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What to Know About Student Org Event Planning
Table of Contents
Planning Your Event
A/V Needs and Room Reservations
Planning Your Event
Event planning can be one of the most enjoyable parts of being a member of a Student Organization. Whether an organization is organizing a meeting, event or small program, some aspect of planning is involved, and it is imperative to have a planning process.
Please plan ahead!
E-mail studentorgs@ubalt.edu if you have any questions.
In-person events and gatherings may be permitted if in compliance with City and State guidance and with approval of this form.
- Each event shall be evaluated and approved on a case-by-case basis by the Office of the AVP for Student Success and Support Services.
If this request is approved, Student organizations must request space via VEMS and complete the CSEI Event Request form, as well as comply with all current campus public health protocols (see www.ubalt.edu/covid-19 for updates).
For step by step instructions to create an event on CampusGroups, please click here:
The Basics of Planning an Event
- Research and organize ideas and costs.
- Submit event request and any related budget request at least 4-6 weeks in advance and stay in allocated budget window.
- Complete all forms necessary for room reservations, catering or use of outside vendors at least 4-6 weeks in advance.
- Schedule volunteers to facilitate event at least 2-4 weeks in advance.
- Execute event.
- Assess the event for future reference at least one week after event.
Planning the Event
Start with a Clear Goal
Organize your thoughts and ideas to figure out what the goal of the event is. Learn who your team mates are and work with them to set your goal as a group and for the event. Think about all that is involved in planning the event and what resources you will need to execute everything properly.
What Do The Students Want?
What are you hearing from the students? It is a good idea to figure out the interests of your student body to know what kind of events should be planned. Who are you targeting and why? Brainstorm who you will need to work with to achieve success.
Purpose
Ask yourself "Why". Every event should have a purpose. What are you trying to accomplish with this event and will it reflect your groups vision? Why does your team want to plan this event and how is it useful to the students?
Turn Your Light Bulb On!
- Remember your club’s mission, vision, values and goals.
- What promotional items will you need? Flyers and social media are always helpful!
- Anything is possible: Be creative and fine tune details with your team.
- After brainstorming, start narrowing your ideas based on the event goals, time, location, budget, and staffing.
- Make sure all of your team members have a role to play.
Start The Planning Process
- Use an event planning guide to keep your event details organized and in one place.
- Set the budget and stick to it. Discuss with your team if there is a need for more funding and where you can receive it (think co-sponsorships or fundraisers).
- Reserve space and set time for the event. Always have a rainy-day location! Just in case.
- Make sure all promotional items have been created and ready for distribution 4-6 weeks before the event date.
- When contacting vendors, make sure they are aware that payment can take up to 6-8 weeks from the University.
Double Check Everything!
- At least 3 weeks before your event, make sure promotional items are distributed, vendors are followed up with and necessary forms are turned in.
- Daily Digest request submitted?
- Has your event schedule been discussed and given to your group?
- Are all parties involved and know their roles in the event?
Event Day
- Arrive early.
- Make sure the group knows when to show up and what their responsibilities are.
- Enjoy your hard work!
- Don't forget to clean up and thank all those who helped out, including the vendors or outside parties.
Follow Up
- With your group, discuss what went well and what could be improved.
- Reflect and use those notes for future reference.
- Use assessment tool to keep track of event progress and data.
Alcohol can be a nice way to bring a little something extra to your event, but there is a lot to know about holding an event with alcohol as a student organization. Below are some requirements that student organizations should keep in mind, but please see the full alcohol policy before planning an event with alcohol.
To host an event where alcohol is served:
- Designate an Event Chairperson
- Reserve your event space (as outlined previously for on campus events).
- Request quote from a caterer with a liquor license.
- Ensure your advisor is available to be present at the event. At least one of the organization's advisors or advisor's designee is required to be present at the event.
- The requirement to have an advisor present is waived if ALL of the following apply:
- Participants are purchasing their own alcohol, i.e. the student organization is not paying for or facilitating the purchase of alcohol.
- The venue where the event is being held has a liquor license, is providing the alcohol and servers.
- The event is held off campus.
- An example of an event where an advisor would not need to be present is a happy hour held at a restaurant where the student organization is purchasing food but there is a cash bar for those in attendance.
