Guiding Principles for Site Selection for EDUCAUSE Events

EDUCAUSE hosts a variety of in-person events over the course of any given year. In-person events are critical to our mission of leading the way to advance the strategic use of technology and data to further the promise of higher education. Conferences, in particular, are key to connecting and empowering our member community through insights, advocacy, resources, networking, and learning opportunities to anticipate trends and strengthen professional practice. For our smaller events (fewer than 1,000 participants), we book venues 1–2 years in advance, and the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, which is projected to gather around 10,000 participants in the future, is by necessity booked about 10 years out. For an event of this size and complexity, the 10-year window assures that we have several cities to choose from in the final cut (as options are limited) and allows us to negotiate the best rates to keep the cost of attendance down for participants. In 2020, we paused booking conference venues 10 years out due to the uncertain trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic (see table 1). We have since resumed our practice of booking venues about 10 years out.

Site selection for our in-person events is guided by the following principles set forth by the EDUCAUSE Board of Directors on April 5, 2023:

• EDUCAUSE is based in the United States, and the majority of our members are from organizations based in North America. In-person events are typically hosted in a U.S. city to increase access to the member majority.

• EDUCAUSE is a nonpartisan organization with members in all states. EDUCAUSE can best meet its mission to further the promise of higher education by considering conference venues in all states.

• EDUCAUSE will do its best to avoid booking conferences in consecutive years in cities/states that prevent attendee participation due to state-to-state travel bans or other travel restrictions. Travel bans are a consideration but not a litmus test for site selection. When a travel ban is pronounced after a site is booked, EDUCAUSE will not typically cancel existing contracts in effect prior to the ban.

• EDUCAUSE will do its best to rotate the location of events from year to year and to disperse events in a given year across different regions of the country. Rotating locations of EDUCAUSE events broadens the pool of community members who have drive-in access to in-person events.

• EDUCAUSE carefully considers the cost of doing business with a given venue and the cost of attendee travel. Preference in site selection is given to cities that keep the costs of attendance low for participants.

• EDUCAUSE events create a significant economic impact in the host city, especially for workers in the service industries that support the event, along with increased educational opportunities for local students and higher education professionals. Canceling events once booked causes economic harm to the local economy.

In addition to these guiding principles established by the Board, EDUCAUSE staff consider a broad range of logistical criteria in site selection:

• The cost of renting convention center and hotel venue spaces, the cost of labor and vendor services, and the cost of food and beverages
• The availability of sufficient hotel rooms for the size of the event and a suitable headquarter hotel close to the convention center
• The availability and cost of public transportation, local
sustainability/recycling/green business practices, and overall carbon footprint
• The availability of off-site restaurants and after-hours venues close to the convention center
• The ADA accessibility of the venue and area surrounding the event site
• The availability of domestic and international flights for attendees, and the proximity of the airport(s) to the convention center
• The alignment of values between EDUCAUSE and city officials and local partners
• Scheduling the dates and timing of the event so as not to conflict with major holidays or competing events
• The degree to which the convention center and surrounding areas are walkable and pedestrian-friendly
• The degree to which the convention center and ancillary meeting spaces meet our functional specifications to design and deliver an event that facilitates participation to develop new skills, showcase thought leadership, connect with others in the community, and discover new products and services

We understand that not all community members are able to travel to our in-person events, and EDUCAUSE is committed to providing ways year-round to meet professional development, networking, and product discovery needs. We also take seriously the concerns that some members of the community have about traveling to states with laws they see as discriminatory, and we continually work to balance our nonpartisan approach with our commitment to creating welcoming environments for all attendees. Members are encouraged to reach out to their local EDUCAUSE Ambassador or one of our member relations specialists to learn about how EDUCAUSE can best serve your professional needs.