Events are one of the key parts of running your society! It offers members a chance to come together and socialise. Therefore it’s important to consider what kinds of events your members will enjoy and use this to put together your annual activity plan. 

If you're a Society, your activity plan helps us plan the year ahead, ensuring that nothing is left to the last minute and that you have the right amount of budget and resources to deliver the events you want to.

But there's always events that pop up over the year, and you can request them here.

Please see below some guidance for event planning: 

Important questions to ask yourself when planning an event: 

• Does this event further the aims of your society? 

• Do your members need the event, will they benefit and enjoy it?

• Are there any times you should avoid planning events? For example exams and deadlines. 

• Does your Student Group have the capacity and resources  to run this event? Think of volunteer/committee time and budgeting.

• Is the event entirely accessible? How can you adapt it to suit everyone’s needs? 

10 Stages of Event Planning 

1. Submit Your Event Idea 

​This should include as much information as possible about the event in order to help us approve it. Have everything ready before you email us. The more planning and preparation you put into the event beforehand, the better and easier it will be to run it!

2.  Date & Time 

Be flexible with this, give a few options

3. Submit External Speaker Requests

This is a university process as well as our process, we need plenty of time to decide what level of ‘risk’ this speaker could be and ensure that they are suitable to come and do the talk. 

4. Budgeting 

Be realistic with this, consider whether there’s anything we might already have for you to reuse.

5. Room Booking

Be open to different rooms and spaces, priority goes to academic use of rooms on campus so we’re left to pick from what’s left. You must let us know what capacity room you’d like. Any spaces that are booked for your student group you are responsible for - so remember to respect the space and leave it how you found it. Any damages might have to be paid for through your membership funds

6. Ordering 

Send us a list of what you’d like order for the event, we’ll order it and let you know when it’s ready to collect

7. Completing a Risk assessment 

Go into as much detail as possible. We will not start promoting the event until this is complete

8. Promoting Online 

We have a partnership with a media platform called Native, all our events must be put on our site. This helps announce the event to all students and keep track of attendees/tickets sold

9. Promoting in Person

Please allow up to a week for us to print posters (we will let you know when they’re ready) only request via opportunities inbox

10. Food & Drink 

This should be done as close to the event as possible and kept in mind when doing budgeting

So when does this need to be submitted?

Event Idea: Depending on the scale of the event 8-4 weeks before the event

Date & Time: 8-4 Weeks before the event 

External Speakers: 5 weeks before the event 

Budgeting: when you submit the idea 

Room Booking Request: when you submit the idea 

Ordering: 4 weeks before the event 

Risk Assessment: 4 weeks before the event 

Promoting online: minimum 2 weeks before the event 

Promoting in person: 4 weeks before the event (including printing time)