- The requirement to have an advisor present is waived if ALL of the following apply:
- Complete the Student Organization Alcohol Agreement Form in CampusGroups.
- CSEI and the UB Police Department will review your request. You will receive a notification once your request to serve alcohol has been approved.
- Obtain an invoice from a caterer with a Liquor License for the serving and providing the beer and wine.
- Complete an Event Incident Report after the event and submit it to CSEI.
Sometimes, student organizations may wish to sell tickets to a larger-scale event. This is doable, but there are important rules and considerations to keep in mind. CSEI offers ticket sales via our front desk, and you can see that policy here. But should an organization wish to handle their own ticket sales, here’s how:
Create a ticket sales instruction sheet informing the seller how to sell each ticket, and what information to give out.
- Create a ticket sales roster that will track each ticket sold, and who it was sold to. To assist with this, it is suggested that each ticket slot on the roster be numbered, and that number should correspond with the number on a ticket.
- All sales should be deposited either with CSEI or the organization's external account (if applicable). To ensure the funds are secure, all money should be deposited each day of the sale. Please see the revenue policy for more information.
- Create the ticket to at least include the following:
- Event title and details: date, time, location
- Organizations information
- The statement that all sales are final, and no refunds will be given, as well as a statement if the event will occur rain or shine. Please refer to the closings and delays policy for more information in regards to inclement weather and the University.
Posting your event on the UB calendar, Daily Digest, and Digital Signage are essential parts of a good publicity plan.
Digital advertising is highly visible to both the UB community and visitors to our campus. We aim to provide correct and timely information through these mediums. Submitted art and information should be thoroughly proofread and compliant with the University of Baltimore Graphics Standard and Editorial Style Guide. Events submitted with obvious or excessive errors will be returned for revisions.
Student Organizations are responsible for designing their own digital signage that meets the requirements of the individual posting area. Please visit the below website or contact the below personnel to find out the specific requirements. Digital Signage requests can be submitted to the following areas:
- Student Center/ Rec Center/Academic Center: http://www.ubalt.edu/campus-life/student_center/signage-request-form.cfm
- Langsdale Library: http://langsdale.ubalt.edu/about-us/library-services/signage-request.cfm
- Law School: Michelle Junot, mjunot@ubalt.edu
- Business Center: Danielle Giles, dgiles@ubalt.edu
- Organization’s name
- Reason for chalking
- Dates chalk is to be used
- Location of chalking
- General design for chalk
Clothing and giveaways are also great ways to promote your organization and encourage participation at your events! Please see the student organization financials website for more information about purchasing clothing and promo, as well as other printed advertising.
A/V Needs and Room Reservations
- Event requests must be submitted four weeks in advance to allow for processing time for related payments and advertising requests.
- On campus events submitted fewer than four weeks in advance are not guaranteed for space on campus. If a requested space is not available, our team identify a similar space and inform the group.
- Groups must provide as much detail as possible about room setup and A/V requirements when entering the event request. Due to limited staffing, room setups are not guaranteed. Depending on the nature of the event, our team may need to modify a setup based upon available staffing and equipment. Groups will be informed of these changes.
- Organizations are permitted to hold events that will produce loud noise; however, groups must be conscious of where these events are located. Consideration of event approval includes location, event type, and event specifications.
- Events must comply with all current campus public health protocols.
All organizations using University facilities are expected to clean up after themselves. Organizations will be billed for the cost of cleanup if it is not done properly.
The Audio Visual (A/V) Services Office has equipment available for all Organizations to use for events. Most of the equipment and services are free of charge; however, some services do have an associated fee. For more information and a complete list of services contact Instructional Technology at 410-837-6262. Plan to reserve any needed equipment well in advance to insure availability.
At times, the University of Baltimore is closed due to an emergency or extreme weather; if this occurs, all CSEI and student organization events will be canceled. Student organizations are responsible for notifying participants accordingly. Please dial the UB Emergency Notification line at 410.837.4201 for emergency updates or visit the University of Baltimore Police Department website (http://www.ubalt.edu/about-ub/offices-and-services/university-police/) for more information about the University closing policies. For the most up-to-date information, CSEI strongly encourages all students to sign-up for the Campus Text Alert System through the MyUB portal.
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