FINAL REPORT: CONGRESS 2008 UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA 31 MAY – 8 JUNE 2008 2TABLE OF CONTENTS  Summary .................................................................. 3  Report of the Academic Convenor and Recommendations 6  Report of the Logistical Convenor and Recommendations 12  Report of Food Services and Recommendations .................. 20  Planning Structure ................................................................ 23  Communications ............................................................... 24  Appendix A: Congress Personnel  Appendix B: Customized Campus Map (sample)  Appendix C: Room Usage  Appendix D: Audio Visual Usage  Appendix E: Sample Catering Menu ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The following individuals contributed to this report:  Lisa D’Alfonso, Meeting Planner, Conferences and Accommodations  Richard Cavell, Professor, Department of English  Allan De Jong, General Manager, Conferences and Accommodations  Loriann McGowan, General Manager, Residence Food Services  Andrew Parr, Director, Food Services  Nancy Wiggs, Special Projects Manager, Office of the Provost 377th Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences University of British Columbia: Point Grey Campus Robson Square Campus Okanagan Campus Great Northern Way Campus 31 May – 8 June 2008 Final Report: September 2008 GENERAL SUMMARY  Congress 2008 was the largest conference in the University’s and Federation’s history, with overall attendance of 8,986 and 8,094 registered delegates  Congress 2008 set the benchmark for sustainability with opt-in carbon emission program, optional bag usage (CSSE pilot program), and sustainable food services products  President Stephen Toope delivered the first Congress Presidential Address  for the first time, customized maps of main and downtown campuses were produced for each association  Congress 2008 began at UBC’s Okanagan campus with a podcast dialogue among UBCO faculty and Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada  Congress events were held at UBC Point Grey, Robson Square, and the Great Northern Way campus  undergraduates participated in Congress as part of the Canadian Association of Theatre Research meetings; they were funded by SSHRC as a proto-pilot project to bring undergrads to Congress  there were over 3,490 meetings in 237 rooms  85 receptions, 79 additional social functions, and 206 functions requiring non- academic space were held, including the opening reception in the Jubilee Room of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, and 5 President’s receptions in the Life Sciences Atrium  over 300 staff and 110 students participated in the implementation and execution of Congress  67 exhibitors, representing over 150 Canadian and international 4publishers participated in the Book Fair held in the Student Recreation Centre SUMMARY OF UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC AND CULTURAL EVENTS  “The Role of Culture in the Global Knowledge Economy”: a dialogue inaugurating Congress at UBC’s Okanagan campus, it featured UBCO professors Jeannette Armstrong, Lawrence Berg, Carl Hodge, Kenneth Carlaw, and Michael Evans; and Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Patricia Demers (Alberta), Sherrill Grace (UBC; 2008 recipient of the Canada Council Killam Prize in the Humanities), Doug Owram (Deputy Vice Chancellor, UBCO) and James Tully (Victoria), with Richard Cavell moderating; podcast to UBC Point Grey and archived for Congress  “University by Design: (Re)Constructing Spaces of Academic Culture and Community,” exhibition on the interactions of built space and pedagogical space at UBC; sponsored by Dept. of Art History, Visual Art and Theory and Prof. Rhodri Windsor- Liscombe (Koerner Library)  The Chung Collection and Exhibition: circa 25,000 cultural- material items pertaining to Canadian Pacific transcultural interactions  “Idyll”: three exhibitions: a collection of works that revisited the Festivals of the Contemporary Arts that took place at UBC in the 1960s and garnered international attention; together with their current resonances with works drawn from the Belkin’s collection; curated by Belkin Director Professor Scott Watson  Museum of Anthropology: ongoing exhibition on the art of the Tsimshian from the Dundas collection  Anne of Green Gables: an exhibition and symposium on this Canadian novel, published in the year UBC was founded; the symposium inquired into how this most local of novels became the greatest global phenomenon in Canadian cultural history; curated by Ryerson University Canada Research Chair Dr. Irene Gammel and funded by SSHRC  Socrates on Trial: an interactive play by UBC Philosophy Professor Andrew Irvine on the politics and pedagogy of Socrates; the book of the same title was launched at the Book Fair (U Toronto P) 5 Bioboxes: Artifacting Human Experience: one-on-one, multilingual performances based on interviews with first- generation Canadians; the theatre is comprised of a box worn on the actor’s shoulders; sponsored by UBC Dept. of Theatre and Film, Canadian Association for Theatre Research, and Vancouver’s Theatre Replacement Company  Futuristi: the avant-garde theatre of Italian Futurism returned to the stage 100 years after its revolutionary beginnings in a series of explosive sintesi newly translated from the Italian; sponsored by UBC’s Dept. of Theatre and Film and Vancouver’s BellaLuna Productions  Summer Concert: Vancouver’s Bach Children’s Chorus, Youth Choir and Sarabande, under the direction of Bruce Pullan, Head of Choral Music at UBC, at the Chan Concert Hall  Aboriginal Research Networking Event: held at the First Nations House of Learning, this event brought together researchers on aboriginal issues; convened by Dr. Linc Kesler, Director, First Nations Studies Program  “McGill University’s Role in the Founding of UBC: Altruism or Opportunism?”: a lecture, by Peter McNally, McGill University’s Official Historian, that addressed the founding of UBC as an adjunct of McGill University and the complexities of siting the campus; organized in conjunction with UBC’s Dept. of Art History, Visual Art, and Theory; report in Le Devoir; filmed for the Congress archive  “What I Learned in Class Today: Aboriginal Issues in the Classroom”: screenings of a video made by First Nations Studies Program students Karrmen Crey and Amy Perreault that makes visible the experience of aboriginal students in the classroom; convened by Dr. Linc Kesler, Director, First Nations Studies Program  Presidential Address: “Crossing Borders, Contesting Values: Do Universities Matter?”: in this first Presidential address to Congress, President Professor Stephen J. Toope provocatively addressed the Congress theme (as reported in the Globe and Le Devoir)  Community Service Learning: a dinner discussion with UBC’s Director of the Learning Exchange, Dr. Margo Fryer, and other faculty, students and community organizations about who benefits from this approach, the factors underlying its success, and the costs involved; at the Robson Square campus 6 “The Role of Culture in the Global Urban Economy”: in a global economy increasingly driven by city-regions, where the MFA is the