Event Planning Guide

• Alumni Association Student Services Grant: The Alumni Association’s Student Grants Program provides funding opportunities for student groups and programs that enhance student experiences. The grant program aims to enhance student life and foster positive relationships between the university and the local community by encouraging students to create volunteer community service projects or to design ventures within existing organizations.
• JHU Credit Union T-Shirt Grant (CUTS): Credit Union T-Shirt Grants are sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Federal Credit Union to provide free t-shirts for a select number of student organization events. These grants assist student organizations in promoting their events while providing a visual reminder of the Credit Union’s many financial services for JHU students.
• Faculty Involvement Grant: The Faculty Involvement Grant was created to promote meaningful dialogue and interactions between faculty members and students. The grant provides funding to be used to support educational activities between faculty and student organizations.
• Student Activities Commission (SAC): The Student Activities Commission serves as the funding board of the Student Government Association. The SAC supports SGA recognized student organizations by allocating funds that will result in programs and services to benefit the undergraduate community on the Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins University. Through monthly grants, SAC provides supplemental funding for new initiatives, unforeseen expenses, and newly approved SGA recognized organizations.
• Student Life Programming Grant (SLPG): Student Life Programming Grants exist to financially support student-organized programs and events that meet the needs of Homewood students by supporting the following priorities identified by Student Affairs. Applications will be reviewed and assessed based on their commitment to:
  • Building Diverse and Inclusive Communities
  • Creating Meaningful Opportunities for Engagement
  • Nurturing Healthy and Safe Communities
  • Promoting Civic Discourse
  • Priority will be given to applications that promote group collaboration and/or present a new initiative or program.
• Digital Media Center Creative Use of Technology Grant: Got an idea that uses technology in a creative way? The Digital Media Center has money available for creative projects.

• External Grants: Student Organizations may not independently solicit grant funding from outside organizations. Grant management is monitored very closely by the University because the process for proposing/receiving/managing/closing out a grant is often a multi-year process that involves entering a contractual agreement. Students are not authorized to sign contracts! If you are interested in applying for an external funding grant you must contact Student Leadership and Involvement to discuss your proposal.
• Donations from Local Businesses and External Organizations: Groups often reach out to local businesses and outside organizations to sponsor their organization. All funds collected are considered charitable donations and will be processed through the Office of Development and Alumni Relations. (See section on Receiving & Depositing Money for information on depositing your monetary donation.) Non-monetary donations of goods do not require documentation through the Office of Development & Alumni Relations unless the donor wants a tax-deductible letter from JHU. Either way, make sure to send a thank you card!

Fundraisers are a great way to obtain additional funds for your organization or to raise money for local non-profit organizations and community partners. If you are organizing a fundraiser, please pay special attention to the university fundraising guidelines.

Before you build your budget, you’ll have to have an idea of the costs of necessary services such as A/V, electricity, trash, and table and chair rentals. Below you will find rates for common event services at JHU Homewood campus. Please note that these prices are subject to change. The Event Planning Guide will be updated at the beginning of each academic year to reflect estimated expenses for that year.

• Electricity: If your event requires access to outdoor electrical outlets or has special electrical needs, you will need to hire an electrician to help with your event. Please work with Scheduling and Event Services to reserve an electrician:
  • Hourly Rates:
    • Monday thru Friday, 7:30 AM – 4 PM: $44.30/hour
    • Weekends, before 7:30 AM, or after 4 PM: $66.45/hour (4-hour minimum)

• Grounds: If your event requires special outdoor setup, litter control, coat racks, and hangers, or installation of temporary fencing, or grilling of any type you will need to hire Grounds to help with your event. Please work with Scheduling and event services to reserve groundskeepers:
  • Hourly Rate:
    • Monday thru Friday, 6:30 AM – 3 PM: $40.20/hour
    • Weekends, before 6:30 AM, or after 3 PM: $60.30/hour (4-hour minimum)

• Custodial: If your event will need additional custodial coverage outside of their normal rounds, in areas such as restrooms, or for trash removal it may be recommended to request additional custodial services. This is usually only for all-day events or events expect high attendance. Scheduling and Event Services can help you determine if additional support is needed for your event. There are also additional setup fees associated with having any rented tables, chairs, etc. set up both inside or outside. Your group will be charged if they rearrange the furniture in a room and do not return it to its original setup.
  • Hourly Rate:
    • Monday thru Friday, 6:30 a.m.–3 p.m.: $32.00/hour
    • Weekends, before 6:30 a.m. or after 3 p.m.: $48.00/hour (4-hour minimum)

