Hospitality Services caters to every conference need

By Colleen MacPherson

U of S Hospitality Services Manager Lynn Guina.

Photo by Colleen MacPherson

Planning a major conference is about details. It’s about ensuring all the bases are covered, all the loose ends are tied up, all the “t”s are crossed and the “i”s dotted. No one on campus knows that better than Lynn Guina and her staff at Hospitality Services.

“People tend to think of us mostly as catering and conferencing, with a real food focus,” said Guina. The name change about a year ago to Hospitality Services was designed to better promote the wide range of services available to clients both on and off campus.

In the private dining room of Marquis Hall at a luncheon table set with vintage dishes from the old College of Home Economics, silver-rimmed stemware and flowers, the Hospitality Services manager explains the ‘menu’ of administrative services offered up by the three-person office operation. It’s impressive, everything from handling registration fees, printing name tags and co-ordinating floor plans for exhibitors, to booking buses and arranging for tours, paying speakers and arranging for official photographs, parking and security.

“The client can pick and choose what they need because no two conferences are the same,” she said. The campus hosts up to 40 conferences over the summer months with most making use of the University’s catering services and guests beds in the four Voyageur Place residences. But there are four or five conferences a year that contract Hospitality Services for full conference administrative support which often requires planning to start well in advance of the event. Work is already underway on a 2007 conference that will bring 2,500 people to campus over two weeks.

Guina’s explanation of services is interrupted by the arrival of executive chef James McFarland’s first course for lunch – citrus salmon with juniper balsamic vinegar on a bed of greens with fresh mango, chive oil, chili oil and turmeric oil.

Across campus, the efforts of Hospitality Services “have gone a long way toward building goodwill within the colleges,” she said. “We feel departments are very appreciative of the skill level and expertise we bring” and by providing what is needed to host national conferences, “I think we contribute, in our own little way, to the bigger picture” of promoting the University of Saskatchewan to visitors and potential students.

There seem to be three keys to the success of Hospitality Services. They are, in no particular order, its working relationships with other University units, its ability to stay within budget and it’s ability to anticipate customer needs.

The unit relies heavily on other campus entities to ensure clients have the broadest range of services, she said. These include the Division of Media and Technology, Printing Services, the mailroom, Facilities Management Division’s vast array of services, and even the bookstore which is helpful “if you need speaker gifts. We’re very service-oriented at this university and we have a great working relationship with all these campus service providers.”

Speaking of service, the main course arrives – grilled bison tenderloin in wild mushroom au jus, dill mashed potatoes, asparagus, zucchini, peppers and squash against a lattice of puff pastry and garnished with sprigs of thyme and rosemary. After admiring McFarland’s handiwork, Guina went on to say that one point of pride is that she never overspends on a conference budget. Ever. In fact, “what I really enjoy is helping conferences make money. There’s money to be made if you’re not afraid to charge a reasonable registration fee”.

And she is a whiz with Excel. “Let me create an Excel chart and I’m happy”, displaying one done for the Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp. It details everything – who gets keys, what chairs have to be pushed to the back of what rooms, how many whiteboards are needed, where the quarterbacks and receivers will be housed, the names of the coaches’ children, and what snacks the general manager likes (assorted chips and Snickers bars).

Last year, Hospitality Services handled $1.6 million in registration, catering and accommodation fees but the unit operates at a break-even point, she said. She added that her experience organizing conference events in Saskatoon hotels for clients has shown that the University “has, by far, the lowest prices of the large caterers within the city’s hotel industry. We’re also have the lowest prices in terms of administrative services, and we’re alone in the market when it comes to residency prices in Saskatoon.” She added that the U of S operation is also very competitive compared to similar operations at other Canadian universities.

Dessert arrives on a tray and includes praline torte, coconut ice cream with tropical fruit, and rhubarb napoleon.

Guina said her favorite events are those which “test your organizational abilities, test how quick you are on your feet” and the best example was in 1995 when some 500 evacuees from forest fires in northern Saskatchewan arrived on campus with as little as 12 hours notice. It was an organizational challenge to accommodate everyone from infants to grandparents “but the whole campus pitched in”. She added that the ability to laugh a lot and have fun is critical “because this business can be quite energy draining.”

Visit Hospitality Services at www.usask.ca/hospitality

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