Planning an SOE Event

This protocol is designed to help faculty and staff plan a successful SOE event. Please keep in mind that SOE staff are here to assist, but they cannot provide support if they are not communicated with in a clear and timely fashion.

In general, these guidelines should help you get started; however, large events or events with multiple aspects may require more planning and/or in-person planning meetings. In those cases, staff can work with you to build a planning process that is mutually beneficial, using the Event Planning Template below:

Open

Staff Points of Contact

• Office of the Dean (Executive Assistant to the Dean and Office Coordinator)

• Marketing and Communications

• Business Office

• Technology Support Group

Before You Begin

• For the best results, please begin planning for your events at least four weeks in advance.

• Almost every event requires money to be spent on a service—whether it’s rental space, technology equipment, or food.

  • Before beginning your planning, please check with the Business Office to both determine the budget for your event, and secure a chart string to assign to expenses and share with campus partners.

• All SOE Events must be fully accessible and inclusive.

  • Please visit the University’s Diversity and Inclusion website for an Inclusive Event Planning Guide.

• Familiarize yourself with the University’s events policies.

Dates, Times, and Locations

• When selecting a date, time, and location for your event, please look at the Syracuse University events calendar to see what other events—both at the University at the SOE—are happening that day.

  • You can also check with the Dean’s Office if you think there is the potential for internal conflicts.

• Please refer to the SOE Facilities Answers page for information on booking a Huntington Hall location for your event, including availability calendars and booking instructions. Plan that your guests may have mobility needs.

• Keep in mind that events scheduled outside of the normal workday or workweek may be subject to additional costs for custodians. Additionally, office coordinators, IT support, and other staff may not be available to assist you with set-up or take-down of your event.

• If you will be hosting an event outside of Huntington Hall, follow any policies for those spaces.

  • Spaces outside of Huntington Hall are likely going to charge for use of their spaces.

  • Be ready to provide them with a chart string to pay for your rental fee.

• You are highly encouraged to visit any space that you are planning to use to check the room layout, technology access, and accessibility.

Ordering Food & Drink

• Keep in mind that, with limited exceptions, SU Campus Catering must be used to provide food and drink for campus events.

• Other vendors may be used, but it is best practice to check with the Office Coordinator to determine which vendor option is best for your event.

For SU Campus Catering

• All orders should be in at least 12 business days (2 full weeks) before the event.

  • If you are ordering food of under 12 people, you do not need to/can’t use Campus Catering. Please reach out to the Dean’s Office ahead of time to figure out catering. Staff would still appreciate the 12 days notice, so we have time to plan.

• SU Campus Catering menus are located on the SU Campus Catering website.

  • You should have an idea of what you’d like to order before you contact Campus Catering.

  • You must provide a chart string when ordering food.

  • Be sure to keep in mind that people have various dietary restrictions.

    • When possible, it is best practice to survey people. Staff can help with this step.

• SU Campus Catering will send a contract ahead of the event.

  • Check the details (date, time, location, food quantities) and communicate whether it is accurate.

  • Once you have approved the contract, staff will get it signed and send it back to Campus Catering.

• If you wish to serve alcohol, review the SU Campus Catering policies and guidelines.

  • Thirty business days’ notice is required for all events at which alcohol will be served in order to get the appropriate permits from the New York State Liquor Authority.

Providing Parking

• If you have a visitor coming to campus and need to provide them with complimentary parking, email Office of the Dean staff with the name of the person, the date and time of their visit, the reason for their visit, what parking lot you would like for them to park in, and which chart string to charge the parking to. Reservations should be made at least two business days in advance.

• For larger events, please work with staff to contact parking services and arrange for group parking. Group parking should be arranged at least one week in advance of your event.

• View parking and campus maps.

Hotel Accommodations

• If you have a visitor coming to campus and need to provide them with a hotel accommodation, please reach out to Office of the Dean staff as soon as you know. Be sure to include date of arrival, date of departure, name(s) of the guest, and chart string to charge the room(s) to, as well as any accommodations or special requests.

  • This process takes time, so please communicate at least two weeks ahead of the event!

Promoting Your Event

• We encourage you to start your own flier (for posting around the school or campus) using templates that are on Answers. This flier should be shared with Marketing and Communications to ensure it is brand compliant.

• If you need assistance making an HTML email message (the best, most accessible option for forwarding via email and to ListServs), please contact Marketing and Communications. Information about SOE ListServs can be found on the Technology Support Group’s Answers pages.

• If you need assistance making documents accessible, please use the guide on Answers.

  • If you still need assistance, please contact the Digital and Social Media Specialist.

• To have your event appear on the Syracuse University events calendar, submit to: https://calendar.syracuse.edu

• Advancement and Alumni Relations sends out monthly newsletters and event digests to alumni, friends, and SOE faculty/staff/students. To be included, email the Development Assistant with the event title, event contact, date/time/location, calendar listing URL, and registration link (if applicable).

  • Event digest email submissions are due the 15th of the month for the following month’s digest.

  • EdExchange newsletter submissions are due the first of the month for that month’s newsleter.

• To promote your event on SOE’s social media channels, reach out to the Digital and Social Media Specialist.

Set-Up and Take-Down

• Staff are happy to assist in setting up and taking down your event when schedules allow.

• Please make sure that you ask about availability for assisting with the implementation of your event.

  • In some cases, staff may not be available, and you will need to recruit colleagues or students to assist you.

 Materials and Supplies

• Let Office of the Dean staff know if you need materials and supplies for your event (e.g., chart paper, markers).

SOE Swag

• Please review the School of Education’s separate swag purchasing policies.

Technology/Accessibility

• When planning an event that includes presentations, CART and microphones must be used.

  • CART and other technology requests should be made approximately three weeks ahead of time as schedules fill up fast.

  • Requests for technology should first be made to LEMP via this form. If LEMP is unable to assist you, please email SOE staff to find an alternative.

  • CART services have to be arranged with a transcriptionist. You can view CART provider contact info at this Answers page. Professional Reporting Services are recommended.

  • Please provide a chart string for billing purposes for LEMP and CART.

• If you require assistance from SOE Technology Support Group for tech logistics for an event, email to soehelp@syr.edu with at least one week advance notice (ideally more).

  • If you’d like to see the technology available in a room, check out the SU classroom resource guide on Answers.

Securing Event Sponsors

• Sponsors are a great way to increase your event’s reach and its budget.

  • Before soliciting sponsorships, reach out to the Director of Marketing and Communications to ensure you are following appropriate University-protocols and using logos appropriately.

Minors on Campus

• Special rules apply when your event includes hosting minors (children under the age of 18) on campus. ALL events where minors are invited or will attend MUST be registered with Rink Management. Visit Risk Management’s website to learn more.

Huntington Hall Facilities Access

• If your event requires the building to be open beyond normal business hours, reach out to the Associate Dean for Administration.

• People hosting events in Huntington Hall are responsible for moving their own furniture (and returning the spaces to their original conditions after the event) and making sure that all food and trash are taken care of the conclusion of the event.

• If you need access to the closet in the Jacquet Education Commons or keys to other spaces in Huntington Hall, please reach out the Office of the Dean.