new MBA, this panel considered Richard Florida’s concept of the creative class and what it means for the cultural initiatives around a new Vancouver Art Gallery recently seeded by the Provincial Government with a $50 million dollar grant. Panelists include Larry Beasley, former Chief Planner of Vancouver and now Distinguished Practice Professor of Planning at UBC; Prof. Robert Gardiner (UBC Theatre); Melanie O’Brian, Director and Curator of the downtown east side’s ArtSpeak gallery; and Timothy Taylor, author of the novel Stanley Park and urban commentator on Vancouver for the Globe and Mail; Robson Square campus; co-sponsored by UBC Alumni Affairs  Nu: BC: this collective presented recent music for small chamber ensemble by Canadian and international composers; sponsored by the Canadian University Music Society and the UBC School of Music  Hive 2 at Magnetic North: eleven independent theatrical companies performed concurrently, integrating the former industrial buildings and lands of the Great Northern Way campus into their productions, providing yet another approach to “culture in the city.”  “B.C. Concentric: New Music from B.C. and Beyond”: recent music for chamber orchestra by B.C. and other Canadian composers, sponsored by the Canadian University Music Society, the UBC School of Music and the Turning Point Ensemble  Vancouver International Song Institute: a forum of poets and composers inaugurated a two- week event featuring song recitals, lectures on poetics, cognition, and cultural history, together with master classes. Sponsored by UBC School of Music and Prof. Rena Sharon REPORT OF THE ACADEMIC CONVENOR In 2001 I was appointed university representative to the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, and, in 2002 I was approached by the UBC Office of the President to put forward a bid to bring Congress to UBC in 2005, 2006, or 2007 (20+ years since UBC had lasted hosted Congress). I suggested that a 2008 Congress would have the advantage of being the centennial of 7the University Act that brought UBC into existence, and, after some discussion, this date was agreed upon. Together with Mariela McIlwraith, then Director of UBC’s Conference Services, a bid was presented to the Federation and was accepted (spring 2003). Subsequently, after consultation with the Deans of Arts, Education and Law, I was asked by Dr. Neil Guppy, then AVP Academic Programs (Office of the Provost), to be Academic Convenor. The first requirement of the Federation was that UBC produce a theme for Congress 2008; at this point I convened a committee comprised of members of Arts (humanities and social sciences), Education, Law and the Sauder School for Business. After some discussion in committee and with the Federation, a theme was agreed upon: Thinking Beyond Borders: Global Ideas: Global Values; Penser Sans Frontières: Idées mondiales: valeurs mondiales. Even at this relatively early stage of planning, it was evident that UBC would face unique challenges in hosting Congress. First of all, a UBC congress was likely to attract a large number of delegates, for a variety of reasons: the Point Grey campus is the site of a number of major cultural attractions, such as the Museum of Anthropology (the most popular cultural venue in the province); Vancouver is a destination city, regularly topping international polls as most livable (cf. Monocle magazine, June 2008), and UBC’s Robson Square campus is in the cultural heart of the city; the West Coast of B.C. is a major eco- and cultural tourism venue. In addition, the fact that Congress had not been held at UBC for a quarter of a century and that, in addition, UBC was celebrating its centennial in 2008 were also factors pointing toward a larger than usual number of potential registrants. The decision of the Canadian Economics Association to meet with Congress in 2008 after a considerable hiatus, with 1,000 delegates forecast to attend, was indicative of the general trend toward a higher than usual attendance figure. The significant advantage that UBC had in planning for a conference of this size was the expertise of its Conferences and Accommodations personnel and infrastructure, and of UBC’s Food Services system. To accommodate the estimated 10,000 delegates who would attend Congress was not a major challenge, given that circa 3,000 delegates would be on campus at any given time and that circa half of them would stay in downtown Vancouver. However, classroom space was at a distinct premium, given the unprecedented pace of building and renovation on campus, and given that the University had decided that summer classes would not be cancelled during Congress. In the early stages of planning we learned that the Sauder School for Business 8would be building a new tower, which meant that we lost three large lecture halls and 14 adjacent classrooms from the area of campus in which social sciences and humanities activities normally take place. There was the further possibility that a wing of the Buchanan Building (Arts) complex would be under construction during Congress, with building noise making other wings unsuitable as meeting places. Directly related to the classroom challenge was the fact that not all classrooms being contemplated as meeting spaces were equipped with data projectors. The large number of projected delegates also raised issues around sustainability; we were fortunate to work with Dr. James Tansey, Sauder School for Business, and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Social Enterprise, who advised us on initiatives that would result in Congress 2008 setting benchmarks in sustainability for future Congresses. (See the profile of Dr. Tansey in the special Congress issue of Frontier magazine noted below.) We also drew delegates’ attention to Sustainability Street, a pedestrian- oriented promenade that will become an academic resource for the campus (located near the venue for the Presidential receptions). The last of these unique challenges was to hold Congress largely on the Point Grey campus, yet have activities on its downtown campus (Robson Square), on the uptown campus it shares with a consortium of post-secondary institutions (Great Northern Way campus), and on its campus in the Okanagan valley (a four-hour drive from Vancouver). Through the auspices of Classroom Services and Conferences and Accommodations, the classroom challenge was met by requisitioning virtually every available classroom space across the Point Grey campus and at Robson Square. Continuing Studies agreed to move its classes to the “Swing” building (dedicated to housing classes displaced by construction). Building services agreed to alter its construction schedules in respect of Congress. CIRA (Canadian Industrial Relations Association) agreed to meet at Robson Square, thus reducing the need for Point Grey classrooms and concomitantly providing Congress activity at the downtown campus. Part of the Congress budget was put toward purchasing data projectors for rooms lacking them (thus providing a Congress centennial legacy). And a decision was taken to have the inaugural Congress event at the Okanagan campus; this took the form of a dialogue on 29 May among five UBCO faculty and four Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada on “The Role of Culture in the Global Knowledge Economy.” The dialogue was podcast to the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre at Point Grey, and ran on a screen there throughout Congress. This dialogue represented the first such interaction between the 9Point Grey and Okanagan campuses; the first time Congress had come to UBCO; and the first occasion on which Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada had participated in an event at UBCO. In the early stages of planning we could not have envisioned the extent to which the just-completed Irving K. Barber Learning Centre would become a hub of Congress activities, including the opening reception; association receptions; film screenings; the announcement (by, among others, Mr. Brent Sauder, Assistant Deputy Minister, Research, Technology and Innovation Division, Ministry of Advanced Education, Province of British Columbia) of the $47million dollar award made jointly by the CFI, 8 provinces, and 67 universities to the Canadian Research Knowledge Network, at which event UBC Prof. Ron Rensink (Psychology and Computer Science) made a presentation on the visual analytics program he has developed for locating patterns in large amounts of data; association meetings; the graduate student sessions of Career Corner; and “hanging out” in Ike’s cafe. The Learning Centre also highlighted the richness of UBC’s research holdings, from the Colbeck Collection’s rare Victoriana to the Chung Collection’s irreplaceable cultural material on Asia-Pacific migration. The two major keynote speakers aligned very well with the Congress themes, “Global Ideas: Global Values.” The Federation normally assigns one of the keynote spots to the scholar who has given the previous year’s Massey lectures. However, Margaret Somerville had not been able to attend the Saskatchewan congress so was asked to keynote at UBC. Her pioneering work in ethics made her highly relevant to the ethical dimension implied by the sub-theme “global values.” To select the other keynote speaker, I convened the academic committee and we came up with a list of possibilities. Presenting these to the Federation, I was happy to learn that a prominent name on our list was also on theirs: Richard Florida. Florida’s agreement to keynote at Congress was a coup, not only because Florida has put culture in the centre of the socio-economic map, but also because Florida’s work speaks to the increasing importance of the local within the context of globalization. From his work we were able to draw both the topic for the UBCO dialogue and for a special panel at the Robson Square campus that examined Florida’s ideas in relation to the Provincial Government’s recent proposal to establish a “cultural quarter” in Vancouver. Panelists included Larry Beasley, former Chief Planner of the City of Vancouver and now Distinguished Practice Professor of Planning, UBC, as well as an international planning consultant; Melanie O’Brian, Director and 10 Curator of ArtSpeak Gallery, located in the Downtown Eastside, and editor of the recently published Vancouver: Art and Economies; Robert Gardiner, Professor of Theatre at UBC, designer, and proponent of a CFI grant for the Great Northern Way campus that seeks to put into practice Florida’s notions of the cultural economy; Timothy Taylor, author of the novel Stanley Park, among other works, and urban commentator for The Globe and Mail (who subsequently wrote a column in the Globe on Florida’s Who’s Your City?, which had been launched at Congress). A Senior Academic Committee was convened in the Fall of 2007; it determined that Congress should provide UBC with considerable “institutional bounce.” We sought to do this through a series of academic and cultural activities (see list above). In addition to cultural events available through the various amenities on campus, such as the Museum of Anthropology and the Belkin Gallery (which had an opening reception during Congress for its show “Idyll,” which recreated the cultural milieu of UBC in the 1960s when its Festivals of the Contemporary Arts attracted international attention), we were able to support a number of theatrical and musical events on the Point Grey and Great Northern Way campuses. Because Magnetic North, the largest theatrical festival in Canada, was taking place in Vancouver during Congress, we were able to sponsor one such event, Hive 2, a series of 11 concurrent theatrical performances at the Great Northern Way campus, which provided a highly productive example of the use of that space for creative exploration. We also embarked on a number of additional initiatives that would highlight particular areas of research interest at UBC. An Aboriginal Researchers Networking event was held at the First Nations Longhouse at the beginning of Congress, facilitated by Dr. Linc Kesler, Director of UBC’s First Nations Studies program. This event complemented the sessions on “Understanding the Challenges of Métis, Non-Status Indians and Urban Aboriginal Peoples” organized by the Aboriginal Policy Research Network of the Office of the Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians. A film, produced by UBC students Karrmen Crey and Amy Perreault, “What I Learned in Class Today,” about experiences of aboriginal students in the classroom was shown twice during Congress; there was a Community Service Learning dinner / discussion at the Robson Square campus one evening, organized by UBC Professor Margo Fryer, in addition to the panel discussion of Richard Florida’s latest book, Who’s Your City? In staging these events, we wished to particularly emphasize the 11 important interactions between UBC and the community. Because Congress provides an unparalleled opportunity for networking by both faculty and graduate students, we sought to highlight UBC researchers through a program of “Portraits in Research”; these profiles of UBC researchers (including contact information) ran on plasma screens in various locations, including the Barber Learning Centre, the Registration Centre, the Life Sciences atrium during the President’s receptions; and at the Book Fair. In the spring of 2007, Mariela McIlwraith took maternity leave, and Allan De Jong, General Manager of Conferences and Accom- modations, took over the role of Logistical Convenor. In the fall of 2007, the Office of the Provost appointed Nancy Wiggs, an administrator with the Law faculty, as Special Projects Manager for Congress. Together with Lisa D’Alfonso, Meeting Planner with Conferences and Accommodations, and Jordan Jenkins, an Honours English student hired as Congress Assistant, we five constituted the core planning committee for Congress in conjunction with our colleagues from the Federation. I take great pleasure here in thanking the UBC team for the wonderfully supportive atmosphere they created for the planning and realisation of Congress events, as well as for their generosity in meeting, during the lead-up to Congress, with representatives of future host universities for Congress, including Carleton, Concordia, Victoria, Regina and New Brunswick. And I am profoundly grateful for the expertise that the Federation’s Congress Secretariat brought to this event. Recommendations 1) The relationship between the University and the Federation should be understood as a partnership in which the goals of the Federation and of the host University are met equally and to the mutual benefit of both 2) The relationship of the Federation with its Program Partners, such as SSHRC, should be clarified at the outset and communicated with clarity to the host institution, such that the host institution can identify expectations and respond to them appropriately and in a timely manner. 