistry to Mountain Logging. These highly mobile academics
and professionals bring in millions of dollars to the local
economy and return home with a lasting impression of their
Canadian host.
“Conference delegates become unofficial ambassadors
of UBC,” says Trish Brown, sales and marketing director
of Conferences and Accommodation. “Not to mention the
revenue generated to UBC, which goes to improve student residences
and keeping rent affordable.”
Conference specialists assist local hosts in bid preparations,
promotions, and registration and exhibit management, so even
a novice can put together a successful conference.
More than 85,000 square feet of meeting space and the ability
to accommodate up to 3,000 guests make UBC one of the largest
campus conference facilities in Canada. Its natural beauty
coupled with its central location to the Asia-Pacific and
North America also makes it a favourite for international
conference organizers.
Brown says the Conference Services and Meeting Planning Division
has been working with local hosts — UBC faculty and staff
who are conference organizers — to successfully bring conferences
to UBC and reap the benefits of this multi-million dollar
industry.
Building on the success of its conference planning services,
Conferences and Accommodation will officially launch the Local
UBC Host program this fall, headed by sales manager Teresa
Rempel, who was instrumental in Tourism Vancouver’s “Be
A Host” program.
“We already have a very strong repeat client base, and
many of our new clients are referred to us by past hosts,”
says Rempel. “By launching the Local Host program, a
program designed to assist local hosts with the process of
securing meetings and events for Vancouver, we hope to make
more people aware of the services we provide and encourage
more local hosts to bring conferences to UBC.”
