Saint Joseph’s University Special Events

On-campus events can often serve as the public’s first in-person impression of Saint Joseph’s University (the “University”). As such, events must be cohesive and convey the excellence associated with a Saint Joseph’s education. Events are an important reflection of the University’s reputation.

These procedures and resources listed on the website are for all University employees, faculty, staff and volunteers; all departments, schools and colleges. These procedures do not apply to student-initiated and student-led events, although students are encouraged to use this as a resource. These procedures do not apply to outside entities that rent Saint Joseph’s space for an event exclusively serving their constituency.

The tier of an event is determined by scope and complexity.

1. Tier 1 Event: 
   1. Institution-wide, signature events that invite the entire campus or most of campus. 
   2. Institution-wide, high-visibility events that feature nationally known outside speakers, impact reputation, recruit large numbers of students or raise significant funding. In general, these events have a mass appeal and have the potential to draw hundreds of community members. 
2. Tier 2 Event:
   1. Niche fundraising events.
   2. Significant, endowed lectures that draw well-known speakers within a particular field of study, gathering a moderate audience. 
   3. Well-known all-employee or all-campus social gatherings.
   4. High-visibility graduate open houses, career fairs, etc.
3. Tier 3 Event:
   1. Classroom lectures, department-specific open houses, fairs or more intimate and local speaker series. 
4. Outside Event:
   1. An event where an outside entity is renting our space. SJU involvement is limited or non-existent. (Not applicable to these procedures)
       

High profile events provide a special opportunity for the University and can have significant impact on the reputation of the University and its relationships with stakeholders such as donors, VIPs and government officials. Therefore, the event must be led by teams with an enterprise perspective and with direct experience in the successful coordination, planning and execution of events. 

As soon as the concept for such an event is developed, the originating department should contact the VP of University Relations immediately before any further planning occurs. No contract should be signed until discussed with the VP of University Relations.

The VP of University Relations will be the primary administrator and decision maker and will assemble an events team consisting of cross-departmental representatives. The VP of University Relations will also assign a single on-site point person for the day of the event. The hosting department is expected to be an active partner including program development and invitation list criteria.

While the events team will lead the strategic direction, it cannot be assumed that team will execute on every aspect of the event. In the initial planning meeting, clear roles and responsibilities will be established. 

To ensure no duplication or error, invitations need to be streamlined completely through the events working group. Before contacting any donors, alumni or members of the Board of Trustees, contact the appropriate SJU office to coordinate (President’s Office, Alumni Relations, Advancement). 

Some events are niche and appeal to a specific part of our community. These events are administered locally in the department where they originate. Follow the following best practices:

• At least 100 days before an event, vet intended event with dean/department head and corresponding divisional VP for appropriateness, goals, intended audience and outcomes, scale, budget, etc.
• Assign a single point of contact for the event within your department. 
• Depending on the scope of the event, vet it with the President’s Chief of Staff to determine if the President’s attendance is appropriate; try to book event around that availability, if necessary. Note that there is an online request form for this purpose. 
•  Before contacting any donors, alumni or members of the Board of Trustees, contact the appropriate SJU office to coordinate (President’s Office, Alumni Relations, Advancement). 
• Once event date, time, venue and event title/description have been vetted and finalized, enter event on the University Calendar. This should happen a minimum of 90 days before most events.
• Use the Events Planning toolkit to coordinate details.
• Privacy: Determine the nature of your event – whether it is public, private or confidential. Be sure to communicate this scope to your speakers and attendees. 
• Access to Property: The University is a private institution. As such, University grounds and buildings constitute private property and are not open to the public, absent an explicit invitation from the Athletics Department or Marketing and Communications, or the purposes of a public event (e.g., basketball game in Hagan Arena). When open to the public, in connection with a public event, the University retains the right to enforce its oversight of its property.
• Cancellations: If the University is closed due to weather, be sure to communicate with your invitees about the cancellation of your event. Establish a rain plan, if necessary
   

1. Reserve an on-campus venue in accordance with the University Facility Use Policy. Reservations can be made via the Infosilem scheduling system for all on-campus venues. Infosilem can be accessed on The Nest (homepage or School Services tab).
2. Once event date, time, venue and event title/description have been vetted and finalized, enter event on the University Calendar. This should happen a minimum of 90 days before most events.
3. Consult with the Office of Marketing and Communications to determine communications needs and deliverables. From an execution standpoint, note that the Office of Marketing and Communications can only support Tier 1 and Tier 2 events, but can provide templates and freelance referrals (at the hosting department’s expense) for other needs. Communications considerations to explore:
   1. Are invitations necessary? (print, electronic or both?)
   2. Determine RSVP mechanism (is ticketing necessary?)
   3. Determine website needs, including a landing and/or registration page
   4. Determine needs for physical printed program, tent cards, leave-behinds, etc.
   5. Order podium sign/directional signs, if needed
   6. Note: All contact with the news media is coordinated through the Director of Public Relations and Media.
4. Develop and finalize program (speakers, topics, key messages, flow, run of show, script). See the event planning toolkit for examples. Host a conference call with speakers several weeks in advance to discuss program, speaker assignments and scripting needs.
5. Determine and finalize all logistical needs.
   1. Determine A/V and room setup needs (podium, screen, tables, seating) and submit this information with the space request. A/V requests need to be submitted through TeamDynamix by submitting a ticket.
   2. Confirm any set up changes 10 business days in advance of the event to eventsetup@sju.edu 
   3. Determine parking needs
   4. Determine security needs
   5. Order catering, if needed
   6. Identify décor needs (e.g. flowers, table cloths, etc.)
   7. Determine any music needs (background music, walk-in/walk-out music)
   8. Determine check-in process, name tags, seating arrangements, etc.
   9. Schedule dry run/rehearsal and prepare appropriate briefing materials for participants
   10.  Determine and assign staffing needs
6. Provide briefing materials to President’s Office, if applicable, and participating speakers at least 72 hours in advance.
7. Manage any post-event communications or logistics. Best practice dictates capturing event attendance, sending a post-event thank you email and record event engagement in Banner. This process is key for donor and alumni stewardship and engagement. Questions can be directed to a member of the University events team.