• Security: JHU’s preferred security vendor is SAFE Management. When you register your event on Hopkins Groups, Student Leadership and Involvement staff will determine if your event needs security personnel to staff the event. Please be advised that SAFE charges a 4-hour minimum and requires at least one supervisor to be on staff.
  • Hourly rates
    • Manager: $24.90/hour
    • Supervisor: $22.40/hour
    • Event staff: $19.65/hour

• Lodging: JHU’s preferred lodging vendor is the Inn at the Colonnade. Please fill out the travel request form and work with the budget specialist in SLI to reserve rooms. Typical prices are around $189/night.
• Film Rights: Movie rights from Swank.com range from $371 to $871, depending on the year the movie was released. Obtaining film rights is MANDATORY to show a film on campus. It is illegal to stream movies from movie/TV subscription services such as Netflix or Hulu in any public space on campus. Please refer to the Undergraduate Organization Policies & Procedures for more information.
• Waste Bin Delivery Costs: If there will be trash produced with your event, you will need to order additional waste bins from Recycling Services. Please work with Scheduling and Event Services to determine if additional bins are needed and to place your order. Depending on your needs and the type of trash produced, Recycling Services can provide trash, recycling, and compost bins. If you are committed to a zero-waste event (compost and recycling only), waste bins will be free. The request must be placed a minimum of 4 business days prior to your event. You will be charged for last-minute requests for zero waste events.
  • Hourly rates
    • Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.: $32.00
    • Weekends, before 8:30 a.m. or after 5 p.m.: $48.00 (4-hour minimum)
  • Hourly charges for waste delivery and collection will be charged as follows:
    • 1-100 people = 1 hour
    • 101-200 people = 2 hours
    • 201-300 people = 3 hours
    • 301+ people = 4 hour

• Van Program: All registered student organizations are eligible to rent Hop Vans. Please consult the Van Program website for more details. There is a charge of $15.00 per rental day plus $0.65 per mile. Usage is billed at $0.65/ mile but includes fuel. This is subject to change based on current fuel prices.
• Event Hours: Staffing and services will not be available earlier than the times listed below. You should plan to start your event a minimum of 30 minutes after the event hours start in order for staffing and support to be in place. For every additional hour prior to building hours you require services, you will be charged $75 an hour.
  • Scott-Bates Commons, AMR, Wolman, McCoy
    • 8:00 am-1:00 am Monday- Friday
    • 10:00 am-1:00 am Saturday and Sunday
  • Levering, Shriver, Mason Hall, Freshman Annex:
    • 8:00 am-Midnight Monday- Friday
    • 10:00 am-Midnight Saturday and Sunday

• Copies: Student Leadership and Involvement has a printing station that student organizations can use for their printing needs. All copy jobs should be for student group purposes. Anyone using the SLI copier will need their group’s budget number. Groups can find their budget number on Hopkins Group
• Table and Chair rentals: Some buildings on campus are already equipped with tables and chairs (see Building Information below). If you are hosting an event in a space that does not have tables and chairs, you can work with Scheduling and Event Services to place rental orders:
  • $85 delivery and pickup charge
  • $8.75 per 8-foot table
  • $1.35 per chair
  • Please note that no outdoor spaces are equipped with tables and chairs, and they will need to be rented if your event requires tables and chairs.

• Parking: Visitor parking permits for the South Garage can be obtained through Parking Services. Parking permits are $12 each when purchasing a minimum of ten permits. Services vehicle permits are $15 each. Unused passes may not be returned. South Garage and San Martin Garage parking passes can be obtained through Scheduling and Event Services.
• A/V Rentals: Scheduling and Event Services will help you coordinate A/V rentals and service as necessary. Some buildings on campus are already equipped with A/V equipment and may only require set-up. If your event location does not have A/V already installed, you must work with Scheduling and Event Services to rent A/V equipment from Kit-Cats. Please note, Student Organizations are not permitted to rent A/V equipment from the Digital Media Center (DMC). DMC equipment is for personal or academic use only. Below is a list of commonly requested items and their rental rates:
  • Labor (set-up): $35.00/hour
  • Labor (Afterhours and weekends, 4-hour minimum): $40/hour
  • LCD Projector: $160.00
  • Lectern with PA: $60.00
  • Speakers: $70.00
  • You can find Kit-Cats full menu of services and prices by visiting the Kit-Cats website

Budgeting is crucial to event success. The first step in building an event budget is determining how much your organization can afford to spend on the event. Next, think about all the necessary components of the event. These are the components that without which, the event would not be able to take place. In a spreadsheet, record necessary expenses and their costs. Add up necessary costs and see how much you have left from your event budget total. After you have identified what components are necessary, brainstorm a list of components that your team would like to have as part of the event, but the event does not require for it to take place (i.e. t-shirts, giveaways, food, etc.). Determine which components you can afford given the remaining total after subtracting for necessary costs. It is a good idea to build a budget that records expected expenses (what you expect to spend on a service or component) as well as actual expenses (what you actually spent on a service or component after the event is completed). This information is helpful if your organization decides to do the event again in the future.

