The Huddle is the bi-annual corporate team meeting for CAMPUSPEAK. The company spends more than $25,000 on this event and countless staff hours preparing. The Huddle is an opportunity to network, to learn, to share ideas with others, and to bond with the staff that sells your services year round. The Huddle is mandatory for all members of the speakers team. In addition, approximately a dozen higher education professionals (many of them, also, customers) attend to be trained as facilitators with the company’s Interactive Workshops Division.
Here’s all the information you need to plan your trip to the CAMPUSPEAK Huddle Meeting: June 10-12, 2010!
Dates
New speakers should arrive on Wednesday, June 9, anytime. New Speaker Training will take place all day on Thursday, June 10, beginning at 9 am. Returning speakers should arrive on the afternoon of Thursday, June 10. Our opening reception is that evening at 7 pm.
We have two full days of activities on Friday and Saturday. You should plan to fly out Sunday morning, June 13. If you choose to fly out on Saturday, June 12 (and miss our evening together at Coors Field), please be sure your flight does not depart until at least 6 pm.
Facilitators: please communicate directly with Liz about when she expects you to arrive and depart.
Hotel Info
All events will take place at the Hyatt Denver Tech Center, located at 7800 E. Tufts Ave., Denver CO 80237. (Please note that there are three Hyatts in Denver. Ours is located in the south part of town in “the Tech Center” area. The other two are downtown. We are NOT downtown.) The hotel’s phone number is (303) 779-1234.
Speakers are responsible for making their own reservations and paying for their hotel nights. Room rates are $105/single and $115 double. All room rates INCLUDE a full hot breakfast in the restaurant. Make your reservation by following this link: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/Campuspeak2010
Some speakers elect to stay with friends in the Denver area. This is fine, but it is our expectation that speakers attending the Huddle will be present, on time, and fully engaged at all sessions. The staff has worked hard to put together a valuable experience for you, so if you choose to stay off site, we ask you to respect us by making the Huddle your first priority while in Denver.
If you are open to sharing a room with another speaker, please contact Amy. She is matching up folks who want to share rooms. The more notice you give her, the better your chances.
All facilitators are staying at the Hyatt, and CAMPUSPEAK has arranged for your rooms. You will need to put down a personal credit card at check-in for your incidentals. All facilitators have been assigned to shared rooms. Please contact Liz if you want to know your roommate situation for the weekend.
Ground Transportation to Hotel
Speakers are responsible for their own ground transportation from the airport, to the hotel, and back.
We recommend Super Shuttle. We have negotiated a special rate of $19 each way, or $32 round trip per person. Go to THIS LINK to make your reservation, and use the discount code: X9AZZ. You can also call 1-800-BLUEVAN (800-258-3826), and give the code to the representative. When you arrive at Denver International Airport, look for the Super Shuttle desk in the main terminal near the rental car counters.
A cab will be approximately $40-45 each way, if you prefer, or if you are arriving with another person and can share. Again, make sure your cab driver is taking you to the Hyatt “in the Tech Center,” not downtown.
Facilitators: your Super Shuttle transportation will be paid by CAMPUSPEAK, and Liz will be forwarding you a confirmation number.
What to Wear, What to Bring
The event is casual, and jeans or shorts are fine. There’s really no need to dress up for anything at the Huddle. For Saturday, we are asking speakers to wear whatever they would normally wear to speak on a campus. This is because we have Holly Getty, a style consultant, coming to give us tips on how to dress best for our bodies and comfort. By wearing your normal “gig garb,” you’ll be able to get the most out of that session.
We recommend you bring a light jacket for evening activities because sometimes even summer evenings can be cool in Denver.
Other useful things to bring: business cards, your computer (we will have someone there to coach you on using the online calendar), your Fall 2010 marketing plan, sunscreen, skin lotion (it’s really dry here), and your own water bottle. Facilitators should bring their curriculum notebooks. Gifts for staff members entirely optional.
Spouses and Friends
Your spouse, friend or other guest is welcome to join us for the opening reception Thursday evening (no charge), for dinner Friday evening ($50) and for the baseball game on Saturday ($22, space available). Please call T.J. to get your guest on our RSVP list for Friday and/or Saturday evening activities.
What is Included?
- Breakfasts (included in your room rate)
- Friday and Saturday lunches
- Dinner Friday evening at Il Fornaio (excluding alcohol)
- Saturday evening ticket to Colorado Rockies vs. Toronto Blue Jays at Coors Field
- Some special gifts
What is Not Included?
- Speakers’ ground transportation from airport to hotel (facilitators are paid)
- Your light rail fare on Saturday night to Coors Field (about $6)
- Speakers’ hotel room (facilitators are paid)
- Any food/alcohol you purchase at the baseball game
- Alcoholic beverages at the Friday night dinner
Speakers, if you do the Huddle right, you will…
- ... emerge with improved platform skills to help you better connect with your audiences
- ... be a better storyteller
- ... have mind-blowing visual elements in your presentations
- ... better comprehend the online calendar system, making it work for you
- ... make smarter choices about which conferences to attend next year
- ... have new ideas for using social media as a marketing tool
- ... be more comfortable responding to curve balls audience members throw you
- ... figure out whether you really want to write and publish that book you’ve been pondering
- ... feel solid about your marketing, going into the new academic year
- ... establish media relationships that help you get on national television
- ... create new keynotes and improve your existing ones
- ... establish or strengthen relationships with the staff who market and sell you
- ... pick up several tips that will make travel more bearable
- ... get excited about the new talent joining the agency this year
- ... get some ideas about how to better manage the financial side of your business
- ... have an opportunity to mentor a new speaker, or be mentored by a seasoned one
- ... know how to buy new clothes this summer that better suit your body and style
- ... build a personal connection with other speakers who will talk you up on their travels
- ... get a more solid idea about how this speaking stuff fits in with the rest of your life goals
We can’t wait to have you here. If you have additional questions, please call or email Amy, T.J. or Liz.