3) Speakers for Congress, especially keynote speakers, should be selected through the full co-operation of the University and the Federation 4) The host University’s academic profile and priorities at Congress should be pursued with the full support of the Federation 12 5) The Federation should work with the host University in developing a sponsorship program well in advance of Congress 6) The Federation should work with the host University to significantly increase the possibilities for participation and interaction at Congress with the wider community; on a related front, it should seek to expand its delegate base internationally; and it should seek to further to a much greater extent the interdisciplinary potentialities of Congress 7) The Federation should re-examine traditional aspects of its Congress program to ascertain whether these aspects—such as the Beer garden or multiple Presidential Receptions— continue to serve its interests, the interests of the University, and of delegates 8) The Federation should re-think its registration process. The registration forms for which delegates currently line up (often for a considerable length of time) could be printed out by the delegate upon successful completion of registration; if bags were eliminated (as part of an ongoing sustainability program) and if paper inserts were radically reduced, the registration process would be streamlined 9) The Federation should work in collaboration with SSHRC to create a program for undergraduates at Congress parallel to the summer program for undergraduates offered by NSERC 10) Given that 40% of registered delegates are graduate students, the programming for graduate students should be enhanced Richard Cavell Academic Convenor Congress 2008 REPORT OF THE LOGISTICAL CONVENOR AV Support Support was offered to Associations in a 4-hour package that included a data projector; voice amplification in rooms having more than 100 seats; a white board; an overhead projector and screen; sound amplification (if available); and technical support. Most associations purchased this package for most sessions. Other equipment was offered à la carte, including dedicated technical support for $40/hr. The 4 hour package had some limitations. It was not meant to service gatherings in large social function spaces, which did not have built in AV equipment. Local Arrangement Coordinators (LACs) requiring such services were provided with custom proposals at a ‘market’ rate. Only a couple of proposals were declined due to price. Also, the package was only available 13 from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm (a fact not communicated properly in advance). Several evening requests were received, some of which could only be serviced with a dedicated technician versus a technician ‘floating’ between multiple buildings. The staff contingent included about 15 full time AV techs plus 40 student ‘e-coaches’. This support staff wore tangerine shirts and circulated outside of rooms that had equipment/support orders as well as attending known session start times. Staff could not attend the beginning of all sessions as many of the 4 hour packages had multiple presentations for which start times were unknown. Peak start time for 4-hour packages was 8:30 am to 9:30 am and then again from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. The support ratio was intended to be one tech for each 6 sessions with AV orders. However, given the dispersion of sessions over 20+ buildings and the peak start time issue, staffing was increased closer to a 4:1 ratio or less. An AV Tech support desk was staffed daily in the Student Union Building (SUB) to provide support for presenters as well as to be a check-in point for the Tech staff to pick up radios, work orders and AV equipment packs. Support desk staff included a coordinator and up to 3 extra e-coaches, who were available to cover absences, assist with peak start times and run equipment to buildings if necessary. The Coordinator monitored the AV support radio channel to help troubleshoot and support techs in the buildings. Two of UBC’s most experienced techs were assigned to a van which shuttled between buildings while monitoring the radio. They were able to deliver/fix/replace equipment and address complex AV problems. Most UBC classrooms do not have computers and UBC does not have a large inventory of laptops. Therefore, LACs were advised repeatedly to obtain laptops for sessions or ask presenters to bring laptops. Thankfully, AV techs had amassed a small inventory of laptops from a variety of campus sources which they were able to provide to the notable number of presenters who had neglected to bring laptops. The student e-coaches carried AV supply packs that enabled them to fix problems on site, without having to locate special cables/Mac adapters, etc., as well as to offer onsite supplies to presenters if required. On Line Form System A web based system that interfaced with a pre-existing event management system was developed to enable LACs to request rooms, order AV and order catering services on-line. This system provided LACs 14 with summary and detail order reports that included total costs. The orders were automatically placed into the event management system where Catering and AV staff could monitor order information, make changes, print work orders, print detail and summary reports, and generate invoices. The order system was available to LACs until mid May to facilitate the significant number of late orders. The development of the online order system required a substantial amount of design and programming time by Housing’s IT Director. A consultant was also required to assist with the integrations into the propriety Event Business Management System. The development process was time consuming and costly. Room Request form: Room request functionality was enabled October 2 and closed on November 14. LACs could request rooms for periods of up to 4 hour sessions with virtually any start time, and could indicate necessary room features. The system allowed LACs to auto-generate 25 identical room requests at once with the ability to then go back and make changes to individual requests. (Subsequent changes to the start/end time or size of a room request had to be submitted via email.) Though the form attempted to collect very specific room information, most LACs had to estimate their requirements as their programs were not finalized until mid spring. Room allocations were confirmed on January 28, 2008. The AV Request form was enabled in mid March. LACs could submit multiple AV orders for each room session that they had created. LACs could change or cancel requests as well as generate reports with cost projections. If the length of a session was less than the 4 hour AV package, LACs could attach a subsequent session to the same package as long as it was in the same room and immediately following the first session. The ability to order AV services was disabled mid May. A Catering request form was enabled in mid March as well. Standardized ‘drop delivery’ meals and standardized receptions or buffets could be ordered on line. If a LAC wanted a customized event, they would call the UBC Catering office to discuss their needs and to place an order. The catering form was also disabled in mid May. Several issues arose regarding ordering services from UBC. First, several LACs were extremely late in submitting catering and AV orders, which hampered resource scheduling in the latter stages of planning. Secondly, the notion of AV staff and presenters finding Association representative who had ‘signing authority’ (mainly LACs) to authorize on site purchase of services/equipment did not work well as the LACs were often not readily identifiable or available. 