Register your event on Hopkins Groups by finding your organization and creating an event. You can do this by:

1. Sign into Hopkins Groups
2. Navigate to your organization’s page
3. Click “Events” from the left menu (three horizontal lines)

Utilize the menu selections under “Events” to manage upcoming events, review information for past events, update drafts, etc.

You must be listed as an officer of the group to have access to these features, including event registration.

Event space or general pool classroom requests must be submitted 15 business days prior to the event date for events that require any scheduled services (i.e., AV support, table/chair rentals, extra waste receptacles, security, additional staffing or cleaning, special setup, weekend services). 15 business days does not include weekend days

The following spaces with a standard fixed setup may be reserved four (4) business days or more prior to the event date if no scheduled services (as outlined above) are needed:

• Scott-Bates Commons MPR Classroom style for 30
• Wolman MPR Conference Square for 16
• Conference Room A Conference Square for 16
• Wolman Theater Theater style for 42
• Academic classrooms varies based on location

The event registration and space reservation process both happen through the Event Registration form in Hopkins Groups. Student organizations can only reserve space through the Event Registration form through their group’s page on Hopkins Groups. Requests made through the Scheduling and Events Services website will be denied.

Any event that has specific risk management concerns require that the event submitter meet with a LEED Consultant within three (3) days of submitting the event request form. Some of the reasons you are required to meet with a LEED Consultant include:

• More than 50 event attendees
• Minors in attendance
• Food
• Amplified Sound
• Outside Speaker/Performer/Equipment Rental
• Civic Demonstration
• Civic Speaker
• Voter Registration
• Selling Event Tickets
• Fundraiser

The LEED Consultant will share details about processes, ask questions, then provide a follow up of the conversation in the chat of the event submission. If you have questions about your group’s event details, email RSOEvents@jhu.edu.

Your event registration will also help determine what resources and support you will need, including ticketing and security. A staff member from Leadership Engagement & Experiential Development will reach out to help coordinate ticketing and security if necessary.

If you are interested in hosting an event in the Levering Lounge, you will need to work with the Coordinator of Union Programming in LEED. Events in union spaces must be open to the entire Hopkins community and are subject to space availability at the discretion of the Coordinator for Union Programming. Funding from JHUnions is available for organizations interested in co-sponsoring an event with JHUnions.

If you are working with an artist or performer, or any company that requires you to sign a contract, you will need to work directly with a staff member in Leadership Engagement & Experiential Development. Request a contract from your artist/performer/company and then submit it to your event advisor from LEED. LEED staff will forward it to the Purchasing department for review and signature. Students are never allowed to sign contracts on behalf of their organization or Johns Hopkins University.

All student organizations and programming boards are required to follow all financial rules, regulations, and policies outlined by Johns Hopkins University and the Dean of Student Life. Proper fiscal management is taken very seriously and failure to uphold institutional policies could result in disciplinary action. For more information, please visit the Leadership Engagement & Experiential Development website for a complete overview of financial guidelines.

Undergraduate student organizations are expected to uphold university policies and procedures. Please visit the Leadership Engagement & Experiential Development website to review the policies and procedures that undergraduate student organizations are expected to uphold. This document includes information about the following policies:

• Student organization re-registration
• Bake sales, community meals, and student organization events with food
• Branding guidelines
• Commercial use of university resources
• Food and clothing drives
• Group email addresses and websites
• Group misconduct
• Guest policies
• Open flames and fire safety
• Publications
• Solicitation
• Unauthorized entry

The space reservation process for student organizations is now part of the Event Registration form on Hopkins Groups. To reserve a space on the Homewood campus, submit an Event Registration form through your organization’s Hopkins Groups page.

If you have further questions regarding scheduling and space requests, please call 410-516-8209 for further assistance or visit the Scheduling & Events website.

Scheduling and Events will get your location scheduled, but they also will coordinate many of the services you might need for a successful event. These services include:

• Scheduling audiovisual and technology
• Renting tables/chairs for indoor or outdoor events
• Advising room setup options and providing to scale diagrams
• Parking
• Indoor Signage
• Coordinating services through Facilities and Real Estate (trash, electricity, grounds, plumbing, etc.)

