There are many steps to hosting an event on-campus. Please see below for a step-by-step checklist to guide you in planning your event. For contact information and detailed guidance and instructions, please reference the guide that follows the checklist.
Creating Your Event:
Event Logistics and Setup:
Catering:
Event Promotion and Marketing:
Event Preparation:
The first step in creating your event on campus is to define the purpose and objective of your event. This will provide direction in determining the best format for your event. In defining your event, it is important to consider: What is the purpose and objective of this event? What is the best way to achieve this objective? What resources are available to facilitate this objective, and do I have them? What is the name of your event?
Once you have defined your event, it is important to determine the financial resources available and necessary to achieve your event’s objective. If you have an allotted budget for your event, you will need to be a good steward of those financial resources to stay within budget. If you are proposing a budget for your event, start with reaching out to campus service providers and off-campus vendors for estimates to compile a comprehensive budget (more on this in the Event Logistics & Setup section). In determining your budget, it is important to consider: What is a realistic budget for this event? Where will the funding be coming from? What is the Chart of Accounts (COA) that should be charged for any event orders?
Next, you will want to secure a date and time for your event. In selecting the date and time, make sure you consider and confirm the availability of all program participants that you would like to attend your event. Please also check the UCR Events Calendar to ensure that there are no other major events targeting the same audience that would conflict with your event.
As you are planning your event, it is very helpful to have a set timeline and checklist to keep you organized and on track with the various components of your event. Once your event is scheduled, work backwards and map out a timeline/checklist for yourself including specific due dates to get each arrangement booked or completed. The further in advance you can begin planning, the better. For smaller meetings and events, best practice is to begin planning at least 3 months in advance. For larger events, best practice is to begin planning at least 6 to 9 months in advance depending on the scale of your event.
TIP: When you host your event at a venue managed by Hospitality Services, you will be assigned an event coordinator who can help you arrange parking, catering, room setup, and AV/media.
For more information on hosting an event at these venues, please contact Hospitality Services Team.
Venues Managed by HUB Scheduling:
Please click the link above for an overview on the following venues:
To reserve a space managed by HUB Scheduling, please use the EMS Highlander Scheduling System. For more information on hosting an event at these venues, please contact the HUB Scheduling Team.
Other On-Campus Venues:
Please note, the Barn will have limited event space available during fall quarter. The Stable Lounge is available to book for private events, and The Barn Patio Bar and Indoor Dining Room will be available to book after November 28, 2023. To book an event at The Barn, please use the reservation form here. If you have any questions regarding the Barn event space, please email barn@ucr.edu.
If your event objective requires a program or agenda to be presented to the attendees, it is important to determine your program speakers/participants in the process of creating your event. As mentioned previously, make sure to schedule the date and time of your event around the availability of your program participants. Develop the event program around the event objective to ensure that you are effectively communicating and presenting the objective to your event attendees. Remember that you want to keep your audience engaged at your event, so it is important to consider: Who is the best person to present this information? What is the best way to present this information? Does the program align with the event objective?
If you would like the Chancellor or Provost to attend or participate in your event, you must first receive approval from your respective organization’s Vice Chancellor or Dean. Once you have secured approval from your Vice Chancellor or Dean, you can then complete and submit the Chancellor/Provost Scheduling Request Form for consideration based on the Chancellor and/or Provost’s availability. All Chancellor/Provost attendance requests must be submitted at least 30 days before your event. Please note, if your request is approved and the Chancellor or Provost is attending your event, you must provide a completed briefing at least 10 business days before your event. If your event includes a performance by an artist or a speaker, you will need to work with the Business Contracts department in Procurement to have a performance agreement in place. For more information on when performance agreements are needed and how the process works, please visit the Procurement website’s Performance Agreement Explained page. If you have questions regarding performance agreements, please contact April Blackburn at april.blackburn@ucr.edu.
If you are hosting an event that you feel may have security concerns, please contact UCPD with your event details at ucpdgeneralmail@ucr.edu to consult on UCPD staffing needs.
Most of your basic event logistics needs should be met by on-campus service providers. If your event requires additional equipment or services outside of the scope of services provided by the on-campus service providers, please check with Procurement and Accounting for approved off-campus vendors. Once you have identified the off-campus vendor you would like to request services from, contact the vendor for an official estimate of your event needs. After finalizing your estimate with the vendor, follow the accounting and procurement guidelines to process payment for your order via purchase order or purchase requisition.
Please note that off-campus vendors or independent contractors that will be working on campus are required to provide a Certificate of Insurance (COI) that meets the UC minimum insurance requirements. The COI must name the Regents of the University of California as an additional insured and must be submitted 2-3 weeks prior to the event to Risk Management for review. If you have any questions about insurance requirements, please contact Risk Management at risk@ucr.edu.
Citrus Grove Catering at UC Riverside is the exclusive caterer for on-campus events. The CGC team can handle all of your catering needs from coffee breaks, breakfast, receptions, formal dinners, and cocktail parties. Citrus Grove Catering offers catering menus including appetizers, entrees, and desserts. It offers several delivery and service options to meet your event needs, including full service for plated meals, large banquets, and receptions requiring catering/bar staff, china, glassware, and tray-passed hors d’oeuvres. You can order online or contact Guillermo Montoya at Guillermo.montoya@ucr.edu to discuss your catering needs. For more information on catering menus, please visit the Citrus Grove Catering website.
