Inside Furman is published quarterly by the Furman University Department of Marketing and Public Relations. For story ideas, e-mail John Roberts, editor.
Off to a fast start
Younts Conference Center popular with area businesses
In 2003 Furman commissioned a Memphis-based hospitality consulting firm to gauge the success of a proposed on-campus conference center.
After evaluating the local business climate and completing an inventory of comparable meeting space in the Greenville area, the group estimated that with aggressive marketing a conference center at Furman might begin to turn a profit after three years.
This August, the Younts Conference Center completed its first full year of operation by surpassing even the most lofty expectations.
“We broke even for the first year, and that was huge,” says Kay Cornelison, who was hired to direct the 13,000-square-foot center in December, 2004.
Although the building officially opened in April, 2005 — four months ahead of schedule — the staff did not hit its stride until last September. Cornelison, former sales manager for Clear Channel Communications, said the group could not pre-book events before the projected opening date.
Since that time, the client list for the center has been growing. An attractive space and an effective marketing campaign helped drive early customers to Younts. Exceptional service and word-of-mouth have generated new clients.
“ARAMARK has done a super job with our catered events. They have played a tremendous role in our early success,” says Cornelison. “We anticipated, of course, that we would get a lot wedding-related bookings. The biggest surprise is how successful we have been in attracting business. They have really embraced the center.”
The conference center's main hall can accommodate up to 400 people. The area can also be subdivided into five spaces to host smaller groups. The DeSantis Pavilion, a 1,600-square-foot covered area adjacent to the center, and the Heller Terrace have been popular with wedding receptions and other large gatherings.
Cornelison says that Younts is currently about 80 percent booked. The entire 2007 wedding season — April through June [it's only two months?] — has already been reserved.
“I think that there will only be a couple days in September where we don't have a single event here,” she says.
Weddings and Furman-related events account for roughly 75 percent of the business. The remaining 25 percent are split among businesses and non-profit groups.
Over the summer Meredith Lanier '03, a music major, joined the conference center staff as concierge.
“My instrument is the viola and I have played at a lot of weddings over the years, so I've seen firsthand the many things that go into planning a reception,” she says. “This experience is serving me well as I begin to learn the larger process of event planning.”
Both Cornelison and Lanier allude to the trouble-shooting nature of their work. “There's not a book written for this,” says Lanier. “You must be ready to accommodate the changing needs of the client.”
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