Planning a Kogod Club Event Follow these step by step guidelines that will take you from idea to success.

Transcription

1 Planning a Kogod Club Event Follow these step by step guidelines that will take you from idea to success. EVENT CONCEPT The type of event you decide to host will affect the type of venue you choose, the optimal date and time to hold your event, the type of catering you need, and the type of promotion you do. Before planning your event, think about the following questions: 1) WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE? (Check all that apply) Limited students (club members only, etc.) All graduate students All undergraduate students Faculty/Staff AU community (AU students, faculty, staff) Alumni (Alumni Relations Office approval required) Corporate Contacts (Career Services Office approval required) Other: 3) WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET FOR THE EVENT? Amount: $ Event costs can vary widely depending on the number of people you expect to attend and the type of catering you choose, but as a rule of thumb you should plan on: Informal Event without catering: $0 $10 Informal Event with catering: $50 $250 Casual Event without catering: $0 $50 Casual Event with catering: $400 $1,800 Formal Event* without alcohol: $1,000 - $3,000 Formal Event* with alcohol: $2,000 - $5,000 2) WHAT TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT DO YOU EXPECT? Informal: Casual attire, catering optional (pizza, sodas, cookies), no alcohol, no alumni/corporate contacts Casual: Business casual attire, catering optional (limited hors d oeuvres), no alcohol, limited alumni/corporate contacts invited Formal: Business attire, elegant hors d oeuvres catered on china, alcohol optional, formal invitations to alumni/corporate contacts 4) HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE TO PLAN YOUR EVENT? Number of weeks: The earlier you plan your event, the better. As a general rule, the MINIMUM number of weeks you need to plan your event is: Informal events: 2 weeks Casual events: 4 6 weeks Formal events: 2 3 months * Formal events normally require a reception/catering. COMMENTS:

2 EVENT PLANNING CHECKLIST Please use the following checklist to plan your event. Most clubs find it useful to delegate responsibilities to various people and set deadlines for each task. CHOOSING A DATE, TIME, & VENUE: KOGOD SCHEDULES: (Formal and casual events only) The following offices should be consulted to ensure that no other events are scheduled at the same time. Check the Kogod calendar and ask K-LAB staff to contact the offices. K-LAB Admissions Graduate Programs Undergraduate Programs Career Services Alumni Relations Office of the Dean CLASS SCHEDULES: Go online to check the Kogod class time schedule to make sure that your event does not fall during a time that many students have class. AU EVENTS CALENDAR: Log on to my.american.edu and see if there are any other major events listed on the calendar that my conflict with yours. HOLIDAYS: Check the AU academic calendar and a general interest calendar to make sure your event does not fall on a holiday or AU vacation day. VENUE: Don t forget to include ample time for event set-up and clean-up! Club leaders gain access to online space reservations after attending Student Activities 101. For more information, contact activites@american.edu. EVENT PREPARATION: BUDGET: Create a detailed budget for your event. Include fliers, catering, speaker gifts, etc. Your budget should be based on actual estimates. If you do not know the amount available in your club s account, contact the Student Activities Office (MGC 271, x3390). For some events, you may request co-sponsorship from K-LAB. Requests for funding are granted on a limited basis. To apply, fill out K-LAB s online funding request form: N1Q1VfaC1obUFOQ2RnNkZ0aER6YXc6MA..#gid=0 SPEAKER CONFIRMATION: Send a formal, hard-copy letter to each speaker/panelist thanking him/her for his/her upcoming participation and 2

3 confirming the event format, date, time, location, driving directions, parking instructions, and meeting location (someone from your club should plan to meet the speaker at a prearranged location before the event). AV REQUIREMENTS: Will your presenters need PowerPoint, microphones, or other AV equipment? Call AV (x2296) to request set-up immediately after you confirm your event date and location. Don t forget to confirm your request the day before the event! ROOM SET-UP: On the room request form, you will be able to mark the type of room set-up you desire. However, some events may require more detailed room set-up arrangements. To request podium set-up, AU banner set-up, extra tables for reception catering, extra chairs, etc. call x2349. Request this immediately after you confirm your event date and location. Don t forget to confirm your room set-up the date before the event! WATER: Place bottled water on the podium or panel table for each speaker on day of event. PHOTOGRAPHER: Arrange to have a club member take photos of your event to post on your club s web-site or to keep as a memento of the event. For formal events, you can arrange to have a professional photographer cover your event. Contact AU Photography at x5971 or photography@american.edu to request a photographer. (There may be a charge associated with the photographer depending on his availability.) PUBLICITY: Deadline sible Task GBA and UBA: Depending on your event audience, send a description of your event to kogodgba@american.edu for graduate students and kogoduba@gmail.com for undergraduates students. Ask the GBA/UBA to put your event on their calendars. Ask them to publicize your event by announcing it at (Graduate: Kogod@Lunch, Kogod@8) and (UBA: Club Council meetings and events) and other opportunities. (2 weeks. FLYERS: Create a flyer advertising your event and post it around the Kogod and Ward buildings. Posters hung outside of Kogod must be approved by your AU Student Activities Advisor. You may post on the shuttle as well. (1-2 weeks before event) EVENT PROGRAMS: (Formal and some casual events only) Create a program to be handed out to the audience at the event. Make sure to request speaker/panelist bios directly from the speaker/panelist to include in the program. (2-3 weeks before event) KOGOD STUDENT NEWSLETTERS Biz Undergrad is a weekly update that goes out to all Kogod undergraduate students. KSB Bulletin is a weekly update that goes out to all Kogod graduate 3

