Student Programming Association executive board members and committee chairs traveled to Chattanooga, Tenn. Thursday to attend the National Association for Campus Activities’ South Regional Conference. The four-day event gave students from different schools throughout the region the opportunity to exchange ideas and find new ways to make student programming and campus activities a success.

“It’s pretty interesting to see how other schools do things,” Jennifer Smith, SPA vice president, said.

The conference included morning education sessions that focused on improving student programming.

Each session concentrated on a different aspect, such as advertising and event planning.

One session, for example, explained how to plan a concert successfully from start to finish, which Smith said has put SPA on the right track in planning the upcoming on-campus concert that will feature The Dream and Yellowcard.

During the evenings and into the early hours of the morning, the students watched showcases of college touring acts, including comedians, poets, magicians, hypnotists, musicians and novelty acts. These performers aimed to sell themselves to the students, who can book the acts to perform at their college campus.

Students at the convention also went white water rafting, an activity that allowed the students to work together and develop team-building skills.

Through the NACA conference, SPA has learned several ways to improve University activities and on-campus experiences.

One of the improvements that SPA hopes to put forth in the future is paying more attention to smaller groups on campus.

“You have to realize that you have to cater to the entire student body population and not just specific groups,” Smith said.

Through its education sessions and showcases, NACA has made learning its main focus in building a successful SPA, Allie Johnson, SPA adviser, said.

“People think that student programming is just about student activities,” Johnson said. “But my job as the adviser is to make sure they are learning and continue to assess what they learn.