Among Jeff Iles' requests as he organizes the annual Shade Tree Short Course, one of his most important speaks to Iowa State Conference Planning and Management's (CPM) value.
CPM by the numbers
Calendar year 2024
- Events managed by CPM: 145
- In-person events: 132
- Virtual events: 13
- Events in Ames: 91
- Events outside of Ames, within Iowa: 34
- Events outside of Iowa: 6
- Total attendees: 175,920
Contact CPM by email or submit a request through its website.
"I came to Iowa State as a grad student in 1987, and my first experience with a CPM planner was in 1988," said the horticulture professor. "I ask [event planner] Kim Abels not to retire before I do because she is invaluable and takes so much work off of my shoulders."
The short course -- a two-day event at the Scheman Building that attracts attendees from across the nation -- will celebrate its 70th year in February when nearly 700 visitors come to campus. Iles works with Abels almost year-round to ensure the conference is a success.
While it's part of the operations unit in ISU Extension and Outreach, CPM coordinates internal and external events for all university faculty, staff, student organizations and departments/units. CPM's model embraces the "one university" philosophy and is built on partnerships with other campus units.
The CPM team operates out of the State Avenue Office Building, since last summer independently of Discover Ames. It helps develop in-person, hybrid or virtual conferences, workshops, trainings, tours or other events that take place on campus, in the state or anywhere in the nation. CPM director Jody Larson, six professional event planners and a budget and finance specialist handle about 150 internal and external events each year. She encourages anyone who will host an event to visit with CPM to avoid recreating "a planning wheel we can easily put into motion."
CPM is the contact for external groups wanting to hold multiple-facility events on campus. That includes Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, which brings thousands of visitors to campus from across the globe biannually. CPM also manages the state Department of Health and Human Services' events held across the state and virtually.
"We want to be a resource for everyone and steer them in the right direction so they can have the best event possible," Larson said. "We have the experience putting on events to help people through the process. We help our clients reach university compliance and risk mitigation standards, and we create efficiencies by navigating campus systems and handling aspects like billing, vendor compliance and more."
How it works
Larson said the process starts with a meeting with an event planner that focuses on objectives, keys to success and needed services.
"Everyone comes to us at a different point in the process," she said. "Some people have an idea but have never done it before, and others are well versed in what they want to deliver and just need support."
The planner takes the information and develops a budget, timeline and plan. Once details are confirmed an agreement is signed, with CPM's management fee based on the scope of the event.
CPM staff work efficiently with campus service units -- for example, risk management, whose event guidelines must be followed -- but also for any of the optional services clients might request.
"We want CPM in the mix whenever possible," said senior risk and systems analyst Kurt Beyer, risk management, who works with Larson's team when outside organizations bring an event to campus. "They understand what we need to accomplish as far as managing risk, but they also do a lot of behind-the-scenes coordination that brings consistency and efficiency to events -- and that's really to the client's benefit."
Full service
Larson said CPM focuses on event planning and infrastructure, allowing the client to focus on the content. At a typical educational conference -- like the Shade Tree Short Course -- CPM staff might book the venue; assist with registration services; transport speakers, VIPs or all attendees to and from the airport; order food and beverage; arrange for audio-visual equipment or attendants; manage speaker, sponsor, exhibitor and participant details and communications; handle vendor contracts; purchase participant handouts; and more. CPM staff are on site to coordinate the event.
"For speakers, we collect bios, presentations, and confirm room set up and handouts," Larson said. "For sponsors, we handle sponsor management and fulfillment to ensure they receive what they were promised."
For virtual events, CPM goes beyond a traditional Zoom meeting to create a more interactive experience for attendees. It emulates an in-person conference with the capacity to host concurrent sessions, numerous chances for participants to interact with each other and virtual exhibitor booths that allow face-to-face interaction.
