Organising Events v1.2

Events Organising and Booking Spaces

imperialcollegeunion.org/trainingimperialcollegeunion.org

Organising Events and Booking Spaces

Events Organising and Booking Spacesimperialcollegeunion.org/training

ContentsContents 2

Starting Out 4

Finances 5

Safety & Insurance 7

Venues 8

Approval of Speakers 8

Food and Drink in College Venues 9

Popular Types of Events 10

Stewards 14

Performance Rights 14

Reviewing & Reporting 15

Room Bookings Within the College 16

How to Book a Space via the SAC 19

Important Things To Remember 21

Appendix 22

Version 1.2 - 23 February 2011


imperialcollegeunion.org/training

Introduction

This booklet is a brief introduction to what you should know about running events for your Club, Society or Project. Events have the opportunity of making a lot of money for your Club, Society or Project and provide you with immense amounts of advertising and kudos; however they can also make a huge loss which may affect your Club, Society or Project for years.

There are a lot of College rules and procedures which must be adhered to when organising events and using spaces. If you do not abide by these rules then it is very likely that no student groups will be allowed to use the spaces in the future – there have been Clubs, Societies & Projects blacklisted in the past!

For events with any significant financial expenditure, this booklet should be read in conjunction with the booklet on Event Budgeting.

This booklet contains some information about booking spaces in the Sherfield Building which are controlled by the College Conference & Events Team. To make use of these spaces you must attend College Events training.

Important Contacts

If you need help with anything related to what is containted in this booklet, you can get in contact with the Functions Coordinator (above) or either of:

Student Activities [email protected]

Deputy President (Clubs & Societies)Heather JonesE: [email protected]: 020 7594 1763, extension 41763

Richard CollinsFunctions Coordinator E: [email protected]: 020 7594 8060, extension 58060


Starting Out

When organising an event:

1. Ensure clear aims & objectives are defined for the activity or event – write them down and share them with the Club, Society or Project committee members and others.

2. Make sure you are clear about who your participants or audience are.

3. Ask yourself and others if the aims and objectives meet everyone’s expectations. Are they suitable for all participants or the type of audience? Are they achievable?

4. Write a budget and get it approved by the relevant authority:

• If the budgeted expenditure comes to under £200, your Club, Society or Project committee can approve it.

• If the budgeted expenditure comes to £200 or over, your management group Chair or Treasurer will have to approve it.

• If the budgeted expenditure comes to over £1000, the Deputy President (Finance & Services) will also have to approve it.



Finances

The success of an event is often judged on how much money it makes (or loses). Events carry a lot of risk, and there is the potential of something going very wrong along the way and therefore the risk of significant financial implications.

Preparing a Budget

For an event of any size you must prepare a budget which breaks down your expected income and expenditure. If you are going to spend more (i.e. total expenditure) than £200 you will have to gain the permission of your Management Group Chair or Treasurer before the event takes place, and for any event where you will be spending more than £1,000 you must also gain the permission of the Deputy President (Finance & Services). Complete an Event Budget, and email it to your Management Group Chair or Treasurer, and the Deputy President (Finance & Services) if appropriate, for approval. You need to do this at least three weeks in advance of the event.

The event budgeting template is able to give information on your required sales performance for an event, it can be found online at imperialcollegeunion.org/forms. For much more information on budgeting for events see the booklet on Event Budgeting.

Be realistic with your attendance

figures. If you have run this event before, look at previous attendance figures and do not over-estimate.

Warning: If a budget has not been approved, it is possible that the event may be cancelled by the management group or Deputy President (Finance & Services), so ensure you submit your budget in a timely manner and before you start booking rooms or paying suppliers.


Finances cont...

Sponsorship

Events are often of interest to sponsors as they offer the potential to target a specific audience and increase their profile on campus. For more information on how to go about trying to gain sponsorship for an event, see the booklet on Sponsorship.

Sponsorship can often provide the financial buoyancy that your event needs, and reduce the ticket prices to ensure a good turnout. However, you should be very wary when budgeting sponsorship if it has not been confirmed in writing.

