Selecting and Promoting Your Event Date
Deciding on the date and time for your event can potentially make or break its success. When choosing a date for your event, consider:
Logistics are one of the most challenging aspects of planning an event at MIT Sloan, requiring strong project management skills, attention to detail, and a degree of resilience or "Plan B" thinking. Below you'll find guidelines to help you plan logistics for your event from soup to nuts.
This page covers: Selecting and Promoting Your Event Date, Tabling, Space/Venue, Atlas Event Setup/Cleaning Requests, Event Registration, Food, Other Vendors (A/V, Facilities, Etc.), Event Setup, Ticket Sales, & Tracking Attendance, SWAG, Local Accommodation, Parking and Transportation, Risk Management, Accessibility and Disability Planning Resources, and Sustainability.
Deciding on the date and time for your event can potentially make or break its success. When choosing a date for your event, consider:
Check the following calendars to make sure your target date avoids conflicting with other events:
Remember that students cannot skip classes to attend events. This is particularly relevant for Case Competitions, Conferences, and Treks. In some cases, you might provide half-day tickets to students so that they can fit the event in with their class schedules.
Once you've chosen your event date, it is important that you add your event to any of the applicable calendars above, so that other event planners (and your target audience) know in advance about your event (see Publicity & marketing).
Three locations have been identified in the E62 Roberts Family Forum where MIT Sloan organizations and departments can set up table displays to promote their activities. Your Club Space Signatory may reserve a table in the E62 Roberts Family Forum using Sloan Space.
Table display requests must be approved by Sloan Educational Services and are permitted Monday through Friday, from 9:30am-4:30pm. You are responsible for the set up and break down of your table display. Tables can be picked up in E52-133 after 9:15am and must be returned by 4:45pm. An MIT ID is required for collateral. The furniture (including tables and chairs) in the Siteman Dinning Room/Roberts Family Forum may not be moved or used for table displays. Restrictions on music and food sales apply. The people staffing these table must be members of the MIT community and are expected to remain at said tables and not attempt to "solicit" passersby.
Keep in mind, if you are promoting ticket sales or merchandise, it is against MIT Policy to enter third party credit card information into your laptop. If tabling, clubs must borrow a Chromebook from the Student Life Office to process online payments. The Chromebooks do not have MIT certificates (while personal laptops do) which allows for each third party sign-ins to SloanGroups for selling merchandise and event tickets.
Please contact the Student Life Office at least one business day prior to when you would like to borrow a Chromebook(s) to arrange for pickup. Student Life requires you to leave an ID with us while the device(s) is checked out. Your ID will be returned upon our receipt of an undamaged Chromebook.
Space is a hot commodity at MIT and in the greater Boston area, so demand typically outstrips supply. We always recommend that you look into booking space ASAP and consider more than one option in case your top choice is booked. This section will walk you through your options on-campus as well as off-campus.
PLEASE NOTE: only the officer designated as space reserver for your club is able to book space for all club events.
For many general events, such as lunchtime speaker series, it makes sense to stay on Sloan's campus and use classroom space. Your club's Space Reserver can request rooms through the MIT Sloan Classroom Request Form.
MIT Sloan Public Space includes:
Your club's Space Reserver can request public space through SloanSpace. Additional information is available in the MIT Sloan Public Space Rules of Use.
MIT boasts a wide array of classroom space beyond Sloan's campus (click here for a detailed breakdown). Contact the Student Life Office if you are interested in using this space.
The Media Lab is a highly coveted event space on MIT's campus; as such, it is usually booked out months in advance with very little flexibility.
If you would like to look into booking the Media Lab, contact slquestions@mit.edu ASAP.
Once you click on the SloanSpace link, you will need to login using your Sloan ID/password to get into the system. (You may have set it to be the same as your Kerberos username and password.) You will see a login button under the "My Account" tab at the top left of the page (just under the MIT Sloan logo). Once you've logged in using your Sloan ID, hover over the "Reservations" tab at the top left of the page. Under "Community Spaces" you will see options to click on for table displays (in E62 lobby) and other reservable public spaces (listed above).
Classrooms and public space are scheduled by the Sloan Educational Services Office (SES). Please refer to the following documents for scheduling policies:
Most multipurpose and theatrical spaces on campus are scheduled through the CAC (W20-500, 253-3913). These facilities include:
For a complete listing of spaces and capacity, visit the CAC's online Event Planning Guide.
Greater Boston offers a variety of additional venue options for MIT Sloan events. The Student Life Office will help you take stock of venues that have worked well for prior MIT Sloan events, as well as guide you through finding new spaces.
Make sure you adhere to the following guidelines when taking your event off-campus:
Event space is controlled by Campus Activities Complex (CAC). Includes Wong Auditorium, Walker Memorial, etc.
Classroom reservations at Sloan (if food will be served) and all event spaces at iHQ require that "Event Setup/Cleaning" arrangements are made via Atlas.