15 Finally, one LAC neglected to advise the Congress Office that six rooms in the Geography building were not required. Consequently, scheduled custodial services were not cancelled resulting in unnecessary costs accrued by UBC. RECOMMENDATIONS (A): A1) future hosts should collaborate on the development of an open standards web-based system that can be passed onto subsequent host institutions in an attempt to avoid the cost, time and expertise required to create a new system each year. A2) future hosts should consider charging Associations higher fees for services ordered after the due dates in an attempt to persuade them financially to prepare for and organize their events in a timely manner. A3) the Federation should amend Form 2 (Society Account Request) to require prospective signing officers to indicate one of the following: a) that they will accept charges for all services requested on site by presenters that are not authorized on site, or b) that they will not accept charges for services requested on site by presenters without signing authorization on site and that they will be accessible during all sessions to help ensure a successful conference. A4) future hosts should charge associations who fail to provide advance notification that they do not require classrooms allocated to their event IT Services Delegates were offered complimentary campus wireless service. Each Association had a unique ID and password for delegates that enabled wireless access in all campus buildings and in many outdoor spaces. The same password and ID allowed delegates to use one of over 135 workstations located in several libraries across campus. Additionally, a large computer lab was available to delegates in the Forestry building, which was located in the southern part of the academic core of campus. Approximately 39 public workstations were available in the Student Union Building on the lower and main floors. These stations did not require a password or ID. Printing services were available for a fee in each of the libraries or at the CopyRight centre in the lower level of the Student Union Building. 16 IT support and troubleshooting services were available at a booth located on the main level of the Student Union Building. Airport Shuttle The decision to offer a shuttle service from UBC to Vancouver International airport was made after concerns arose about the impact of the summer cruise ship season on the availability of taxis and as a result of media reports about a taxi shortage in Vancouver. A local bus company was engaged to offer this service to delegates for $12 including all tips and taxes. Delegates pre-purchased tickets at a table in the registration area and were picked up at one of three UBC residences. Two shuttles operated on 45 minute pickup intervals from 08:00 to 16:15hrs. The service was well subscribed and more economical than the $35+ taxi fare to the airport. There were numerous complaints that a shuttle from the airport to UBC was not offered. However, plenty of taxis were available at the airport to transfer delegates to hotels so this option was not deemed necessary. On Campus Accommodation Delegates filled 1669 rooms on peak nights in three campus residences for a total of 11,452 room nights. Walter Gage, Place Vanier and Marine Drive residences were allocated to Congress. The roomnight pickup over Congress was as follows: May 30 917 Rooms May 31 1368 June 1 1443 June 2 1669 June 3 1519 June 4 1301 June 5 1202 June 6 863 June 7 508 The room rate included a hot breakfast for each guest that was served at the Place Vanier Cafeteria or at a large breakfast buffet in the Pacific Spirit Cafeteria in the Student Union Building. Wayfinding UBC campus has an established wayfinding system that includes street and building signage. Temporary signs were placed in areas that had insufficient permanent signage. To help guide delegates around campus, custom maps were developed that highlighted both the route to the venue(s) allocated to each Association as well as the venue itself. These maps were handed out at a ‘map table’ set up in the registration area. This system worked well for the most part. Unfortunately, during an extremely busy registration period on May 31 when long lineups developed, many 17 delegates rushed off without their maps. Student ambassadors were placed at the main entrances to the Student Union building to help delegates with their maps and help point them in the correct direction. Even with maps and signage, these ambassadors played a critical role in assisting delegates with way finding. Temporary Staff Requirements and Recruitment It was UBC’s responsibility to recruit staff on behalf of the Federation for jobs in a variety of areas including registration, delegate services, building help desks, information kiosks, and general labour. UBC assigned two Conference Department staff to assume the roles of Recruitment Coordinator and Assistant. The recruitment process began in early March and took approximately two months to complete. UBC attracted potential candidates by building a bilingual website that described the terms of employment and job descriptions (provided by the Federation) for the various positions. The URL for the website was distributed via an email blast to student communities in the arts and humanities. Interested applicants completed an online form. UBC received approximately 200 online applications. The recruiters conducted an initial phone screening with all applicants. From the phone screening approximately 50 candidates were eliminated and 150 were interviewed. A list of screening and interview questions was provided to the Federation. In the end, 120 candidates were ranked depending on their qualifications, interview performance and availability. The candidate information was then forwarded to the Federation which arranged a final interview with the candidates and made final hiring decisions. The Federation hired 92 student staff who worked 3,841 hours. All paper- work related to appointments, and staff scheduling and training was handled by the Federation. In addition to recruiting staff for the Federation, UBC required staff to perform various tasks during Congress, including providing information and directions in strategic locations around campus (in addition to the information kiosks staffed by Federation student staff), distributing customized maps at the ‘map table’ in the registration area, driving a minivan to transport delegates with mobility challenges, and acting as greeters at special events. These jobs were filled primarily by hiring temporary staff and reassigning full-time staff. A small number of volunteers assisted but the overall contribution by volunteers was minimal. Approximately 400 hours were required. 