The University Housing department welcomes over 16,000 summer guests annually through its conference services program. A team approach is used to plan and manage over 100 summer programs, providing logistical support like housing, dining, facilities, and technology. Key roles include coordinating residential accommodations for over 7,000 youth sports camp participants and administrative support from seasonal student employees. Feedback from guests is positive about the facilities, service, and experience provided through the summer programs.

1. SUMMER PROGRAMS
ANNUAL REPORT

2. We take a team approach to welcome and manage 16,000 summer guests. Within Conference Services, the
professional staff establish the service plan for over 100 summer programs. This includes logistics on group check-ins
and departures for frontline desk and parking staff, managing spaces within 14 residence halls, coordinating meal
schedules in five dining rooms, confirming catering menus and event details, and outlining technical support needs.
Planning in advance, campus partners take facility tours to see sleeping accommodations, plenary and breakout
options. Program budgets and contracts are produced. Marketing information is developed for prospective
customers. Many facets of the customers’ visits are discussed to support their on-campus experience.
Database management is also an integral part of our communication and operations. Systems are used for holding
beds and rooms, tracking residential customers for housekeeping turnover, developing locking schedules, and
producing reports for ordering supplies and projecting labor.
Once our college residents move out, our seasonal student team takes over key administrative responsibilities. Posting
welcome signs, delivering materials, and updating websites all prepare for guest’s arrival. Answering customer’s
questions, completing room assignments, doing data entry, sending and compiling surveys, and placing finishing
touches on logistical details are all day-to-day roles. Upon departure, billing expenses and tracking statistics wrap
up a busy summer.
Our student employees take pride in their work and have fun while they gain valuable work experience. Hands-on
roles build their resource toolkits while learning about customer service, time management, communication, problem
solving, mastering spreadsheets, and understanding different databases, all to support the Wisconsin Idea.
LETTER FROM
Director of Conference Services
Sharon Seagren
Director of Conference Services
Page 1
Summer 2016 Staff (left to right): Tianna, Jared, Ross, Jake, Sharon, Cameron, Faye, and Tom
Thank you for all of you assistance in helping us with our lodging in Madison. I appreciate your
excellent communication, patience, and many reminders over the past several months. The lodging
was fantastic, the service at Newell’s terrific, and we were extremely satisfied with the entire experience.
—Eric Giordano, Ph. D, Director, Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service
WHAT
OUR
PARTNERS
SAY

3. SUMMER PROGRAMS
195,126SUMMER PROGRAM MEALS
70,797
BREAKFASTS
65,635
LUNCHES
58,694
DINNERS
Does not include guest or cash meals
At a Glance
Page 2
19 NEW
PROGRAMS
generated
$257,417
in revenue
16,245
GUESTS SERVED*
Youth Residents
7,690
Commuters
3,070
SOAR Students
& Parents
3,052
Adult Conference Residents
2,433
*Does not include summer session
We had a total of
116Programs
70 Residential 9 Commuter37 Residential
& Commuter
82,327
TOTAL BED NIGHTS
OUR CORE VALUES
Care Optimism Creativity
Respect Integrity Stewardship
Excellence
Adams Bradley Chadbourne Cole Dejope
Kronshage Leopold
Ogg Phillips Sellery Slichter Smith Tripp Witte
NUMBER OF GUESTS BY RESIDENCE HALL*
Leopold93 826 655 525 1,393 560 387
2,148 54 2,950 269 2,411 158 746
* Due to projects, no housing in Kronshage (3 houses), Sullivan, and Waters Halls. Summer Session housing was assigned to Barnard, Davis, and Merit Halls.
FACILITIES PROVIDED
60,175
Sheets
42,450
Pillowcases
26,532
Bath Towels
GUESTS PER
6,665 8,421 1,13542
AV SET-UPS
462
TECH SERVICES
PROVIDED

4. University Housing serves over 16,000 guests each
summer, and residential and commuter sports camps
continue to grow. About 5,400 are young athletes
participating in sports camps sponsored by the Division
of Intercollegiate Athletics. By partnering in a year-round
planning process, Badger Sports Camps and Housing
fine-tune the logistics of organizing 40 youth camps.
“Kids love to work out in the same facilities as student-
athletes, and feel like they are part of the Badger
community,” says Tracy Chynoweth, director of camp
administration.
Housing staff organize room assignments, check in
campers, set up meeting spaces, and provide three
meals a day to the campers, through the Dining and
Culinary Services team.
“Housing has the trained chefs to give campers varied
options,” says Sharon Seagren, director of housing
conference services. “There are always gluten-free,
vegetarian, and vegan options with lots of variety.”
Housing also employs a full-time registered dietitian
who manages menu guidance for hundreds of guests
with food sensitivities and allergies. Housing partners
with University Health Services to provide medical care,
whether it be distributing medications or addressing an
injury or illness.
That peace of mind, Seagren explains, goes beyond
that of the camper. Camp administrators benefit from
arranging programs through a university partner.
“The risk management aspect alone can seem
overwhelming. Our staff understands what needs to
be done when protecting our campers and influencing
the entire camp experience so it goes smoothly, from
both the staff and camper perspective.”
By employing uniform procedures and regular
communication across the university, Conference
Services is able to efficiently work with other campus
entities. Collectively, they provide a solid network for all
programs serving minors on campus.
“By providing a positive experience, we may be
influencing their decision to come to UW–Madison one
day,” Chynoweth says. “Working together, we get more
people excited about coming to our university. And
that’s a win for everybody.”
BETTER TOGETHER
“By providing a positive
experience, we may
be influencing their
decision to come to UW-
Madison one day.”
—Tracy Chynoweth
Page 3
UW Housing & Athletics Team up for Sports Camps
Girl’s Volleyball camps grew by 200 athletes ahead of 2015, for a total of 1,937 participants.