Delegating Expenditure

In some cases you may require your committee members to purchase items for an event. As you will have calculated your expenditure from your event budget, it is important you inform them and stress to them the maximum they are allowed to spend.

Should they overspend; the financial situation of your event will be changed, and will end up causing you more work revising the budget and ensuring your event is still financially viable.



Risk Assessments

If the event being undertaken is outside of the usual activities of the Club, Society or Project, or especially large, then a Risk Assessment specifically for the event will need to be written. External venues will generally require a Risk Assessment before agreeing to host an event. A Risk Assessment template is available at imperialcollegeunion.org/forms.

Insurance

If a Club, Society or Project is anticipating organising an event which has a reasonable possibility of being cancelled resulting in large irrecoverable costs then it would be advisable to take out some form of cancellation insurance. An example of such an event would be a show with a large initial outlay on costumes, sets, venue etc.., where the audience are primarily external people. A good example of such an event would be the Musical Theatre Society’s annual two week show which is hosted in Devon; the audience being made up of almost totally local people and holiday makers from Devon.

To arrange such insurance please contact the Membership Services Manager who can assist. Be aware that any insurance company are likely to need details of the activity being organised and the financial plans behind the activity.

General information about other types of insurance which are either in place or available to organisers of Club, Society or Project events is contained within the Principal Officers booklet, available at imperialcollegeunion.org/training.

Safety and Insurance


Venues

For information on bookings within College and the Union see the section on Room Bookings.

Should you be using external venues, many of them will require signed Booking Contracts which will establish what each party expects. These contracts can only be signed by the Deputy President (Finance & Services).

The Deputy President (Finance & Services) may also be able to offer advice on similar events or venues used in the past. When using external venues, it is important you establish what charges may crop up along the way (such as hire of a lighting rig, or the employment of an AV technician).

You are advised to book as far in advance as possible if you have VIP guest speakers in attendance, as special arrangements may have to be arranged for their comfort and security.

All external speakers coming to visit the College campuses must be approved. An external speaker is someone who is not a current Imperial College Student or Staff member.

The reasoning behind needing to have speakers approved is to ensure compliance with the College’s Code of Practice to ensure Freedom of Speech for speakers. This is not unique to Imperial College; all Universities are required to operate a Code of Practice for Freedom of Speech under the Education Act 1994. Event organisers must complete the Visiting Speaker Approval part of the request to book a room to begin the authorisation process.

IMPORTANT

The College have the power to stop events (right up until the event start time) and apply a large number of conditions and restrictions. These could including restricting the event to Imperial College students and staff only, banning of recording devices at the event or even having the Police present.

Approval of Speakers



Approval of Speakers Food and Drink at College Venues

There are specific rules regarding the provision of food and drinks at events held on College Campuses, including in the Union Building.

Clubs, Societies & Projects cannot provide their own home cooked food at events. This is derived from the Food Safety Act 1990 and is to ensure the food being served meets hygiene standards. A suitable suggestion is to use pre-packaged food served directly from the packets.

Professional caterers can sometimes be engaged to serve food on College campuses; however there may be a charge. Any external caterers will require clearance from the Functions Coordinator and Westminster Council. This is to ensure the caterer also meets the necessary hygiene standards and mean you will not be held liable for poisoning someone. You must contact the Functions Coordinator if you are planning to use external caterers, at least three weeks before the event takes place.

In some circumstances it is necessary for Clubs, Societies & Projects to provide food for members during events and activities away from the College campuses, such as mountaineering trips. In these instances take every precaution to ensure that the food being served is safe and fully cooked. Also be aware of

food allergies among the participants.

Clubs, Societies & Projects cannot consume their own alcohol on Union or College premises as these are licensed venues. Any alcohol to be consumed must be purchased through Union or College bars, or a corkage fee negotiated in advance.

For any queries regarding food and drink contact the Functions Coordinator. For the supply of alcohol for events held on Union premises contact the Functions Coordinator.

Only food and drink provided by the College can be supplied and consumed in areas controlled by the College’s Conference & Events team – more details are contained within the specific booklet on College Events.


