It may be the equivalent of a backpacker's youth hostel, but for budget conscious companies and not-for-profits, camping out at a college or university campus for a meeting or convention can be a practical alternative.
Though post-secondary institutions may not show up in the glossy meetings and convention guides, event delegates can relive their youth while attending a seminar or workshop in state-of-the-art learning facilities.
Susan Miller, Sault College's manager of Resident and Student Life, said the college is re-opening its door to summer hospitality business after four years hosting army reservists on summer training stints.
The college's only residence is the three-storey Ray Lawson Hall containing 115 rooms with a combination of double and single-bed suites. The single rooms are $25 per night with double rooms at $40 for two.
“We get back-packers and people coming up to visit family and this is a more affordable option for them,” said Miller.
Chartwells takes care of the catering on campus.
“When the military was here, we made arrangements in a package for them to have access to our athletic facilities,” said Miller.
Today's modern campus contain high-tech capabilities and fully-wired classrooms that are on par with any conference centre.
Since 2000, Sault College has enjoyed a building boom with more than $20 million injected in capital projects including a Multi-Media Centre that can accommodate up to 190.
A new 75,000-square-foot academic wing is nearing completion, providing more classrooms, a fully-wired 120-seat lecture hall and learning commons.
Lisa Bagnell, Sault College's scheduling officer, said a new M wing contains 20 classrooms that range in seating capacity from 40 to 80 people.
All rooms come with podiums and computer, LCD-HD widescreen projector, document camera and controls for lighting, screens and volume adjustment with Helpdesk support.
The Media Centre has a podium, smart board and a videoconferencing system with eight audio channels of surround sound.
“We also have club rooms available, as well as three large areas we use as a learning commons.” The entire building has wi-fi capabilities.
Rental price for a classroom is $50 per day with various campus media centres at $300 a day. Videoconferencing is $150 an hour, plus a $50 set-up fee.
Across town, Algoma University provides conference space on their bucolic campus near the St. Mary's River.
They offer a range of lounge and lecture meeting spaces seating between 50 and 190 people. Banquet, cafeteria, catering and audio-visual services are available.
The largest room is the Great West Life Amphitheatre which seats 200. The venue contains three large video screens, built-in projectors and surround sound with the telecommunications link-up to distance sites.
The university staff are experienced hosts having staged a number of events for the Ministry of Natural Resources, Essar Steel, Tenaris, Cycle Canada, the Ontario Provincial Police and the national Educational Developers Caucus.
The university provides technical support with several audio and videconferencing options throughout the university.
At 35,000 square feet, the George Leach Athletic Centre is available to host large business gatherings of up to 1,000.
Conference Coordinator Rose Linklater said the facilities and accommodations are available during the summer from early May to late August.
For overnight stays, Algoma's Spirit Village Residence is a 45-bed dorm along with a 65-bed, kitchen-equipped, townhouse complex. The average cost is $45 per night per person.
The university acquired the former downtown Windsor Park Hotel for its student residence to bring total occupancy to 150 beds.
Linklater said it now raises the bar on the number of out-of-town events they can pursue. “Now that we have the big space, we can start promoting it.”
Algoma University is part of the Canadian University and College Conference Organizers Association, a national organization dedicated to growing the conference and trade show business at educational institutions.
