SBAA Summer Educators’ Workshop
Tuesday, July 10, 2017
3:00 p.m. – 3:50 p.m., Session 4-A
Dr. George Ebbs, Dean, Joseph W. Luter, III School of Business
Linda S. McKee, Director, Programs & Outreach
Bring the Business World to Campus:
Create a Successful Business Conference on
Campus for Business Students
The Dean Brings His Vision To Reality
Relating Their Professional
Experiences to Students
Creating Multiple Forums for
Student Interaction
Providing Value &
Opportunity for All
Inviting Alumni & Other
Business Leaders to Campus
The Inaugural Business Exchange Event
45 Business Leaders
25 Alumni
7 Board of Advisors
2 Board of Visitors
On February 22-23, 2017, business leaders from across the
Mid-Atlantic U.S. came to share their wisdom and career
experiences with students enrolled in the Luter School of
Business.
• 73% (33) from
Virginia
• Others, as far
away as NY, NJ,
GA and TX
• 55% (25)Alumni
• 18% (8)First-Time
Visitors
Speakers Came From Tens-To-Hundreds of Miles Away
• AeroTech Research, USA
• Anthem
• BlueLabs, Inc.
• Busch Gardens
• Canon USA, Inc.
• Dominion Carolina Gas
• Dominion Virginia Power
• Dominion Transmission
• Ernst & Young
• Ferguson Enterprises
• Heim Lantz
• Hudgins Contracting
• Kearney & Company
• Legg Mason
• Lions Bridge Financial
• Pacific Asia Airways
• PB Mares, LLP
• Planning Solutions Group
• Price Waterhouse Coopers
• Raffa
• Rittman Mead
• Sara Lee Corporation
• The Lee Group
• The Snow Companies
• UPS Freight
• Vision LTC
Top Regional, National & Global Firms Represented
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
SAM FAIRCHILD (‘74)
• Co-Founder, Pacific Asia Airways
• President, Tadpole Group
• President & Director, Trailblazer
• CEO, Optiwind Corp
• CEO, Energy Composites Corp
• Founding Partner, Innova Consulting
• Strategic Advisor, Air New Zealand
• Acting Asst. Secretary, US Dept of
Transportation (1989-1991)
• Advisor to President Reagan for
Transportation (1982-1989)
• What It Takes To Start/Own Your Own
Business
• Should I Get An MBA, CPA, CFA?
• Women In Business
• How To Budget & Save For Financial
Health, Growth
• Building A Career Across Business
Sectors
• Global Business: The World Is Your Oyster
• Big Data – Big World
• How To Increase Your Value In
Company Transition
• Not-for-Profits: Have Fun While
Changing the World
• Successfully Navigating the
Interview Process
• How to Navigate the 4-Generation
Gap
• Branding Yourself for Success
• C-Suite Panel Discussion
• Time Management: Making Work-
Life Balance a Reality While
Succeeding in Business
• Presenting with Impact
Gives Students A Major Advantage on Professional & Social
Skills in preparation for the working world.
Business Leaders Provide Valuable Insights…
Many Interactive Opportunities For Students
Formal Networking
Networking Social
Keynote Presentation
Company Networking
Student Showcasing
Welcome Dinner
Ambassador Program
Informal Networking
Panel Discussions
Workshops
Dinner / Breakfast
Luncheon
Wednesday, February 22:
4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Networking Event & Cocktail Reception Event
6:30 pm.. – 8:30 p.m. Welcome Dinner for Presenters/Alumni/Business
Leaders/Faculty/CNU VIPs
Wednesday, February 22:
Student Ambassadors are Seated with the Business
Leaders They Will Host Throughout the Conference
Top Students are Showcased
Ambassador Program Was Win-Win
41 Student Ambassadors
Student : Speaker
Personal Hosts
Excellent Showcasing of
our Students/School
Thursday, February 23:
8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Networking Breakfast
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Keynote Speaker
Students Arrived Early
Dressed in Business Attire
Learned from Visionary Leader
Business Leaders in Audience
Identified Value As Well
Thursday, February 23:
9:45 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Four Break-out Panel Discussion/
Presentation Sessions
Break-out sessions:
- 6 - 7 different topics/session
- Mostly panel discussions
- Faculty hosts/moderators
The Luncheon Offers Interaction with
Leaders on Key Topics
Students Select Table Topics
Leaders Discuss Topics of
Interest & Expertise
Small Group Setting Offers
Opportunity for
Conversation & Questions
Rewarding & Interesting for
All
Table Topics
• How Strategy Drives Organizational Success
• Getting Experience When You Have No Experience
• A Day in the Life of a Marketing Professional
• How To Start a Business
• Networking Tips & Techniques
• Should You Go To Graduate School or Work First?