Bar Nights

It is possible to run bar nights within the Union building. In these cases, alcohol is purchased at a reduced rate from the Union and each attendee will pay an entrance fee and receive a stamp or wristband in return.

Should you wish to run a bar night, it is important you secure a date early as there is often competition from many other Clubs, Societies & Projects. Additionally, notice may be required for specific requests. You may not be guaranteed the exclusive use of a bar or areas unless you purchase a certain amount of drinks, for more information, booking and pricing contact the Functions Coordinator.

An event budget and approval from the Deputy President (Finance & Services) will also be required.

Careers Events

If you do want to an event with a careers theme to it which involves invite representatives from companies wishing to recruit, even if it has departmental backing, you must liaise with Careers Service and the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies).

The Union has come up with the following guidelines for Careers Events, in agreement with the Careers Service. It is important that companies receive the best image of Imperial College possible and do not organise events

Popular Types of Events



for companies that clash with those of similar companies who are on campus at the same time. These guidelines only apply to rooms in College.

Events which Clubs, Societies & Projects are

encouraged to organise:

Speakers/presentations from companies whose field falls within the remit of a Club or Society, e.g. British Antarctic Survey speaking to the Exploration Society, Rio Tinto speaking to de la Beche Society.

Visits to companies or locations, e.g. CivSoc visiting a construction site. Alumni networking, e.g. inviting ex-members who are now employed by companies to talk about their experiences.

Events included in a sponsorship package which include either presentations or skills-based sessions specific to the members of the Club, Society or Project being sponsored.

Events which Clubs, Societies & Projects are

not encouraged to organise:

Careers Fairs – If you do want to run one, even if it has departmental backing, you must liaise with Careers Service and the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies).

Events which Clubs, Societies & Projects

should not organise:

Events or presentations in conjunction with 3rd party recruitment agencies, e.g. monster.co.uk, gradjobs.co.uk. Main company presentations which


Popular Types of Event cont...

are targeted at all students, e.g. PWC or Deloitte doing their once-yearly presentation. These MUST be organised by the Careers Advisory Service. One-off presentations/talks where a company pays a Club, Society or Project to specifically book a room and organise catering outside of a wider sponsorship package.

Shows and Concerts

Shows and Concerts are put on by both Societies with a dramatical, music or performance tendency, as well as by others choosing to do a one off event such as a revue. There are two main venues for shows on the College campuses – the Union Concert Hall and the Great Hall.

Regular and annual large scale shows wishing the use the Union Concert Hall are invited to an annual meeting to agree on when different shows will take place, and plan a calendar for the year. One off shows can then book the remaining slots

through the usual Union room booking process (see the section on Room Bookings).

Shows and Concerts taking place in the Great Hall are arranged through the College’s Conference & Events Office. For information on how to book via this office it is compulsory that organisers attend a College Events training session; information can be found online at imperialcollegeunion.org/training.

For all shows and concerts an event budget must be written and submitted to your management group Chair and Treasurer, as well as the Deputy President (Finance & Services).

All events must be organised entirely by a Club, Society or Project, i.e. all room bookings, liaison with the Union or College, finances and catering. It is NOT acceptable to book a room and then tell the company to organise their own catering through College or the Union.



In virtually all shows and concerts some form of technical setup will be required – sound, lights etc.. A good source of this equipment and expertise is Dramsoc. Dramsoc’s Technical Director can assist your Club, Society or Project in arranging and facilitating the technical aspects of your show or concert. The Technical Director can be contacted by emailing [email protected].

Parties and Discos

You may be organising an event (on or off of campus) where you would like a music equipment, and the skills of a DJ. Dramsoc is a good source of

the equipment you may require, the Technical Director will be able to assist you with your enquiry, [email protected]. DJs can be sourced via the Union’s pool of entertainments staff – to arrange this please contact the Functions Coordinator.

Obviously with events of this nature please make sure you tell the people you are booking the venue with that you intend to stage a party or disco – it will avoid aggravation after the event.


Union Stewards must be present at all major events in the Union and College. This is a Union and College rule and exists to ensure the safety of the participants. Every event with more than 100 people present must have stewards on duty, including bar nights.

