I would create an event evaluation followup memo for the person you report to directly...a bit of a paper trail...outlining what you did, what went well, things to improve the process in the future (which makes it seem more like a review of the process rather than horn tooting) and then make a point of thanking the students who got the credit all the while pointing out the limited role ie. “after all of the planning, blah blah blah, the work that the students did on the day of the event helped to really solidify the success” or something...
This imo.
...best advice. Praise those little left-wing Oxygen-wasters to the skies! Make sure you give them credit for taking the "spirit" of your plan "to heart," and making it work with their enthusiasm and warm feelings toward the guests. Make sure you "acknowledge" how important this attitudinal paradigm shift was to your own ability to plan this event. Heap special praise on any of those in this pathetic little coterie who may be women, gays, or members of federally protected minority species
E.G., "I'd like to especially acknowledge Youretha, who despite the burden of AIDS, several failed transexual surgical procedures, and a murder trial, continued to care for her little Kayeesha and Dawntay, and yet was present for this event, where her warm golden smile made all the difference to our visitors."
.... if any of the grad students are left-wing women, or if there are gays involved, make sure you get the "social background" on them and any members of your university's "nomenklatura." In this kind of milieu, the best people-skills to have are those of a pre-penicillin STD-contact tracer. This will help you avoid inadvertently alarming any movers and shakers in your universtiy's power structure.