4 students. Newsletters go out every Tuesday. To submit an announcement or event, use the form that is linked at the bottom of every newsletter. Direct link for submission: kckliavdfc2vxsgtmlvjrogc6mq#gid=0. Send by Monday at noon. If you have questions, FACULTY: (Formal and some casual events only) Contact the K-LAB at and let her know of the key professors who may teach a course that relates to your event. Provide her with a flyer or event description. She will ask the Professors to publicize to their students. (2 weeks CAREER SERVICES: (Formal events only) Clubs should request a meeting with the career services office by contacting the K-LAB at klab@american.edu. Make sure to bring along a copy of your event description, flyer, budget, and event concept (page 1 of this document) to your meeting with the K-LAB. If the event falls within the initiatives of career services, the office may agree to send an invitation to your event to corporate contacts. Please be aware that this is at the sole discretion of career services. (3 weeks ALUMNI RELATIONS: (Formal events only) Notify the K-LAB at klab@american.edu that you would like a meeting with the Development Office. Make sure to bring along a copy of your event description, flyer, budget, and event concept (page 1 of this document) to your meeting with the K-LAB. If the event falls within the Alumni Relations Office s initiatives, the Assistant Director may agree to send an invitation to your event to Kogod alumni. Please be aware that this is at the Assistant Director s sole discretion. (1-2 months MARKETING: Notify the K-LAB at klab@american.edu that you would like a meeting with the Marketing Department. Make sure to bring along a copy of your event description, flyer, budget, and event concept (page 1 of this document) to your meeting with the K-LAB. If the event falls within the Marketing Department s initiatives, the Director may agree to help you publicize your event in campus, local, and/or national newspapers. Please be aware that this is at the Director s sole discretion. (1-2 months INVITATIONS: (Formal events only) If the Career Services Office and/or the Alumni Relations Office agree to send out an invitation, create a professional invitation including the event title, description, date, time, location, RSVP requirements, and contact information. Once the Career Services Office and/or Alumni Relations Office receives the invitation, they will make any style and content changes necessary to fit within their communication guidelines before sending it out. (1-2 months DEAN S ATTENDANCE: (Formal and some casual events only) If you would like Dean Ginzberg, Dean Thompson, and/or Dean Ward to attend your event, contact the K-LAB at klab@american.edu with the Dean s invitation along with the event description, flyer, and event concept. The K-LAB will follow up with the Deans and you will get a response based on their availability. (As soon as possible after confirming event date and time) 4

5 CATERING & PURCHASING: CATERING: Don t forget the napkins, plates, and cups! Informal: For pizza, sodas, cookies or other informal catering, you have two options: 1) Submit a Purchase Request form to the Student Activities Office (Mary Graydon Center 271, x3390). Three four days after you submit the request, you can pick up the funds to purchase your event food. (2 weeks 2) For total costs under $100, you can pay out of pocket for the food, then submit your receipts to the Student Activities Office for reimbursement. Reimbursement is subject to approval by the Student Activities Office. American University: For catering from American University (Bon Appetit), contact x3181 or aucatering@american.edu). Bon Appetit caters coffee, tea, drinks, and a range of hors d oeuvres and other menu items. (2 weeks 2 months Outside Vendor: You may also choose to have your event catered by an offcampus caterer. For assistance with off-campus catering contracts, contact the K- LAB (klab@american.edu, Kogod 1, x1982). (1 2 months Off-Campus Location: If you are hosting your event at an off-campus location you will need to arrange for a catering contract. For assistance with catering contracts, contact the K-LAB (klab@american.edu, Kogod 1, x1982). (2 4 months ALCOHOL APPROVAL FORM: (For formal events only) If alcohol is served or sold at your event, you must complete an Alcohol Approval Form, which can be found at american.edu/ocl/uc/upload/alcohol-approval-form.pdf. Both you and your AU club advisor must sign the Approval Form. Attach a copy of the alcohol catering contract to the form and submit it to the Student Activities Office (MGC 271, x3390). (2 months GIFTS: (For any events with a speaker or panelists) Kogod s Marketing and Communications Department has a stock of small Kogod gifts for guest speakers. Work with the K-LAB to request and pick up a gift for your speaker(s). (1 week THANK YOU NOTES: Following your event, send an thank you note to every person/department on campus that assisted you in making the event happen (For example, co-sponsors, Career Services for sending out invitations, the Dean for attending, etc.) Send a formal, hard-copy thank you note to all off-campus speakers or panelists who participated. (within 1 week after event) 5