There is a cost associated with having stewards present (to cover the cost of their employment) and they require three weeks notice to arrange. Events can be stopped if stewards have not been arranged.

To confirm whether stewards are required and to arrange them, please contact the Functions Coordinator.

Stewards

Legally, a Club, Society or Project must have permission to perform any materials which are subject to copyright constraints. This area can include, but is not limited to, music, video, plays, and operas. This includes films on DVD which are shown in lecture theatres.

It is absolutely imperative that the performance rights are clarified and obtained before any other form of planning or organising is started. Performing materials without the correct rights in place can lead to legal action being brought against the Union or the College.

In some cases performance rights can be secured for nothing, in other instances a charge may be levied, which may be related to audience size. It is advisable to obtain these costs in writing from the copyright owner in advance and factor them into your event budget. Imperial College has pre-paid rights to a broad range of works, for details contact the Membership Services Manager.

Performance Rights

Club, Society or Project Officers found responsible for infringing performance rights regulations will be subject to Union and/or College Disciplinary Procedures. Any costs resulting from legal action will be passed on to the relevant Club, Society or Project.



Performance Rights

It is advisable that Clubs, Societies & Projects report on and review their activities. Trip, Event, Show, Concert or Tour reports can be published in Felix - this is an excellent way of letting people know what you get up to and of publicising well-won achievements. It is advisable to compose interesting articles which give a lively and engaging account of your event; try to restrain from pure propaganda as this is less interesting for the average reader and is less likely to be published.

You should aim to have some good, high-resolution photos as well to go with the article. Email articles and pictures in to Felix Editor, [email protected]

Similarly, articles can be published on the main Union website by emailing them to [email protected], together with video clips if you have them. Videos posted to YouTube and photos to Flickr can be tagged with IMP150 – they will then automatically appear on the Union and College websites. Writing reports is especially important if anyone has sponsored or donated money for your activities. It is essential you contact any sponsors after the event with a report of how you have used their money so they can gauge whether it was good value for their company and so they will be more likely to continue to sponsor your Club, Society or Project in future years or for another event.

Likewise it is advisable to review the activity or event purely for future reference. Ask yourselves:

• What went well?• What didn’t go so well?• What improvements could be made for

next time?

Ensure this information is written down and passed on to successors or recorded in your Club, Societies or Projects archives so that your hard work can be built upon.

Reviewing & Reporting


General Conditions

Clubs, Societies & Projects have a large number of rooms which they can use, free of charge in both the Union building and in College. These are available for Club, Society & Project use with few conditions. However, in order to maintain good relations with departments, and most importantly, to ensure that things are fair for other Clubs, Societies & Projects, there are a few general rules:

• If you are not going to use a room which you have booked, you must get in touch with the Student Activities Centre and cancel it as soon as you know.

• Rooms may only be booked by a Clubs, Societies & Projects for your their use - you may NOT book rooms on behalf of an external organisation. If you have any queries about this point, please

get in touch with the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies).

• If you have booked a room in College and the department has issued special instructions, e.g. no food to consumed, you MUST follow these instructions. Otherwise, the department may refuse to allow your Club, Society or Project, or any other group to book those rooms again.

• When you get a booking confirmation from the Student Activities Centre, read it carefully (especially if it is a recurring booking). DO NOT assume that you have all the bookings you requested for a whole term, in the same place, at the same time.

• Be considerate when booking or using rooms! Remember, there are around 300 Clubs,Societies & Projects within the Union space, all of whom need to use rooms as well as you.

• Clubs, Societies & Projects use College rooms on the good will of the department. If you act irresponsibly, this can and has had negative repercussions on all the other Clubs, Societies & Projects who may also want to use those rooms.

• DO NOT just use a room because you find it empty.

Rooms in the Union Building

• Meeting Rooms 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 7• Union Concert Hall• Union Dining Hall

Room Bookings Within the College



• Activity Spaces 1 & 2

Use of rooms in the Union Building is free, though extra charges for cleaning or staff may apply if you are hosting a large event. Contact the Functions Coordinator for up to date costs about these items.

