Events

City societies deliver over 600+ individual events a year! We want to help you plan as many exciting events as possible during your time as committee members. Here are some of the types of events to consider: 

1. Meet and Greets / Socials 

2. External Speaker Events 

3. Balls / Parties / Dinners 

4. Trips (abroad and UK) 

5. Stalls 

6. Campaigns / Charitable Fundraisers 

7. Online Events 

8. Collaborative Events 

9. Film Screenings 

10. Much more 

 

As an approved society, you are required to complete an Events Form for all planned events/activities. The events can be found on the Committee Hub and allows you to provide all your event information event via one online form. This form then comes to us, and your form will be reviewed by a member of the Communities Team. Once approved your room will be booked, speaker request processed, and all other aspects of the events actioned. 

You can find the events form here

 

Required notice periods

All events forms should be submitted with a minimum of 10 working days notice. For external speaker events, we require 15 working days notice. For larger/high risk events, you should submit a form 15 working days in advance. If you are planning a ball or trip abroad, you should email SUCommunities@city.ac.uk to book a meeting and they will support you with planning and completing your events form. This should be done no later than 2 months ahead of your planned event/ departure date. (Remember the sooner you get in contact, the more likely your event will be a success!)

The planning process

1. Submit an Events Form within the required timeframe.

a. You should submit your events form with your completed risk assessment and budget (as required).

b. The Union operates a first-come-first served queuing system for all events forms. This means the Communities Team will only process events forms in order of submission, so the earlier you submit your form the earlier you can begin promotion and ticketing. The Union reserves the right to request you to rearrange your event if deemed necessary.

c. Please submit your form and await approval before promoting the event or making any concrete plans. d. No payments related to an event can be made until the events form has been approved. Please factor this in your planning timescale.

2. SU Staff Approval (and other stakeholders)

a. We aim to respond to all events forms within 4 working days, as per our service standards.

3. Booking rooms and venues

a. Once approved, the Communities Team will begin processing the form by booking requested rooms/venues.

4. Event logistics

a. You will work with a member of the Communities Team on your event logistics and the details of your event.

b. You can confirm any catering orders.

c. You can finalise any details relating to your event.

5. Tickets and promotion

a. You will be able to set up your event and tickets on Native. All committee members will have recieved an email to join Native which gives you access to set up your events and manage tickets. You can find the training video for how to use Native here. Once you have uploaded your event to draft, the SU will approve it to go live.

 

Budgets

The best way to cover the costs of your event is to charge for tickets. You can subsidise your tickets through memberships and sponsorships. You can also apply for the Development Fund. (More information can be found in the Finance section)

We generally don't recommend spending large proportions of your society's balance on one-off events, to ensure your group remains financially sustainable.

We also have budget plan templates, which should be used when planning for larger-scale events which can be found here. Your budget plan should be submitted alongside your events form. The forms will then be reviewed by our Communities Team and where required our Finance Team.

Budget plans are required for any event where:

- Contracts are signed.

- The event costs over £500.

Spaces

There are several spaces across campus that societies can use for events. Some are controlled directly by the Students’ Union, and some are controlled by Timetabling or the Facilities team. To book any of these spaces, please use the Events Form and indicate which room you would like. If you do not have a preferred room, a room will be allocated based on the other information you’ve given us.

You can view the availability of University spaces here.

We are currently exploring the options for you to view the availability of the rooms the Union controls the booking for. More information will be provided before September.

Please leave all spaces in the condition you found them in. All spaces used by student groups must be reset after use. This includes resetting the tables and chairs after each use. Failure to comply with this will result in restrictions to room bookings.

 

Block room bookings

You are able to request block bookings for your activities and events. You can make requests for block bookings using the events form. You should aim to submit your block booking requests before the start of each term. Please ensure you make your block booking clear in your events form.

There are some spaces where activity is limited and we will be unable to confirm you’re block booking.

Block bookings are allocated on a requirement based first come first served basis.

 

Please leave quietly

As a committee member, you are responsible for ensuring your attendees leave quietly. This is especially important for out of hours events (post 5pm).

Please ensure you respect our neighbours by leaving quietly