Dr Reynolds: Now, the next thing I think we should discuss is the accommodation situation. It seems clear that the number of visitors is set to grow, so we need to have a suitable plan in place to deal with the increased numbers. We don't want a repeat of this year. What do you think, Lawrence?
Lawrence: Actually, I saw the accommodation that we used at the city college, and it was pretty basic, though it was clean and tidy. There was only a bed and a desk in each room.Another thing the visitors complained about was the lack of Wi-Fi in the rooms, especially as they'd paid for rooms with Wi-Fi. It certainly wasn't ideal.
Dr Reynolds: Do you have anything to add, Sangita?
Sangita: Yeah ... I can understand why they weren't happy. I'd have felt the same in their position.
Dr Reynolds: Well, there's that new holiday development at Elm Park, quite close to the university. Perhaps we could use their rooms. After all, it won't be the holiday high season, so there should be plenty of empty rooms that we could use.
Sangita: That's true. How about taking over some of their rooms and advertising them as accommodation specifically for families with children? They're going to have an outdoor and an indoor adventure area for young people. We had quite a few teenagers this year coming with their parents. If we can attract more by offering them the facilities at the holiday park in a special package, they can go there if they get bored with the festival.
Lawrence: Excellent idea! They'll be around 15 or 16 years old and when they come to the festival, they'll get an idea of what it'd be like to study here. I'm sure it'll help our future prospects as a university.
Dr Reynolds: I agree. I'll be happy to present those ideas to the committee. Moving on to the catering, it seems clear that the idea of theme days with different kinds of national and regional dishes went down very well. I'll recommend repeating it next year, but do you have anything else to say about the catering?
Sangita: Not really ... one thing is that maybe we could tell the students about the festival earlier in the year and invite them to suggest themes and also to volunteer their own cooking skills to help with it. I think that'll make sure that we vary what we offer from year to year, so that we don't just repeat the same dishes each time.
Lawrence: But we should always have fish and chips on the menu! We can't do without that! Seriously though, I agree.
Dr Reynolds: OK. I'll make a note of that as well. Moving on to the helpers, you were both directly involved in that. Do you think it was a good idea to get professionals for the organising?
Lawrence: In a word, no. I think the ones that I worked with didn't really know what they were doing. We were paying them a lot to do their work, but I don't think they really took it as seriously as they should have. They were thinking it was just a student event. On more than one occasion, some of the volunteers had to take charge and make sure that the events went smoothly.
Sangita: Yes, you're right. That was my experience as well. We ended up paying them a lot of money for poor service. It was one of the reasons why there were too few volunteers at some events -because the organisation was so poor. I think the idea of bringing back former students is a good idea. At least then we can be more certain that they know about the university and they'll probably be more committed to doing a good job.
Dr Reynolds: I think you're both right. I was disappointed and I think former students will be a great improvement, so I'll note that as well. We need to talk about finance, but before that, I just want to mention the issue of security. Thinking about the stolen paintings, what do you think we should do about that?
Lawrence: I'm not really sure. I mean, we had the university security guards on duty the whole time, so I don't think we can really add to that.
Sangita: Well, I noticed on more than one occasion that there were windows open in some rooms which made it easy for people to climb in and steal things. I think the main thing is to remind students and volunteers that it's their personal responsibility to be careful and look out for any security issues. So if one of us sees an open window, we should either check with security why it's open, or simply close it.
Dr Reynolds: You're right, Sangita. I'm sure the committee is aware of this, but I'll note it just to show that we've given it some thought. Now finance - what are your feelings on Dr Saunders' suggestions about sponsorship?
Lawrence: I don't think that will go down too well with most students. I mean, personally, I'm not against it, but I think students generally won't be very keen to have businesses involved in what they see as their arts festival. I'm sure they'll be happy to take part in more events to raise money throughout the year before the festival, but they won't be happy about big businesses taking over and having their names all over the university.
Sangita: Well, I think it's going to happen anyway. Everything is commercial to some extent these days. I don't think it's a bad idea, as long as it's done in good taste. I think any businesses that do want to sponsor us or advertise should be aware that they need to work closely with us and respect the spirit of the festival.
Lawrence: Perhaps we could involve local businesses as well as national ones that don't just put their name on the festival, but can actually sponsor specific events, award prizes, and so on. So, for example, a local cinema could sponsor the short film event and even send along a representative to judge the films, that sort of thing.
Dr Reynolds: Yes, I see what you mean. In that way, they'll be directly involved in the festival, which will encourage them to take an active part and build up their reputations for supporting the arts. Well, thank you both. We have a lot of useful suggestions to take back to the committee. |