18 UBC also supplied information kiosks ( 10’ X 10” canopy tents) situated at key locations around campus. UBC provided tourist information, bus schedules, brochures and sundry supplies for the kiosks. RECOMMENDATION (B): Information kiosk attendants should be provided with session room numbers and times for all associations. Delegates who were sent back to the Registration area to obtain the information were often frustrated because they were running late. Similarly, session information for associations that did not submit their programs to the Federation on time could be obtained online during Congress. A staff person should be assigned to gather and distribute session information for those associations that did not submit a program. Radios UBC leased 70 ‘walkie-talkie’ style radios for use during Congress. The radios were distributed to: Delegate Services – 30 radios for use by building ambassadors, info kiosks, and drivers. UBC staff – 10 radios to key personnel involved with Congress logistics. A/V Support – 20 radios to A/V support staff. Food Services – 10 radios to Food Services managers and key support staff. In addition to the channel that UBC House Staff uses for its communication, three additional channels were programmed: ‘Federation’, ‘A/V’, and ‘Food Services”. During Congress, staff could communicate with people from their own work groups on their own channels or communicate with staff from different work groups by switching channels. The radios proved to be a very fast and effective form of communication. Child Care A total of 20 children, from the ages of 5 months to 10 years, were signed up for child care services from May 31 – June 6 inclusive; the largest number in the history of Congress. Child minding was provided by an external mobile service provider, Mobile Child Care Services, from 9am-5pm daily in the Walter Gage Residence. Service was not provided on June 6 and 7 as there was not enough interest to make it economically feasible. Rates were offered for full and half day service, and were structured according to the children’s ages (infant, toddler, pre/school age). Registration was completed and payment was due in full by April 25. Several delegates expressed interest in the program shortly before or during Congress, but their requests could not be accommodated. They were therefore 19 redirected to Nannies On Call, a temporary nanny service. Security Campus security was hired for the President’s Receptions as per the Life Sciences building rules and regulations. Additional, general overnight campus security was increased. The focus of these overnight shifts was to patrol buildings that had temporarily installed audio visual equipment. Also, Margaret Somerville requested venue security at Hebb Theatre during her presentation and the book signing that followed as a precaution due to previous issues with protesters. There were no issues during Congress recorded by campus security. Conferences and Accommodation Night Staff was hired to monitor the SUB building, in particular the Registration Area and the Congress Offices, as they were temporarily equipped with a number of computer workstations. It was determined that security was not needed at the Book Fair as all of the gym and storage locks were changed for Congress. A professional security company was hired for monitoring the beer garden as per government regulations. Accessibility Delegates were encouraged to contact UBC’s Access & Diversity Office in advance to discuss any special requirements they might have had. The Federation also provided a report to the logistics team, who passed it on to the Access team, of which registered delegates’ had self-declared as having special needs. Each of these delegates was contacted prior to Congress to ensure their needs could be met. Particular attention was paid to the Canadian Disability Studies Association (CDSA) and its meeting space as not all buildings on campus are accessible. Several delegates did not self-declare until they were onsite; as much as possible was done to meet their needs. A van was rented with a hired driver to work from approximately 7:30am- 7pm each day to transport those that were injured or needed special transportation to and from sessions. This service was not well used, due possibly to a lack of need. President’s Receptions The Life Sciences atria were rented for the purpose of the five President’s Receptions on June 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, based on the forecast number of attendees and on the rental rate. After discussion with the Federation, the reception dates were chosen in order to capture a majority of delegates and to achieve an even 20 distribution of the larger associations that were to attend. Guarantees were given to UBC Food Services based on historical precedent – 65% of invited attendees are expected to attend as per previous years. This year, however, roughly 20-30% of delegates attended each reception. Potential reasons are: a) a number of associations lengthened their conference day to 5:30 or 6pm, and some even later; b) the distance from the conference “hub” to the venue was approximately a 10-minute walk; c) the attractiveness of metropolitan Vancouver to visiting delegates, who preferred in many cases to go downtown and explore Vancouver’s attractions. Allan DeJong, General Manager, UBC Conferences and Accommodations Lisa D’Alfonso, Meeting Planner, UBC Conferences and Accommodations UBC FOOD SERVICES REPORT Overall, Congress 2008 was a huge success for UBC and for the delegates who attended. Food Services supported this success through the provision of quality food and timely and professional service, as follows: Bed and Breakfast Service: Breakfast was served at two locations on campus: the Vanier residence dining room and Pacific Spirit Place in the Student Union Building (the registration site). Breakfast price was $5.75 per person and included eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns daily plus another breakfast item (pancakesw, waffles, French toast) and cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit, juice, coffee and tea. This breakfast was available to all delegates staying on campus. Numbers of delegates as provided by UBC’s Conferences and Accommodations were very accurate; over 13,000 breakfasts were served in total. Recommendation: build the cost of the breakfast into the cost of the on- campus accommodation; this provides a guarantee to the food provider and gives a valued-added service to the delegates. Breakfast on Campus Series: Four breakfasts in this series took place; one had a guarantee of 80 attendees, and three others had a guarantee of 160 attendees, for a total forecast of 560 attendees. However, each breakfast was under attended by about 35%. Tracking payment was difficult. All attendees received a free breakfast; on-campus delegates used their B&B tickets and off- campus delegates were billed to the Federation (289 were billed). Recommendation: advertise these breakfasts comprehensively and ensure they are located in a central spot on campus. Buffet Lunch: Each day a buffet lunch was provided on a cash basis at Pacific Spirit Place. Those who made use of this service were highly complimentary of the variety, quality, and value of the meals. The all-inclusive, all-you-care-to-eat lunch price was $10.00 per person. 