Event Planning Checklist
Find resources to plan a successful departmental event.
Before planning any event, please review UND Event Guidelines and UND Events Policies to gain familiarity with University event processes and to answer questions.
Getting Started
Consider the following questions before committing time and financial resources to your event.
- Goal: Why are you planning this event? Who is this event for? What do you hope to achieve?
- Budget: How are you funding this event? How can you maximize impact within the budget?
- Timing: Are you allowing enough time to plan a succesful event? Consider availability, venue, catering, event promotion, etc.
This process should start at a minimum of one month in advance, but ideally as early as possible.
Outline the Event
- Title: Create an engaging yet informative title for the event
- Purpose: Spell out the purpose of the event, highlights, and why people should care
- Audience: Detail who the audience is - faculty, staff, students, greater community, etc.
- Event Type: Determine if the event is in-person, virtual, or hybrid
- When: Plan a date/time for the event that makes sense for the target audience. Plan backup dates in case the speaker(s) or venue are already booked.
Venue
- Memorial Union Room Reservations: Reserved space in the Memorial Union fills up quick. Consider booking a room as soon as possible and many times, months in advance.
- Gorecki Alumni Center Event Inquiries
- Chester Fritz Library: Email Jennifer Arends to reserve a space.
- Merrifield Hall: Email Kristin Ellwanger or Laura Vatnsdal to reserve a meeting room or other space in the building. For building access requests, including keys and electronic door access, and after-hours access for events, please contact the Office of Safety.
Food & Beverage
- University Catering
- Timing: Campus Catering requires a minimum three-week lead time for events exceeding 100+ guests and a two-week lead time for smaller events. Any events requiring a plated meal require final meal selections at least two weeks in advance.
University Catering is the official provider of food and beverage services for the University. Event planners may opt for alternate catering options if the cost is less than $500. If catering costs are expected to exceed $500, UND policy requires the use of University Catering.
UND Event Approval Request Form
Timing: Must be submitted at least two weeks before the event.
UND Events Calendar
Anyone can submit events to the UND Calendar. Find information on eligible events, templates, and an overview of details to include with this outline by the Marketing & Communications team.
Timing: Submit at least two weeks ahead of the event date. Calendar submissions may take two business days to be approved.
On-Campus Digital Signage
UND digital signs are located in areas of campus with a high amount of foot traffic. Remember that each slide only shows for 6-10 seconds, so don't include too much information or long URLs. Find a Pre-Sized Template and formatting notes above.
Timing: Once submitted, allow one to two business days for content to be shared.
Branded Templates
The Division of Marketing & Communications has built extensive templates for faculty and staff use. Find designs for flyers, brochures, stationary, and more.
Timing: The UND Print Center requires two weeks lead time for printed materials.
University Letter
U-Letter content is published Tuesday afternoons, with a 3 p.m. submission deadline, and an email on Wednesday mornings. Events must be listed on the UND Events Calendar to be promoted in U-Letter.
Timing: U-Letter submissions are for the week in which they are submitted. Please contact the editor if multiple weeks of publication are needed.
Social Media
Find ways to post about promoting events on the College of Arts & Sciences Communications & Branding webpage across Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Timing: Posts can be scheduled through Meta Business Suite up to a month in advance.
UND Student Life Weekly
Sent to student emails every Monday during the academic year. Events must be submitted to the UND Events Calendar before being included in SLW.
Timing: Can be submitted up to one month before an event or deadline. Cutoff for submissions is the Monday before the newsletter is sent out.
Staff Chat
Email listserv for UND benefited staff.
College of Arts & Sciences Listserv
Department events are not shared college-wide through the College of Arts & Sciences Listserv. This channel is reserved for the Dean's Office internal messaging.
Also commonly known as "swag" items, the College of Arts & Sciences has a variety of small, branded items on-hand for distribution at recruiting events. Reach out to the College office with requests at least one week in advance. Items can be picked up in the Dean's Office.
In UND's Promotional Product Guidelines, departments can order promotional products through a licensed vendor. These can be any item of choice and branded with the department's logo. Find a list of approved Local and National Vendors online.