Use of Metric

See the Organising an Event in Metric information sheet.

Sports Facilities

Sports facilities within the College are controlled by Sport Imperial. Use of these facilities for Clubs, Societies & Projects is decided upon once a year by the Sports Bookings Committee which contains representatives of Sport Imperial and Imperial College Union. Priority use in sports facilities is given to sports clubs – for training sessions and matches. Non-sporting clubs are welcome to make use of the facilities for more social sporting endeavors.

Information about booking sports facilities can be obtained from the Sports Partnership Administrator.

Rooms at the Reynolds Building Controlled by ICSMSU

Some of the spaces end the Reynolds Building at Charing Cross Hospital are controlled by the Imperial College School of Medicine Students’ Union. The spaces available are the Music Room, Reynolds Bar area and some small meeting spaces. For information, and to book these spaces, please contact [email protected].

College Rooms

Rooms can be booked in all buildings in College, including Hospital campus by the Student Activities Centre with the exception of the Business School, which does not normally allow student bookings.


Room Bookings Within the College cont...

Some departments stipulate additional conditions which should be kept in mind when searching for a suitable room for Club, Society & Project activities:• Chemical Engineering will only accept

student bookings if at least one person present is a member of the Chemical Engineering Department.

• No dancing is permitted in the Sir Alexander Fleming or Skempton Buildings.

Most rooms in the College (apart from some of those in the Sherfield Building) are free to use for Clubs, Societies & Projects, however the rooms must be left tidy with the furniture arranged as it was found.

The following rooms in are controlled by the Conference & Events Team:• Great Hall• Queens Tower Rooms (QTR)• Senior Common Room (SCR)• Sherfield Concourse Level 1 & 2• RSM 4.01• Seminar & Learning Centre• Wolfson Conference Centre

(Hammersmith Campus)

These areas in the Sherfield Building attract a fee to use them for events. There is a reduced rate for student use and they are usually free to book for rehearsals. Before event organisers can book one of these spaces they must first attend a College Events training session.

When can rooms be booked?

Room bookings can be made throughout the year, however bear in mind the following:

• Bookings for a given term will open in the last week of the preceding term. This means that in general, bookings for the Autumn term will open at the end of June of the previous academic year, the bookings for the Spring term will open at the end of December and bookings for the Summer term will open at the end of March.

• Bookings for the holidays can be made during the preceding term e.g. bookings for the Easter holidays can be made during the Spring term.

• It is advisable to give at least three weeks notice, and certainly not less than two weeks notice, for obtaining rooms.



With the exception of spaces controlled by the College Conference & Events Team, Sports Faciltities and ICSMSU space at the Reynolds Building, remaining spaces can be booked through the Student Activities Centre.

• Go to imperialcollegeunion.org/roombookings

• On the online form, indicate if a guest speaker will be attending the event and fill out the details as necessary.

• You will receive a confirmation email when your request has been received, and when the room has been booked.

The booking process is a relatively involved operation. For each request permission must be sort from the

controlling department. If this permission is granted each booking must be approved by the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies), before the request is sent to College Security for additional approval. For this reason the process may take up to three working weeks.

Requestors may view the progress of their requests online by clicking the “view my requests” link at imperialcollegeunion.org/roombookings. This will provide an idea of where each request is in the system.

Never use a space before you receive a final confirmation that you have been authorised to use it.

How to Book a Space via the SAC


When can rooms be booked?

Room bookings can be made throughout the year, however bear in mind the following:

• Bookings for a given term will open in the last week of the preceding term. This means that in general, bookings for the Autumn term will open at the end of June of the previous academic year, the bookings for the Spring term will open at the end of December and bookings for the Summer term will open at the end of March.

• Bookings for the holidays can be made during the preceding term e.g. bookings for the Easter holidays can be made during the Spring term.

• It is advisable to give at least three weeks notice, and certainly not less than two weeks notice, for obtaining rooms.

Important points to remember

Plan ahead! Room bookings operate on a first-come first-served basis, so it is vital to plan ahead in order to book the room(s) required. In addition, bookings in College take extra time to process as they must be approved by the department, the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) and also by Security.