CRATE by Citrus Grove Catering offers a simpler menu for pick-up or delivery only. You can order online through EMS or contact Guillermo Montoya at guillermo.montoya@ucr.edu. For more information on catering menus and tutorial on how to order CRATE via EMS, please visit the CRATE website.
Per-person meal rates for entertainment and business meeting meals are reviewed and determined by UCOP annually. On September 8, 2022, the maximum meal rates for entertainment and business meeting meals were increased in response to increased food prices. The new per-person rates are as follows:
Breakfast: $31
Lunch: $54
Dinner: $94
Light Refreshments: $22
Please note, these amounts include the cost of food and beverages, labor, sales tax, service, and delivery charges related to catering.
Please familiarize yourself with the UC Regents Policy 5402, which generally prohibits contracting Catering services from off campus. “Caterers” are defined as food sources that are setting up, preparing, or serving food or drinks on campus. To use a caterer, you will need to follow Policy 5402 and complete the Contracting Out Justification Form. Please click here to view the Procurement Services guidelines.
The most direct way to promote and market your event is through personal invitations. Determine your target audience and develop a comprehensive invitee list, which can include internal stakeholders, UCR senior leadership, faculty and staff, students, alumni and donors, community members, etc. Create your invitation in MailChimp, Canva, or the platform that you have access to and include a link to your event registration form so you can track registration counts. Your registration form should collect basic contact information for your attendees, as well as any information you need pertaining to your event (e.g. meal choice, guest information, etc.). TIP: E-invitations are cost-effective and allow for a seamless event registration process with a simple click. Don’t forget to include a section in your registration form for “dietary restrictions” if you are serving food at your event.
The UCR Events Calendar integrates easily with your existing website and is optimized for sharing content across campus-wide communications and social media channels. This platform is easy to use and will allow you to publish, manage, and promote your events. For more information and helpful tutorials on the Events Calendar, please visit the ITS website or contact support-ucrevents@ucr.edu.
You can also promote your event through printed materials, such as posters and flyers. For downloadable assets and branded Canva templates for postcards, invitations, flyers, posters, and more, please visit the UCR Brand website.
TIP: HUB display cases can be reserved for your poster to promote your event and flyers can be distributed to campus departments free-of-charge through the J-list distribution service by Mail Services. If you are interested in exploring options for requesting the display of temporary signage and banners on campus for your event, please visit the UCR Brand Website for information about temporary signage policies, processes, and resources.
Once you have sent your e-invitation, it may be helpful to send one or two RSVP reminders to those on your invitee list who have not yet responded to the invitation. TIP: If you’d like, you can send an RSVP reminder at the halfway mark between the original invitation sent date and the RSVP deadline date – and a second reminder one week before the RSVP deadline. To help minimize attendance melt for your event, we recommend that you send a reminder email to all registered attendees the morning of your event. This email should include important event information, such as event start time, location, parking, etc. to ensure that your guests have the information they need for a seamless experience at the top of their inbox.
When hosting your event at on-campus venues managed by Hospitality Services, Highlander Union Building, or Student Recreation Center, your assigned event manager should provide you with venue diagrams that illustrate your event setup. Work with your event manager to finalize the venue setup to ensure it works for your event. In finalizing your venue setup, make sure you’re also thinking about any additional branded event assets or décor needed for the venue. If you are hosting your event in an outdoor location or a location that a venue diagram is not provided, it is important to produce a diagram that campus service providers can refer to when setting up for your event.
TIP: For outdoor locations, you can screenshot the location on the UCR campus map or Google Maps in “Satellite” view for your venue diagram. You can then use Paint or Canva to indicate where you would like tables, chairs, etc. setup for your event. It is recommended that you are present and available during event setup to ensure your event meets your expectations.
About a week or two before your event, confirm your final orders with all campus service providers and off-campus vendors. When confirming your orders, you should provide any quantity updates and setup changes, confirm the arrival and load-in time, completion time, and load-out time for each service provider and vendor. This point of contact also reminds them that your event is coming up and ensures a smooth event setup.
In preparation for event day, it is helpful to develop a staffing plan to ensure you have adequate staffing for your event. Make sure you have staff members or volunteers assigned to assist with setup, registration/check-in, program components, and any other staffing needs. It is also helpful to communicate clearly with assigned staff or volunteers on their arrival time, roles and responsibilities, and dismissal time so they can plan accordingly.
Once you have confirmed the arrival and load-in time for each campus service provider and off-campus vendor, it is beneficial to develop a day-of timeline that helps you stay organized and keep track of what your day will look like leading up to your event. Put together a Word document or Excel spreadsheet that breaks down your day by the time and include notes on vendor arrival/load-in time, completion time, event preparation, etc. Have this printed and accessible to you so that you can follow along and ensure you are staying on track with your timeline. TIP: Put together a contact list with phone numbers for each of your campus service providers, off-campus vendors, and staff in case you need to get in contact with them the day of your event. In addition, if there are any items or materials you need to bring with you to your event, make a packing list to ensure that you have all the materials you need for your event.