21 As there was no guarantee given for the number of delegates expected at these lunches, the financial risk fell on Food Services. While there was a forecast of 700 to 900 lunches per day, the service was under used and daily numbers ranged from 145 to 350 lunches. The under use of this service was related to the large number of drop-delivery lunches distributed and by the number of other cash operations open throughout campus. Recommendation: expectations of attendees should be lowered for this service, and, if many other cash operations are provided on campus, the host university should consider not offering the service. Conversely, other cash operations could be closed and lunch service could be centralized at one location. Beer Garden: The Beer Garden service was also provided at the centrally-located Pacific Spirit Place. A tent was set up in an adjacent outdoor area within sight of the Book Fair and a section of the dining room was used for indoor service. Temporary draft machines were set up with the expectation that this would be a busy afternoon hub; however, these expectations were not met. While sales had been budgeted at $30-40,000, actual sales were $8,100. In order to add vibrancy to the locale, a band was brought in on two evenings; however, very few delegates attended on those evenings. Possible reasons for the poor usage of this facility include: inclement weather throughout; lack of atmosphere in dining room area; competition from an on-campus pub (Mahony’s), which became the “hangout” of choice; lack of initial advertising; UBC’s proximity to downtown Vancouver—many delegates left campus at the end of the day to explore the city and have dinner there. Recommendation: the success of the Beer Garden will depend on the host university’s location relative to the metropolitan area. At UBC, where pubs are located on campus and the campus is close to a major metropolitan core, a beer garden was not necessary. A host university that does not have these amenities may profit from a well-advertised, centrally-located beer garden. Another alternative service that could be considered is adding a beer and wine bar to the bookfair setup. Catering: Drop-off Deliveries and Full Service Events UBC Food Services supplied over 450 drop deliveries and catered events; on the peak day there were 88 events requiring one or two deliveries and a pick up. A limited menu selection, created specifically for Congress, was provided. Ordering was facilitated by an online system (EBMS), which had the considerable advantage of eliminating faxed orders and reducing telephone orders by 80%. Food Services rented three vans in order to enhance their inventory of two vans and two one-ton trucks, 22 and hired 6 additional drivers to enhance their regular contingent. Recommendations: Plates, napkins, and hot beverage condiments should be pre-packaged. A limited menu should be devised that allows options to delegates but streamlines production productivity. Lunch combos, pastry combos and beverage combos should be created for ease of ordering and increased sales opportunities. Trucks should be on the road early and should establish a delivery time standard of 20 to 40 minutes prior to the requested time of delivery. President’s Receptions The Federation issues invitations for a specific evening to each association, together with a complimentary beverage ticket for each delegate invited. Guaranteed numbers are based on previous President’s receptions and are factored against the number of delegates registered. UBC hosted 5 such receptions in anticipation of the higher number of delegates forecast to attend Congress 2008. The menu consisted of passed hot and cold hors d’oeuvres and various platter items such as vegetable crudités, pita chips and dips, and antipasto platters. These receptions were poorly attended. Against a forecast attendance of 65%, attendance was actually at 25%. Possible factors causing this poor attendance include inclement weather; the location of the receptions at a considerable distance from the main conference venues and accommodations; conflict with the ending time for sessions; limited promotion of the receptions; a desire by delegates to leave campus for downtown Vancouver. Recommendation: The President’s receptions should be located as close as possible to sessions and accommodations. The start time of the reception should be co-ordinated with the ending time of sessions. The number of such receptions could be reduced to two or three. Other Retail Outlets: UBC Food Services initially opened two units normally closed during the summer and expanded the service hours and staffing levels. However, these services were underused and, after two days, were scaled back to the standard level of services for that time of year. Post-conference sales analysis of all other retail locations indicated that there was very minor sales growth compared to the previous year at that time. Recommendation: Regular hours and level of service should be sufficient at the main dining facility of the host university. University Centre and Sage Bistro: 23 Catering activity at this facility was very successful. Sage Bistro (the fine dining venue on campus) was very busy and well-used, experiencing considerable volume and requiring additional service provision. Recommendation: If the host university operates a Faculty Club or similar fine dining venue, it should be well-promoted as an à la carte dining and catering opportunity. Andrew Parr, Director, UBC Food Services Loriann McGowan, General Manager, Residences Food Services 1. PLANNING STRUCTURE Core Planning Committee This committee consisted of the Academic Convenor, the Logistical Convenor, the Special Projects Manager, the Congress Meeting Planner, and the Congress Assistant (as described above). This committee met regularly, with the SPM reporting regularly to the senior administration. Meetings were also held with relevant units across campus when required. In general, committee structure was non- hierarchical. 1.1 the Academic Convenor interfaced with colleagues in the faculties of Arts, Education, Law and Business, and with the University community at large, making presentations to Senate, to the Committee of Deans, to Management and Department Heads of Units, and to Heads, Chairs and Directors. 