Once your submission is confirmed, a Special Event Coordinator from Scheduling and Event Services will be assigned to you, you can find their name and contact on the document attached to your confirmation email. They can help you with your event logistics throughout the planning process. Please reach out to your coordinator to discuss your needs. You must have all information to them a minimum of 10 business days prior to your event to ensure no late fees.

At the conclusion of each semester, registered student organizations may reserve space for the subsequent semester during scheduling period. All groups are limited to reserving one ninety-minute weekly meeting and two special events. Any weekly meeting request not submitted during scheduling period, may need to request classroom space at the beginning of the semester. Groups may submit request for additional event space at the beginning of the semester through the online link listed below. Each student organization will designate two people per academic year who will take responsibility for reserving rooms with Scheduling and Events. All space reservations must be submitted 10 business days prior to the event date to Scheduling & Events and through Hopkins Group with the Office of Student Leadership & Involvement. These are two separate on-line processes that must be completed. Any group failing to use a confirmed room for 2 consecutive meetings without canceling in writing with Scheduling and Events, will be notified their remaining reservations are canceled for that semester. In addition, if your group has a non-active status, please resolve those issues before submitting your space request otherwise your request will not be processed. If your group does not appear on the list of recognized student organizations, please contact the office of Student Leadership & Involvement.

This section provides specific information about all the spaces on campus that can be reserved through Scheduling and Event Services. Use this information to determine which spaces fit the needs of your events and what additional services you will need to procure for each space.

Methods of promotion

There are a number of ways for you to market and promote your event on campus. The list below will give information about various marketing resources available to student organizations:

• Hopkins Groups: when you register your event on Hopkins Groups, it will automatically be added to the events calendar in the Hopkins Groups website and app.
• OrcaTV: OrcaTV screens are located all around campus. Submit an advertisement to run on these screens by visiting the OrcaTV website.
• Tabling: Tabling may be done by registered Student Organizations on the Breezeway, Levering Courtyard, and the Hopkins Café. Reservation requests are placed through the online reservation system.
• Banners: Banners may be hung on approved campus structures through approval by the appropriate office and must abide by university policy:
  • Breezeway: JHU Event Scheduling
  • MSE Library: Janet Matthews (janetm@jhu.edu) — 410-516-7879
• Posters and fliers: Individual departments and governing bodies may have requirements for postering and advertising. It is the responsibility of the individuals or the groups promoting events and activities to contact the facility manager of a building in which posters and other advertising media are to be utilized. For additional guidelines and more information, please visit the Leadership Engagement and Experiential Development website.
• Bulletin Boards: Leadership Engagement and Experiential Development has several bulletin boards for students to post announcements for their student group events. They are located all over campus.
• Chalking: Chalking is allowed to promote events on Levering Plaza, outside the Hopkins Café, and Breezeway on the brick surfaces only. Only ‘kids’ non-toxic chalk is permitted. It is the individual or groups responsibility to remove chalk marks after the event.

Advertising rules and regulations

The rules and regulations governing advertising on the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus are designed to encourage the promotion of sanctioned events and activities on campus in a fair manner. In addition, advertising should not disrupt academic classes, programs or activities and should not damage the property of Johns Hopkins University. Failure to follow the guidelines may result in removal of posters, fines and/or disciplinary measures.

Advertising must not contain material that:

• is pornographic
• harasses any individual or group on the basis of race, gender, national origin, religion or sexual orientation
• contains a message of hate or a threat of violence
• promotes hate speech or events
• promotes free alcohol
• promotes unhealthy alcohol practices (e.g., drinking games)
• or, otherwise, violates University policy.
• Residence hall solicitation (dorm storming) is prohibited. This includes slipping advertising under or placing it on individual doors. Door-to-door peddling is not permitted.
• Individual departments and governing bodies may have additional requirements for advertising. It is the responsibility of the individuals or the groups promoting events and activities to contact the facility manager of a building in which posters and other advertising media are to be utilized.
• Student organizations cannot use an outside promoter to advertise their event.
• Any questions regarding the following advertising policies on the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus may be directed to the Office of Leadership Engagement and Experiential Development (The LaB, Homewood Apartments, Suite N100).

Branding Guidelines

The use of the University name and iconography by student organizations is governed by the Student AffairsPDF Document: Branding Guidelines and JHU’s Office of Communication. Student Organizations that use “Johns Hopkins University”, “Hopkins”, or “JHU” in their name or incorporate JHU iconography in their logo are required to comply with the HSA Branding Guidelines effective the first day of classes in the Fall 2017 semester.

