Student Toolkit - Event Planning

Meetings and events...events and meetings...both are vital and both are time consuming. Both should be fun and rewarding! Learning how to plan them, how to run them and how to assess them is a great opportunity to learn and develop a valuable skill set. Good planning involves setting goals, creating a critical path and revisiting it often, and ensuring accessibility, diversity, sustainability and assessment are an integral part of the process.

• Meetings
• Events
• Accessible Events
• Promotions
• Food
• Location & Setup
• Volunteers
• Effective Presentations
• Evaluation
• Hart House Accessibility Fund
• Travelling
• Food Options

Meetings

The quick, required steps are:

• Select a date and time
• Set an agenda
• Visit the Events and Catering office for space availability

Events

Events typically involve more time, energy and resources. The planning phase is an exciting time to figure out what you want to do and how creative your group can be. 
Here are some helpful steps:

Step 1 - Determining the what, when, who and how

• What is your objective?
• When people leave your event what do you hope they know, feel, remember and/or do?
• Is there a need or interest from your target audience?
• Has something similar been done in the past, in the near future that targets the same audience? If you answered yes to this question use your collaboration skills to discuss how you can work together?

Step 2 - Putting it in your calendar!

• Is this a good time for your target audience to attend and for your organizers to organize?
• If yes, does your executive seem excited about the event?

Step 3 - Booking the room

• Fortunately, finding space at Hart House is quite easy. You simply walk into Events and Catering office with a few dates and a description of your space requirements, leave a requisition and you’ll have a response within two business days. Be sure to book events with plenty of notice so that you have the best options for availability of spaces.
• Contact the Events and Catering by stopping by the office in person, by email at events.harthouse@utoronto.ca, or by phone 416.978.2444
• In the event that Hart House does not have the space to accommodate your event, you may be able to book space elsewhere on campus. To do so, speak with your fellow executive members and staff advisor to see if everyone feels comfortable hosting an event outside of Hart House (charges usually apply).

Step 4 – De-brief and event evaluation

• When people leave your event what do you hope they know, feel, remember and/or do?
• Last, but certainly not least, don’t forget to assess the success of your event. Consider utilizing event evaluation forms for your audience to provide feedback. Your staff advisor can provide sample event evaluation tools that can be adapted for your particular undertaking. Clubs and Committees are also expected to complete an online event evaluation survey for each event or series of events delivered. The evaluation is designed to provide a framework for reflecting on your activities and to give you the opportunity to provide us with feedback on our supports.

Accessible Events

When planning an event, ensure your organizing committee includes or consults with a diverse group. Invite those with accommodation requirements to advise you of their needs.

Promotions

Advertise well in advance to give people time to arrange special transportation or assistants. Ensure your marketing strategies are devised to reach a diverse audience. Remember to promote your event in a variety of accessible formats and places.

The Hart House accessibility logo should appear on all promotional materials for your events.

It is available through the Communications department or your staff advisor. The logo includes an e-mail address for attendees to use should they require accommodation. The Communications department has created poster templates for events using accessibility standards. Please choose from among these templates to promote your event.

Food

Be sure participants have the opportunity to indicate dietary needs. Food should be labelled correctly (i.e. vegan, vegetarian, halal), listing ingredients where possible.

Location & Event Setup

If you are booking space other than at Hart House, ensure facilities are accessible (elevators, accessible washrooms, equipped with automatic doors). Make sure the room setup allows for mobility aids such as wheelchairs and canes, has wide aisles, good lighting and plenty of space around tables. Hart House accommodations include the elevator, accessible washrooms, ramps and a TTY courtesy phone at the HUB.

Volunteers

Make sure your volunteers are easily identified and sensitized to the needs of persons with disabilities. Volunteers can ask people if they want help but should never force assistance on anyone.

Effective Presentations

There are many accommodations to keep in mind when preparing and making presentations. Check the NEADS web site for this important information. http://www.neads.ca/

Evaluation

Make sure you include a section for participants to comment on the accessibility of the event on your event evaluation forms.

Check out the NEADS Accessibility Guide for Campus Programmers for a complete list of accessibility considerations. On-campus resources include Students for Barrier-free Access sba.sa.utoronto.ca and the University of Toronto Accessibility Services office: accessibility@utoronto.ca.

Hart House Accessibility Fund

Hart House has also established an Accessibility Fund to pay for accommodations that have costs attached that cannot be paid for out of your group’s budget. You should contact the Accessibility Fund at accessibility@harthouse.ca a minimum of two weeks in advance of your event to make arrangements.

Travelling

Travel planning must begin a few months in advance, whether you are traveling in Canada or internationally. Insufficient lead-time could result in your group being unable to travel. Students traveling internationally must follow UofT’s Safety Abroad Protocol (http://www.utoronto.ca/safety.abroad/guide.html). Consult with your staff advisor for details.

Hart House processes:

• Collect a completed travel waiver, and emergency contact information for each student and submit the document to your staff advisor along with your detailed travel itinerary
• For travel in private vehicles, reimbursement for mileage is available at $0.40/km
• Car, van and bus rentals are arranged by completing a Vehicle Rental Request form, authorized by your staff advisor.
• Drivers must be 21 years of age and hold a license enabling them to rent cars
• All boarding passes from air travel must be kept and submitted to your advisor immediately upon your return.

Food, Food, Food

Bring your Own Food

Individuals may bring in their own snack food for themselves. Be sure to clean up all food as you leave.

Pot Luck

Applicable for bookings in Music Room guests are welcome to bring homemade pot-luck meal. Hart House provides one staff person for safe food handling, serving equipment as required, paper plates and napkins, plastic cutlery and cups for non-alcoholic beverages. Cost: $100 + taxes.

Order your own pizza

For meetings less than 50 attendees, feel free to order pizza. By ordering directly through the HUB courtesy phone and leaving your student card the staff will direct your delivery to the room. Please dispose of your garbage and pick up your card.

Kiosk Service

Appropriate for concerts, musical recitals, pub nights. Set up cost is $25; staff costs are $20/hour per person per hour. The staff ratio is one staff member to every 150 guests and there is a three hour minimum for staff. 
Cash sales of coffee, tea, juice & mineral water, cookies & packaged goods, i.e. chips, ice cream bars. Coffee or Tea or Juice $1, Packaged goods are $1and $2 each.

Catered Function

Indicate your need for catering when booking your event. Staff will help choose menu and budget costs. (A 25 per cent discount applies on all food and nonalcoholic drink items). An invoice will be sent directly to your group. Attendance numbers must be confirmed three business days prior. Phone: 416.978.2444 | Email: student.space@utoronto.ca

Sammys Student Exchange

For bookings under 25 guests, and total food and beverage cost would be under $300 (or special approval from Director of Events & Catering). Must be pickup, drop off or in Arbor Room space (no staff service involved) 10 per cent discount on selected menu items for small events at Hart House. Payment must be made on date of event. Contact: Sabrina,  Phone: 416.978.3325 | Email: catering@sammysstudentexchange.com