SESSION OVERVIEW
As student organisations’ financial needs increase – and student affordability issues intensify – the hunt for new non-student revenue sources becomes ever more important. This session will outline some avenues that the University of Alberta Students’ Union has pursued in the quest for new revenue sources – both individually at our own campus, and in collaboration with other Canadian post-secondary organisations as part of a national consortium. Initiatives include campus sponsorship programs, a digital signage advertising platform, several new business units focused on community & corporate patronage, accessing public and community grants, and commercializing student discount partnerships & market research through our in-house student engagement app. The session will also provide a brief history of commercial and revenue-generating activities at student associations in Canada, and will aim to inspire creative thinking about new revenue sources of all sorts for student-focused organisations across the globe.
PRESENTER
Craig Turner is the Managing Director of Operations & Social Enterprise at the University of Alberta Students’ Union (UASU) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. An alumnus of the U of A, Craig served in various governance and leadership roles as a student, and now oversees operations and strategy for the Students’ Union Building and the UASU’s business units. It’s an always-exciting job that includes facilities management, hospitality and conferencing, retail, commercial leasing, sponsorship, digital platforms, external advertising and partnerships. His passion is student associations, and he is a big fan of collaboration and knowledge-sharing across organizations. Reach out to craig.turner@uasu.ca anytime for a chat!