The Student Leadership Consultants in LEED are available to work with student organizations to manage this transition and provide assistance. Please email leadership@jhu.edu with questions and concerns.

If you are looking to have your event catered, you can either work with Bon Appetit, our on-campus caterer or work with someone from Student Leadership and Involvement to place a catering order through Foodify. If you are hosting an Eco-Smart event, remember to choose a green caterer.

A temporary food service facility license from the Baltimore City Health Department is required by law for any event where you are preparing and serving food unless you are serving food prepared by a licensed caterer. Please review the Student Organization Policies and Procedures page for specific guidelines for events with food.

Student organizations should make the necessary arrangements to make their events welcoming for students with disabilities. To promote accessibility of student events, please include the University’s accessibility statement on all electronic and print publications:

“This event is open to all without regard to gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status or other legally protected characteristic. If you need any special accommodations for a disability in order to attend or participate in this event, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services at 410-516-4720 or studentdisabilityservices@jhu.edu.”

• Survey Your Participants: How do you know if the audience enjoyed the event if you don’t ask them? Consider a survey! Comment cards are an option for “come and go” events. If you know your guest list, obtain email addresses and send out an online survey or e-comment card. You can build surveys to send out to event participants in Hopkins Groups.

• Self-Evaluate the Event: Answer the following questions honestly to provide feedback for future events. Keep this information on file for your student group.
  • How many people attended this event? Did more or less people attend this event than you expected?
  • What methods of marketing/advertising did you use? How effective were these methods?
  • What went well with the planning and implementation of this event?
  • What problems did you encounter when planning and implementing this event?
  • Would you recommend that we sponsor this event again in the future?
  • If you organized a Eco-Smart event, did you meet all of your goals for reducing waste and promoting sustainability?

• Choose a date and a backup date for your event
• Check University Calendars for other events and programs
• Determine room needs:
  • What time will you need to access the room?
  • What time will your guests arrive?
  • What type of setup and capacity will you need?
  • The number of people attending.
  • What are your AV needs?
  • Do you need a space for a registration area inside or outside the room?
  • Will you be providing food for the event?
  • Consider your caterer’s needs (prep area, setup and cleanup time)
  • If outdoors, please consider these additional items:
    • Rain-site or alternative date in case of weather issues
    • Make sure to budget and request an electrician for power, AV, trash and composting, table and chair rentals, tent rentals, and custodial labor
    • If outside event is after dark, consider lighting and noise ordinance
  • Once needs have been determined, submit your request to Scheduling and Event Services
  • Once the space is confirmed, you may email your assigned Special Events Coordinator to start the planning process. Please make sure to reference the event number on the reservation form.

• Communicate any AV setup, times, and needs
  • Please make sure speakers/presenters are aware of what time they need to be onsite with their laptop to meet the AV Tech. They should also have any special adapters necessary to plug into the AV system.
• Communicate room setups and needs
• Communicate what time you will need the room to be unlocked and accessible
• Begin submitting counts to your caterer and Coordinator
• Provide budget number for all billing
• Communicate and discuss other logistics with your Coordinator:
  • Electricians
  • Custodial Support
  • Composting/Trash/Recycling
  • Parking
  • Any Special Rentals (tables, chairs, tents, etc.)
  • ADA Needs

• Finalize and confirm any AV setup changes (times, equipment, configuration, staffing, etc.).
• Finalize logistics with Coordinator:
  • Time doors will be unlocked
  • Time room will be accessible
  • Confirm you have the correct amount of trash cans or composting bins
  • Make sure electricians and custodial support have been scheduled if needed
  • Order the correct amount of parking vouchers, notify Parking for lot availability and where to direct guests, send out parking information to your guests
  • If doing outside rentals, make sure to confirm the arrival/pickup date and drop-off/pickup location.
  • If outside event, make sure to re-confirm a rain-site location, setup, time for the room to be open and closed, etc.

• Provide event information for signage outside the room
• Finalize any last-minute changes

*Any AV changes less than five business days prior to the event, may incur additional fees or cost. Any cancellations less than two days out for AV will incur a cancellation charge.

• Arrive prior to event start time to check setup and walk the room.
• Make sure AV needs are in place and presenter laptop is setup
• Check catering
• Report any logistical issues to student monitors

• Fill out online survey emailed from Scheduling & Event Services
• Receive a final invoice outlining all charges and services billed through Scheduling & Event Services
• Scheduling & Event Services will charge internal budget the total due within 5 days of invoice date to the Cost Center or IO provided