Best Practice Guides and Resources

Considerations to make prior to beginning event planning

• What is the purpose of the event?
• What are your measurable goals? (SMART goals such as ’80 in- person attendees’)
• Paint a picture of what a successful event would look like.
• Who is your audience? Who do you want to attend the event?
• What timing or other factors might maximize attendance from target audience members? (class schedules, work schedules, etc.)
• How does the event align with the mission of the University and the mission for your department?
• What is your budget for the event? (What fund will you utilize?)

• Develop a strong marketing & promotions strategy. A Marketing and Promotions Plan should be used to strategize and plan out all of the marketing and promotions you will conduct leading up to your event. The document can also help guide you through what your goals, purpose, key messages and programming.
• Run of Show can be extremely helpful for event scheduling. It can be used prior to the event to get everyone on the same page for the flow of the event. It can also be used during the event to ensure you stay on track and leave enough time for all the scheduled activities.
• Consider who you would like involved in your event and how they might elevate the experience, such as Senior Leaders, scholar students, expert faculty, etc. 
• Determine the cadence and communication paths for promoting your event (See more in event communication best practices).
• Determine roles and responsibilities, and assign tasks accordingly. Plan for clear channels of communication with everyone before, during and after the event. Be mindful of each person’s capacity.
  • Lead Event Coordinator
  • Emcee/Moderator
  • Panelists or presenters
  • Keynote Liaison 
  • Virtual Meeting Communication supervisor/ Q & A Moderator 
  • Tech Support
  • Traveling microphone for live Q&A
• Schedule a rehearsal or training before the event.
  • We recommend a full run-through of the program to determine timing and transitions in the event and possible issues.
  • It’s best to simulate the virtual side of the meeting to help manage expectations.
  • It can be helpful to have in person or virtual presenters available for the rehearsal.
• In order to have a great event, you need to be prepared with the right supplies. This Supplies Checklist will help you consider all of the supplies you should bring to your event.
• To ensure accessibility, review the guide for planning an accessible event here. More information and guides for inclusion and accessibility can be found here.

Set-up

• We recommend planning for 1-2 hours of set-up time, depending on the intricacies of the event. 
• A supplies checklist can help ensure you’re prepared with all the appropriate supplies. Reference the document in the templates drop down above to create your own list.
• Consider having everything set-up at least 30 minutes prior to the event start time. This should allow you to troubleshoot or address any other unforeseen issues as needed.

Rehearsal and Timing Considerations

• Consider scheduling a run through with presenters prior to the event
  • This will allow the speakers to become comfortable with the microphones and lighting (it can be very bright on-stage).
  • Allow extra time for remote presenters to get connected and configured virtually.

Tear-down | Strike

• We recommend starting to breakdown the event after most of the attendees have left the venue.  Be aware of your surroundings and any trip hazards exposed while breaking down gear. 
• We recommend keeping background graphics up and music going as long as possible while breaking down the event components. 
• Pack up equipment thoughtfully for the next time you’ll use it.

It’s best to start with a marketing and promotions plan to initiate your event communications strategy. We highly suggest you consider promoting your event through these campus communication platforms:

• Early Bird
• RED articles (if applicable)
• ‘Runner
• Student Hub

Other effective promotional avenues can include:

• Flyers hung on campus
• Direct outreach to student organizations
• Direct outreach to chairs and academic departments
• Direct outreach to other target audiences

Effective promotional materials should include the following information: 

• Name of the event
• Time
• Location
• Registration links 
• Livestream, Microsoft Teams or Zoom links
• Contact information for event questions

We highly suggest sending a post event survey to your RSVPs and attendees to gauge the success of the event. A post event survey can also inform how you can improve the event in the future.

Along with sending a post event survey, we suggest following up with any materials that were shared during the event, details on how to watch a recording from the event (if applicable), and details on similar events you’ll be hosting in the future.

As a best practice, you can internally document a post event report detailing what worked well, what didn’t work well, and opportunities for improvement. A post event report can be referenced to influence future event planning.

A few FAQs are outlined below, however you can view a full list of FAQs here.

How do I book and AHEC space? Where do I find all of the AHEC venues and their capacities?

Auraria Campus students, faculty, and staff can check venue availability and email [email protected] to reserve a space.  

For the list of event venues managed by AHEC including their capacities, please visit their website.

How do I book space in the Jordan Student Success Building or the Aerospace and Engineering Sciences Building? What are the capacities?  

The MSU Denver Office of University Events supports booking the Aerospace and Engineering Sciences Building (AES) or Jordan Student Success Building (JSSB). You can request to book an AES or JSSB space here and select the spaces you would like to book. The system should indicate which spaces are available.  

To book JSSB and AES spaces, please fill out this request form and select the spaces you would like to book.

Please note, you must select a date at least 8 days out from today’s date in order for the system to populate available venues.  Classroom reservations are dependent on availability of classroom space and course schedules. 

Event space capacities can be found on our website.

How do I book space in the CAVEA? What are the capacities of the theater and the two breakout rooms?

To book the CAVEA theater and CAVEA breakout spaces (2), please fill out the OUE intake form.

CAVEA capacities can be found on our website.