Embracing Campus Culture with Improved Events Management
Nestled amidst spectacular outdoor settings, Southern Utah University (SUU), home of the Thunderbirds, is a hub of learning and faculty-student engagement, enhanced by its smaller class sizes and robust campus activities. However, the university’s fragmented event calendaring system, with its multiple, separately managed calendars, needed to improve effective communication of campus events. This led to student confusion, reduced event exposure, and subsequently, lower attendance.
The Challenge: Disarray and Inconsistency in Event Coordination
Previously, SUU relied on a disjointed system of separate Google Calendars for each department, causing significant operational challenges. This system was plagued by duplicate events, creating clutter and confusion, and struggled under the load of aggregating numerous calendars. A crucial shortfall was inconsistent event information, lack of filtering of events, and nonexistent reporting, leading to diminished student engagement and participation.
The Turning Point: Concept3D Acquires Localist Events
The situation took a turn for the better when the university learned about Localist Events’ merger with Concept3D. Given the university’s existing partnership with Concept3D through their Interactive Map, this presented a promising opportunity to address their calendaring challenges.
“I already have a fantastic working relationship with this company. It will be easier to implement so let’s look into this.”
Jill Whitaker, Director of Web Services
Southern Utah University
Bringing it All Together: Localist Events
The adoption of Localist Events marked a significant transformation. The platform centralized event management, consolidating the numerous departmental calendars into a single system. It also improved user permissions, allowing campus departments to manage their calendar events more efficiently. A noteworthy enhancement was the standardization of event information. Whitaker highlights streamlined event descriptions with filters such as ‘Prospective Students’ or “Free Food” that appeal more to students and fit their current needs. Interestingly, Localist Events has helped to also strengthen local community relationships by being able to showcase events that are created for everyone, not just students. “We have dedicated a whole calendar audience to events that local community members are invited to,” Whitaker notes. The platform’s seamless integration with the university’s website upheld its branding while elevating functionality and user experience.
Fewer Headaches, More Events, and Increased Attendance
The shift to Localist Events brought several positive outcomes. There was an uptick in the number of events posted and the better, centralized visibility, led to increased attendance. The university saw a shift towards more proactive event management across departments because the calendar was now centralized. The overall management of the calendar system became streamlined and less time-consuming. Looking ahead, SUU is excited to further leverage Localist Events, especially for larger-scale events like conferences, utilizing the platform’s comprehensive features.
“So far, everything is going really well. We started having people submit more events than ever before!”
Jill Whitaker, Director of Web Services
Southern Utah University