5. Page 4
YOUTH PROGRAMS
Helping future Badgers have a great campus experience
“I loved the food and
tennis camp was
great!”
Youth sports campers
top three rankings for
residence hall rooms:
location on campus,
cleanliness, and
temperature.
Youth sports campers
and adult conferees
rated dining hall food
and the variety of
choices very high.
5,441
Athletics/Sports
1,008
Academic/Integrated960
Music
452
Technology/Computers Sci.
627
Ag/Dairy/4-H
404
Engineering
109
Culture/Language
35
Business
60
Humanities
74
Math/Science
22
Pharmacy
PRE-COLLEGE
PARTICIPANT
OVERVIEW
Many youth programs provide fundamental, broad-based curriculum. This is an attempt to
highlight enrollment in focus areas for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts/humanities,
math), including residents and commuters.

6. 9 GUESTS
FROM UNITED
KINGDOM
2 GUESTS
FROM MEXICO
4 GUESTS
FROM BRAZIL
5 GUESTS
FROM AUSTRALIA
8 GUESTS
FROM
SOUTH KOREA
12 GUESTS
FROM GERMANY
Furnished rooms
with air conditioning
Central campus location
Clean residence halls Several dining options
Fast Wi-Fi Internet
Reasonable Cost
ADULT CONFERENCES
Bring states & countries together
GUESTS FROM 29 COUNTRIES AND 49 STATES STAYED WITH US THIS SUMMER
Countries in dark red signify that guests stayed with us from that country. Represents online reservation data.
GOING THE EXTRA MILE
Dining and amenities make guests feel at home
Page 5
1,216 GUESTS
FROM THE UNITED STATES 5 GUESTS FROM CHINA
= 10 Guests
withfo
od
sensitivities and all
ergies
O
ur Dietician Assis
ted
540 Guests
8 GUESTS
FROM FRANCE
340 EVENTSSERVED BY CATERING FOR SUMMER PROGRAMS
28 GUESTS
FROM CANADA

7. BUILT FOR YOUR SUCCESS
Teamwork makes summer programs succeed
SUMMER
PROGRAMS
TEAM
DESK SERVICES
Ensures every guest
is welcomed, has
all their questions
answered, and has
an easy
check-in/out.
RESIDENCE
HALL FACILITIES
Works around the
clock to make sure
our halls are
spotless and
ready for guests.
CONFERENCE
SERVICES
Acts as the liason with
groups and handles
management of
summer programs.
DINING &
CULINARY SERVICES
Creates fresh, delicious
food for catered events
and meals.
TECHNOLOGY
SERVICES
Handles every
computer, internet,
cable, and
AV need with
ease.
RESIDENCE
LIFE
Provides support to
guests/campers
helping them
navigate campus.
Summers are busy in University Housing,
with us welcoming over 16,000 guests
annually. It takes a team from across
the entire Division to provide an
outstanding guest experience.
Every summer, our residence halls and dining units
servethousandsofguestsasapartoftheWisconsin
Idea, a commitment to public service which goes
beyond the traditional academic experience. Our
staff provide a warm welcome to pre-college
academic and sport camp participants, domestic
and international professionals, parents attending
orientation with incoming students, and senior
citizens involved in life-long learning. We aim to
provide the highest level of service at affordable
prices. From check-in through check-out, our staff
is here to meet your needs. Whether you are here
for one night or many weeks, we ensure our guests
have all the amenities and comforts of home.
On Wisconsin!
Jeff Novak
Director of University Housing
Page 6
The custodial staff members were efficient and
welcoming. They did a great job throughout my
stay.
—Adult Guest
WHAT
OUR
GUESTS
SAY

8. (608) 262-5576 • conferenceservices@housing.wisc.edu
www.housing.wisc.edu/conferenceservices
Author: Sharon Seagren
Graphic Design: Sarah Barnes
Photography: Joel Ninmann, University Housing