We in Student Life are more than happy to do so on your behalf. Once we have submitted the request, we will forward you a copy. Please send us the information on the right.
MIT requires that certain events be registered in order to monitor risk and ensure the safety of all participants. Below, you'll find guidelines on the event registration process.
Need help registering an event? Check out this helpful video on how to register an event here.
Registration is required for on and off campus events when:
First and foremost (and especially if your event is on-campus), make sure that the space allows food and drink. There are several rooms and venues, such as Wong Auditorium, where these refreshments are prohibited.
If the vendor you select serves the food (rather than simply dropping it off), you will need to get their Certificate of Insurance beforehand. Give this document to the Student Life Office.
There are now 2 voucher options at E62 Cafe:
Groups will be charged for the number of pre-determined vouchers up front.
Contact Restaurant Associates (RA), Catering Director, Megan Hayward to inquire about purchasing vouchers. Provide the date and time of your event and the number of vouchers you would like to purchase. Please note: Ordering lunch vocuhers requires three business days notice.
In addition to choosing a suitable caterer, many events require tapping additional vendors. Depending on your event type, you may or may not need to consider the following types of vendors:
Looking for vendors? Check out the Preferred Supplier Search: MIT's online directory of preferred and internal suppliers.
MIT Audio Visual Services provides technical support and equipment for any MIT-related event.
Student Life can help you find vendors that provide furniture (especially tables and chairs), lighting, entertainment, etc.
Please note, there a number of policies to bear in mind when planning decorations for your event. Review the Risk Management section of this page to ensure compliance.
MIT CopyTech is a full-service print/copy facility on campus.
Sound Choice Events is also a recommended A/V vendor offering sound/lighting/DJ packages that are often less expensive than vendors simply offering A/V services.
MIT Department of Facilities provides services including but not limited to custodial, trash, recycling, and room/furniture setup. Additional information may be found on the Event Setup portion of the Facilities website. You can make a service request through your Atlas account.
Many student-led events at MIT Sloan (e.g., case competitions and conferences) require ticket sales, which in turn help student groups and the Student Life Office track attendance. We encourage students to gather data on event attendees in order to better assess your event's success, and we recommend two basic options:
Through SloanGroups, you can sell tickets or get RSVPs (with language about how binding the RSVP committment is--ie: the potential consequences of signing up and not showing up in regards to catering, waitlist, brand management, etc.)
You can also quickly check in attendees at the door using the app, either by scanning the QR code on their ticket or by looking them up in the system. This allows you, and the Student Life Office, to get data about the attendees, regardless of RSVPs.
Attendance data is useful both for your planning purposes, and also for your organizing team the following year (and potentially, to attract funding in the future).
Eventbrite is a platform that allows you to easily build and customize your online ticket sales pre-event and generate attendee reports post-event.
The Student Life Office has a discounted rate with Eventbrite: credit card processing is 3% and additional fee per transaction is 1.5% (a 25% discount on the standard 2% fee).
Stuff. We. All. Get
Giving something to your attendees or speakers to take home with them adds a nice touch to any event. You can purchase SWAG – "Stuff We All Get" – at the MIT Sloan Logo Store. Visit the store's website to scope out available inventory.
Yes, the MIT Sloan Communications Office has published updated branding guidelines for MIT Sloan Clubs. Please review the latest guidelines and update your club logo as necessary. See how to order club and event SWAG here.
VPF Strategic Sourcing has negotiated discount rates for MIT with a dozen Cambridge and Boston hotels, including three hotels in Kendall Square. Click here to view a complete list of hotels and rates.
Feel free to provide the MIT discount codes for these local hotels to your speakers who ask about accommodation options.
Event attendees and speakers will typically inquire about parking and transportation options at MIT Sloan.
Check out the MIT Facilities website for an overview of parking and transportation at MIT.
For other transportation inquiries, contact the Parking and Transportation Office.
You may contact the Student Life Office to request visitor parking for guests with a minimum of 3 business days notice. The cost is $34 per daily parking pass. The specific parking lot where your guest may park will be determined based on availability. Include the following information in your email:
MIT has very clear Health and Safety Policies that must be followed at all events. The MIT EHS website lays out the policies and procedures for running a safe event.
Decorations that burn easily, cannot be effectively treated with flame-retardant, or can ignite nearby items. These include:
Decorations that are "UL listed" and/or "flame retardant," such as:
Your event should provide access and support to anyone who may have a disability or special needs.
Contact the office through which you reserved your space for help identifying paths of travel, seating arrangements, accessible restrooms, A/V, cart services, and any other necessary special support services.
MIT encourages sustainability across its entire campus. Design your event to produce less trash, use less energy, and incorporate sustainable themes.
The MIT Office of Sustainability has created a Sustainable Catering Checklist to guide you through making your event as sustainable as possible. They have also created a Zero Waste Event Checklist to guide you through sustainable event setup and logistics.
Additionally, there are now composting drop sites on the first and second floors of E62--check out the MIT Facilities site on composting for further details about this program.