1.2 the Logistical Convenor interfaced with all service units on campus—particularly Food Services and the Media Group--and also supervised accommodations, room allocations audio-visual requirements and budget 1.3 the Special Projects Manager coordinated the various levels of Congress planning—logistical, administrative, communicational and financial—and was also the conduit for information flowing between the Federation and the University via weekly telephone conversations. We aimed for the utmost clarity in determining the Federation’s and the University’s responsibilities by submitting the Letter of Agreement between the two parties to the University’s legal counsel, which restructured and rewrote it. 1.4 the Congress Meeting Planner had oversight of all room allocations on campus 1.5. the Congress Assistant was the direct interface between Local 24 Arrangements Co-ordinators and UBC. 2. COMMUNICATIONS In addition to the Convenor’s communications with various university stakeholders (1.1), the university’s broadcast email services were used a number of times to communicate information about Congress to the university community. A newsletter was also inaugurated and sent out regularly, via email, to campus stakeholders and to Local Arrangements Co- ordinators. UBC’s Public Affairs unit was instrumental in interfacing with the Federation’s communcations personnel as well as with local and national communications networks. Coverage in the press was of a very high level, representing the centrality of research in the humanities and social sciences to the new cultural economy. Press highlights: “Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences,” UBC Reports: Special Congregation Issue (1 May 2008) 10-11 “Thinking Without Borders,” Trek [UBC Alumni Association], Spring 2008, pp. 7-8 “A Centenary Without Borders: world’s largest multidisciplinary gathering coming to UBC,” Artsbeat magazine [UBC Faculty of Arts] vol.5. no. 1 (Spring ’08) pp. 1; 4. “UBC to Host Largest Conference in its History,” Business in Vancouver (May 20-26, 2008) Special Congress Issue, Frontier: A Journal of Research and Discovery [Office of the Vice President Research], June 2008, Editorial and 3 related articles “Without Borders: UBC Hosts World’s Largest Interdisciplinary Gathering, with nearly 10,000 delegates participating,,” Artsbeat magazine [UBC Faculty of Arts], vol.5 no. 2, special Congress issue, 4pp. “The Biggest Thing Ever to Hit UBC: Humanities conference brings the global conversation among 9,500 academics to Vancouver for a week,” The Vancouver Sun (31 May 2008) B1; B3 “La recherche scientifique doit profiter à tous: les sciences humaines, dont un congrès universitaire se tient présentement à Vancouver, font toujours leur un vieux slogan connu au Québec: ‘La personne avant toute chose,’” Le Devoir (31 mai 2008) G1 (entire 6 page section devoted to Congress) “Academics See a Chance to Make the Arts Matter: Scholars hail ‘huge’ gain for humanities,” The Globe and Mail (2 June 2008) A1; A8 “Scholars Must Encourage ‘Hot Debate’ on Campuses, UBC 25 President Says,” The Globe and Mail (4 June 2008) A4 “Men Afraid of Fatherhood, UBC Prof Says,” The Province (5 June 2008) A29 “City’s Creativity Relies on Affordability, Author Says: Richard Florida encourages urban centres to make space for young, economically challenged,” The Vancouver Sun (7 June 2008) A5 The Portraits in Research also constituted a key venue for communicating the nature and breadth of research opportunities in the humanities and social sciences at UBC. Finally, President Toope’s address to Congress received national press coverage for its revisioning of the role of the university in the 21st century. APPENDIX A: UBC CONGRESS PERSONNEL Academic Planning Committee Richard Cavell (Dept. of English; Director, International Canadian Studies Centre) Academic Convenor; Chair, Academic Planning Cttee. Michael Byers (Canada Research Chair, Global Relations and International Law) Lorraine Chan (Communications Co-ordinator, UBC Public Affairs) Tony Clarke (Faculty of Education) John Cooper (Dept. of English; Associate Dean Students, Faculty of Arts) Joy Dixon (Dept. of History) Rita Irwin (Assoc. Dean, Faculty of Education) Sid Katz (Chair, UBC Centennial Cttee.; Executive Director, Community Affairs) Tom Kemple (Dept. of Sociology) Mariela McIlwraith (Director of Conference Services) Wes Pue (Faculty of Law; Vice Provost) James Tansey (Centre for Applied Ethics, Sauder School for Business; Director, Centre for Sustainable Social Enterprise) Senior Academic Committee Wes Pue (Faculty of Law; Vice Provost) Chair Ken Carty (Political Science; McLean Chair in Canadian Studies) Richard Cavell (Dept. of English; Director, International Canadian Studies Centre; Academic Convenor of Congress) Allan De Jong (General Manager, Conferences and Accommodations) Don Fisher (Faculty of Education; Past President, Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences) Peter Milroy (Director, UBC Press) Dianne Newell (Dept. of History; Director, Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies) Patricia Vertinsky (Faculty of Education) Peter Ward (Dept. of History; University Librarian pro tem) 26 Nancy Wiggs (Special Projects Manager, Congress 2008) SAC Logistical Committee Allan De Jong, Logistical Convenor Brian Lee, Financial Manager, Arts Cindy Behrmann, Development Kent Ashby, University Legal Counsel Nancy Wiggs, Special Projects Manager Lisa D’Alfonso, Congress Conference Services Manager Jordan Jenkins, Congress Assistant Rob Wharton, Volunteer Co-ordinator Callie Hanson, Gage Front Desk Mgr. Gillian Moseley, Housestaff Co- ordinator Chris Yong, Conference IT Food Services Committee Andrew Parr, Director, Food Services John Flipse, GM, Food Services Loriann McGowan, General Manager, Residence Dining Operations Kevin Dueck, Catering Manager Associate Planning Personnel Justin Marples, Director, Classroom Services Kelly Simmons, Project Mgr., Enrolment Services Tony Voon, Director, Media Group Mike Hepburn, IT Services, Faculty of Education Ulrich Rauch, Director, Arts Instructional Support and Information Technology Morgan Reid, Manager, AV / Digital Video Producer, Arts IT Ricardo Serrano, User Support Specialist, Arts IT Dianne Tromba, Asst. Dean, Finance and Admin., Graduate Studies Eilis Courtenay, Director of Ceremonies Sheila Jones, Senior Events Coordinator Peter Ward, University Librarian pro tem Simon Neame, Coordinator, Programs and Services, Barber Learning Centre Garry Der, Coordinator, IT Systems and Support, Barber Learning Centre Patricia Stevens, Director, Office of the President Scott MacRae, Executive Director, Public Affairs Lorraine Chan, Communications Coordinator, Public Affairs Debbie Harvie, Director, Bookstore Belle Dale-Wills, Associate Director, Facility Services James Bellevance, Facilities Manager Zone 1 Pat Fitzgerald, Waste Management / Labour / Dispatch Supervisor Lynn Pendleton, Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor, UBCO Don Thompson, Director, Information Services, UBCO APPENDIX B: CUSTOMIZED CAMPUS MAP (sample p. 28) APPENDIX C: ROOM USAGE BY SOCIETY AND DATE (sample p. 29) 27 APPENDIX D: AUDIO VISUAL USAGE BY SOCIETY AND DATE (p. 30) APPENDIX E: SAMPLE CATERING MENUS (p. 31 ) Appendix B: Sample Customized Map 28 29 30 Appendix D: Audio Visual Usage 31 Appendix E: Sample Catering Menus