• Sales: Selling Yourself, Your Business and Your
Products/Services
• Managing the Transition from School to Work
• Time Management & Work-Life Balance
• Personal Financial Planning
• How To Leverage My Business Degree To Get the Job That I Want
• The Art & Science of Negotiating a Win-Win Deal
40 Tables with Individual
Topics Offered
The Ballroom Was Seated To
Capacity
Networking Wrap-Up Final Closure on the Day
Combined Annual Networking
Event with BusX Event
Many More Businesses
Represented
Students Now Seasoned in
Networking Arena
LOGISTICS
If You Build It, Will They Come?
Calculate Potential Attendance
# StudentsProbability of Attendance
Projected Attendance
400 Majors 75% 300
400 Minors 50% 200
200 Pre-Bus 25% 50
550
Estimate: Will attend 50% 500
Determine Number of
Classes/Session
500 students/2 sessions
250/20 seats = 13 sessions
Determine Number of Speakers
Needed
• Speakers serve in multiple events
• Three speakers / panel;
• One - Two for presentations
Extra Credit Extra Credit
Seven Events Held:
• Breakfast/Keynote
• Four Break-out Sessions
• Table Topic Luncheon
• Networking/Wrap-Up
Students attending 2 or 3 events
earned 1% point EC in business
course of choice S2017.
Students attending 4 or more
events earned 2% points EC in
business course of choice S2017.
Keynote & Luncheon-Required.
Deadline to select course(s).
• Goal: Have High Participation
in Worthwhile Event
• First Time Event – Students May
Not Yet Appreciate Value
• Goal: To Ensure Excellent
Student Turn-out for Speakers
Business school
courses were also
cancelled
for the day.
Student Marketing Team Was Impactful and Professional
Brian Paulus
Marketing Lead - BusX
Alyssa Desmond Meghan O’Reilly Jennifer PinkettLauren Parshall Cailin Ramsey
Speaker Preparation Brought Awesome Results
Selected Business Leaders from
Alumni, CNU Boards and from
Friends of CNU
Worked with Closely over
Several Months
Contribution of Time,
Expertise and Mentoring was
Exceptional
Automation Key in Student Registration Process
• Created electronic registration process using Wufoo TM document.
• Registration embedded in BusX website on CNU Intranet.
• Website provided:
• Speaker photos and bios
• Information about the event in presentation format
• The schedule for the two days• Registration Link
• Opened registration in phases
• Business Students (Majors)
• Business Minors & Pre-Business Students
• With prizes associated with early registration
• Seats in each course were ‘held’ and opened as all courses filled.• Students received confirmation email with registration details.
RESULTS
238 attended 3+ events
Excellent Student Attendance for the Inaugural Event
Over 100 registered in the
first four hours of
registration
151 attended 4+ events
340 attended at least
1 event
246230
186201
102 10275
STUDENT ATTENDANCEMost students arrived early and
participated in first half of day
Weather was 75o and
beautiful by afternoon!
The networking reception suffered
– final event in a long day
Strong Student Attendance Through Much of the Day
0 5 10 15 20 25
The conference was well organized
My session(s) went smoothly
The Luncheon session was well organized
Impressed with student engagement
The networking event was beneficial
The food provided was good
Overall logistics worked well
Parking/directions were good
Speaker Survey Results
Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
51%responded
4Questions showed
areas of opportunity
Overall, Speakers Seemed Impressed With the Outcome
95%Scored
Agree/Strongly
Agree
18%responded
Students Noted Some Glitches; Overall, Logistics Worked Well
79%Agree/Strongly
Agree
0%
7%
62%
30%
1%
Overall logistics worked
well
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
No Answer
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
The online registration was easy to use
Check-in at the conference went smoothly
The Luncheon session was well organized
The food was good
The conference was well organized
Overall logistics worked well
Conference Logistics
Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree No Answer
Overall, Students Believed BusX Provided Value
85%Scored
Agree/Strongly
Agree
3% 12%
41%
44%
The sessions I
attended provided
useful information
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
The session topics were beneficial to my career
preparation
The mix of panel discussions and presentations was
good
The sessions I attended provided useful information
The networking event was beneficial
Conference Value
Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
LESSONS LEARNED
Start Process Early
Time Is Of the Essence!
Increase Sponsorships
& Funding
Utilize Teams &
Organizational Structure
Automate Processes
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
The Future of BusX.
Timing & Time Frame
Future Keynote
Topics
Where do we go from here?
Schedule
OVERALL, OUR INAUGURAL
EVENT WAS A SUCCESS!
Student interest and response was excellent.
Connected alumni and our Luter Board of Advisors in
a meaningful way.
Introduced business leaders to CNU / LSOB in a very
positive way.
Student project leads and ambassadors exhibited
great leadership.
Pulled our LSOB team together.
Thank you.
Do you have questions for us?
