Signature Events

The following college events fall under the category of a signature event:

• Presidential Events
• Residencies, especially keynotes
  
• Admitted Student Open Houses / Visit Days
• Commencement
• Fall Convocation
• Martin Luther King Convocation
• Reunion
• Homecoming
• Showcase
• Duffy Colloquium

These priority events will receive the highest level of promotion and resources by the Office of Communications & Integrated Marketing. The Director of College Events will provide guidance with planning signature events as needed. Please reach out for assistance. 

Receiving Assistance and Promotion

• In order to request campus resources such as AV, setup, or creative assistance, the event must be added to your group and appear on the campus calendar.
• Registration of events should occur as soon as the event’s location, date, and time are chosen. This secures the time and place for the event and gives campus staff ample time to plan and assist.
• Requests for event support should be submitted at least two weeks in advance. Otherwise, support is not guaranteed.

Event Conflict Resolution

• If the date and time of two events conflict, the event that registered first typically takes priority if it has previously been promoted on the Campus Calendar.
• When an event coordinator attempts to register an event that occurs or overlaps with a previously registered event, Communications & Marketing will be in contact to inform the coordinator of the conflict.
• In cases of significant conflicts– such as with two important, student-centric events– the second event’s coordinator will be asked for their reasons for scheduling at that time and encouraged to consider a different date without conflicts.
• Should the second event be a signature event, it may be given equal or greater priority in resolving a conflict. The first event’s coordinator may be asked to reschedule.
• On rare occasions, scheduling conflicts may be unavoidable. For instance, the date may be the only opportunity to bring a guest speaker to campus after exhausting all possible options.
• In extreme cases, a conflicting event may be denied access to some or all campus resources. For example:
  • When the conflict is too significant (success of a signature event is in jeopardy, campus resources cannot cover all needs, expectation for President’s attendance at both events, etc).
  • When the denied event registered too late to resolve the conflict, allocate resources, etc.
  • When the reason given for pursuing a significant conflict is insufficient ( “wanted to overlap with Reunion to allow alumni to attend” ).
  • When more than sufficient time is available to easily resolve a significant conflict.

External Groups

• Campus event coordinators hosting an outside group or organization on campus must submit the event request to the Director of College Events. If the event is approved and booked through the Director of College Events, the initial campus contact for that group is responsible for coordinating all needs for the event.
• If the campus event coordinator hosting an external group does not wish to have the external group pay a room rental fee for their event, then the campus event coordinator’s department is responsible for paying the room rental on their behalf.
• Any external group or organization that does not have a direct campus contact for their event must submit an event request. If approved, the contact will work directly with the Director of College Events for all needs.

Event Alcohol Policy

• Pearsons Hall and the Powerhouse are the only building on campus that holds a liquor license, maintained by Bon Appetit.
• Campus events serving alcohol in other spaces on campus must be “hosted,” meaning that no cash sales are allowed. Such events must also be “private,” meaning that they are not open to the general public.
• Event coordinators must have a list of all underage attendees as well as provide name tags that signify if attendees are under 21.
• Events that are public or involve charging for alcohol are required to apply for a liquor license from the City of Beloit as well as have licensed bartenders serving the alcohol.
• External groups hosting their event are required to go through Bon Appetit for all bar needs for any space on campus.