• To enquire about using a digital projector and screen for Union Building

rooms or elsewhere contact the Student Activities Centre

• For obtaining Sound or Light equipment, a Late Licence or DJ, contact the Functions Coordinator.

Any questions?

Contact the Student Activities Centre team at [email protected] for any room booking related queries.

How to Book a Space via the SAC cont...



• Ensure you have a thorough and well researched budget written at least 3 weeks in advance.

• If your expenditure is more than £200, get approval from your Management Group Chair or Treasurer.

• If it is over £1000, also get the approval of the Deputy President (Finance & Services).• If external speakers are attending an

event on a College Campus, complete the section in the online request form to ensure they are apporved

• No home-cooked food is allowed at

events on the College Campuses.• External caterers require clearance.

Contact the Functions Coordinator at least three weeks in advance.

• Stewards must be booked with three weeks notice, for events with more than 100 people present. Contact the Functions Coordinator.

• Plan sponsorship and publicity well in advance

• Don’t just forget about the event once it’s approved; use it to publicise your Club, Society or Project via Union media and tell your sponsors.

Important Things to Remember


Union Building: Meeting rooms 1 – 5, 7. Union Dining Hall Union Concert Hall Union Gym Activity Spaces 1 & 2

Sherfield: JCR Lecture Theatres Read & Pippard

Sir Alexander Flemming: Seminar Rooms 119, 120, 122, 122, G15, G60, G61, G62, G63, G64, G65, G67, G68, G69, G70 Lecture Theatres G16 &G34 Concourse Level 1, Foyer

Blacket: Lecture Theatre 1,2 & 3 Concourse Levels 2 & 3 Room 306, 328, 539, 630, 737, 741 & 1004

Huxley: Lecture Theatre 130, 144, 145, 308, 311, 340 711C, Clore Concourse levels 2 & 3 Rooms 344 (A, B, C &D), 408, 503, 658, 341, 342, 343,

Electrical Engineering: Lecture Theatre 408 Rooms 403 (A&B), 406, 407 (A&B), 508, 509 (A&B), 511

Royal School of Mines: Rooms 301 (A, B, C & D), G1 Lecture Theatres 1.31, 1.47, 2.28, G20 Concourse levels 2

Appendix 1 - College Spaces available to book via SAC



Aero: Lecture Theatres 252, 253, 254, 266 Rooms 362 (C&D), 455 (A&B), 563b

Mechanical Engineering: Lecture Theatres 220, 342, 542, 640, 664 Concourse level 2 Room 213A, 650, 649, 651, 652, 703, 749, 750, 751, 752

Skempton: Lecture Theatre 201, 207, 208 Concourse level 1, 2 Room 141, 227, 228, 301, 307

Charing Cross Campus: Lecture Theatres Drewe, Glenister, Lab 8th floor & 10th floor. Rooms: Reynolds B1, B2, R1, R2, R3, Glenister Seminar Room 1, 2 & 3.

BioChemistry: Lecture Theatre 290 Rooms: 213 (A&B)

Chemical Engineering: Lecture Theatres: 1, 2 & 3 Rooms: 207, 230 (A&B), 306, 309, 312, 315, 400 (A&B)

Bessemer Building: Lecture Theatres: 318, 319, 327, 530

Hammersmith Campus:Lecture Theatres: LT1, LT2, LT3Rooms: 203 (A&B), 207 (A,B&C), 3N5, SBS Rooms 1-8


Appendix 1 - College Spaces available to book via SAC cont...

Charing CrossLecture Theatres: Drewe, Glenister, Lab Block 10th Floor, Lab Block 8th FloorRooms: B1, B2, G1, G2, G3, 9L10, 9L12, 9L13, 9L15Reynolds Concourse Level

St. MarysLecture Theatres: Rothschild, Clinical, Cockburn, BannisterRooms: 3rd Floor Seminar, Committee Room, Peart Room

Imperial College UnionBeit QuadranglePrince Consort RoadLondon SW7 2BB

Tel: 020 7594 8060Fax: 020 7594 8065Email: [email protected]

Organising Events v1.2

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