Planning an event for the School of Architecture community? This is your one-stop-shop for all things events, including instructions for securing space, staff, and resources, as well as recommendations for vendors, promotion, and beyond.
Please note that this is a living document that will be updated regularly. Please get in touch with the Dean's Office if you notice any errors or emissions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The first step in planning for ANY School of Architecture event should be the completion of the Events Request Survey. This short survey helps SOA staff coordinate schedules, timing, space reservations, and necessary event support.
For most events, significant staff support is needed at all stages of an event, from the Business Office processing vendor payments to IT set-up, and beyond. In order to secure support from the Business Office, Dean's Suite, IT team, and Communications, event planners should complete this Events Request Survey at the earliest stage in the planning process, as soon as a date has been proposed or solidified.
As you're considering dates for your event, please consult the Master Calendar. The Master Calendar is managed by the Dean's Office and can be a great reference for planning. Please note that the Master Calendar is different than the more public-facing calendar on the School of Architecture website, but does include events and information relevant to School of Architecture students, faculty, and staff. This includes dates for the Lectures & Exhibitions Series, CAAD and Career Services events, Development events, and committee meetings, as well as holidays and other events in Austin that might affect scheduling.
By submitting your event through the Events Request Survey, UTSOA staff will also add your event to the Master Calendar. You can also click here for additional guidance on requesting an update to the Master Calendar.
Room reservation requests are separate from Master Calendar requests. For some activities, such as an internal meeting or a small group gathering, you will only need to submit a room reservation request, and won't need to complete the Events Request Survey. The Events Request Survey is primarily intended for larger events or those involving an open audience.
Below is a list of spaces that are available for reservation. Each room's calendar is hyperlinked. To make a room reservation request email arch-room-reservations@utlists.utexas.edu. If the request is urgent, please visit the Dean's Office Reception Desk or call 512-471-1922.
| ROOM | DESCRIPTION | CAPACITY |
|---|---|---|
| BTL 101 | Reading Room | 20 |
| GOL 2.110 | Main Jury Room | 49 |
| GOL SOUTH LOBBY | Outside 2.110 | |
| GOL 2.105 | Mebane Gallery | 100 |
| GOL NORTH LOBBY | Off West Mall | |
| GOL COURTYARD & LOGGIA | Courtyard & Loggia | 100 |
| GOL SW PATIO | Patio Space Outside 2.110 Facing Guadalupe | |
| GOL 3.100 | 3rd Floor Hallway | |
| GOL 3.118 | Review Room | 20 |
| GOL 3.120 | Lecture Hall | 98 |
| GOL 4.100 | Hallway | |
| GOL 4.120 | Review Room | 25 |
| HRH 2.104 | Jessen Auditorium | 300 |
| SUT 2.110 | Green Chair Room | 16 |
| SUT 2.112 | Red Chair Room | 44 |
| SUT 2.114 | Oak Chair Room | 40 |
| SUT 3.100 | 3rd Floor Hallway | |
| SUT 3.112 | Blue Chair Room | 14 |
| SUT 4.100 | 4th Floor Hallway | |
| SUT 4.118 | Review Room | 25 |
| WMB 1.110 | Small Computer Classroom | 30 |
| WMB 1.114 | Large Computer Classroom | 30 |
| WMB 3.108 | East Side of the Materials Lab | |
| WMB 3.116 | South Side of the Materials Lab | |
| WMB 4.118 | 4th Floor Classroom | 25 |
| WMB 5.102 | Classroom | 30 |
| WMB 5.112 | Classroom | 34 |
| WMB 5.114 | Classroom | 40 |
The School of Architecture has an inventory of items that are available for SOA-related events. Some of these items include but are not limited to:
For more extensive event support and set-up, a Facilities Services Work Order will be required. Event Support & Moving Services provides event-related support and equipment for university events of all sizes. The following are the services and inventory available for special events on a first-come, first-served basis:
Facilities Services' event inventory includes banners, chairs, coat racks, easels, lecterns/podiums, silk plants, privacy screens, staging/risers, tables, table cloths/skirts, and waste containers. Here is a photo gallery of Facilites Services event inventory.
To request services or inventory, please complete an online Event Planning Request form. Requests should be submitted as early as possible in the event planning process because services are available on a first-come basis, and event inventory quantities are limited.
Please Note: Once you submit the work order, don't be alarmed if it is not approved right away. Facilities approves orders based on the date of the event, not on how early you submitted your work order. However, you must submit a request a minimum of 2 weeks ahead of the event date to avoid late fees and penalties. If you need to email them for an update, email facilities@austin.utexas.edu or fs-events@austin.utexas.edu
Planning on having food at your event? Along with a Facilities Work order, you must also submit a Food Distribution Form to Environmental Health & Safety 7 days prior to the event.
Note: If your event is intended only for the members of your group/organization, then a Food Distribution Form is not required. A form is required anytime an event is planned where Time/Temperature Controlled Foods are going to be distributed to the public. Some examples of TCS foods are cooked meats, hamburgers/hotdogs, breakfast tacos, fajitas, sliced melon, sliced tomato, and leafy greens. Click here for more information.
Per Board of Regents' Rule 80102 (Alcoholic Beverages), the use of alcoholic beverages is prohibited on property and in buildings owned or controlled by The University of Texas System of UT Austin unless an exception has been requested from the sponsoring unit and approved by the appropriate delegate PRIOR to the event.
Events involving alcohol, therefore, require advanced approval (request form) and involve additional paperwork and costs (including the cost of alcohol and hiring a TABC-certified bartender).
For information about purchasing and payment of vendors, please refer to the "Paperwork & Payments" section below.
Flowers:
Food:
Wine/Beer/Spirits:
The UT Office of Sustainability and Staff Council had also compiled a UT Catering and Food Vendor Sustainability Database to provide event planners with information on the sustainability attributes of over 70 area food vendors.
For service vendors that require temporary load in/out parking, you will need to arrange a parking pass by contacting the Dean's Office Front Desk. The university has a limited number of spaces available for this purpose near the SOA buildings. The vendor will need to be provided with driving directions for accessing these spots, and upon arrival, you will need to provide them with the parking pass to display on their dashboard during their load-in/out activities.
When an honorarium is being extended to a speaker, the school’s policy is that honoraria should include the participant fee and travel funds for airfare, ground transportation, lodging, etc., with the participant making all travel arrangements for themselves and then self-reimbursing with the honorarium.
Once you have determined the type of payment you would like to extend to your visitors and that your budget can support, contact the Business Office to check that your plans are appropriate and to confirm the paperwork required.
Anyone being paid for providing a good or service to the school, such as a lecture, participation in an event, or a vendor providing services for an event, must be entered into UT’s vendor system in order to be paid. A purchase order or contract outlining the terms of the agreement must also be processed and approved before the service is performed.
The steps for this process are outlined below. Get the process started by completing the SOA Payment Request Form.
Some vendors require a contract. Intra-university contracts are usually executed at the unit level (if renting a space at LBJ Auditorium, for example), and outside contracts require UT Business Contracts Office approval via the SOA Business Office. You will need to fill out this form, and send it as a PDF along with your contract to vpcfo.contracts@austin.utexas.edu
Historically, the University used a “Talent Release Form” that guests would sign to authorize the recording of their participation in an event. This language is now worked into both POs and Contracts, so a Talent Release form is only needed if a speaker is not receiving payment. If the speaker does not want to be recorded, broadcast, or published, we respect their wishes. This should be discussed at the beginning of your engagement with this person to avoid last-minute surprises.
Small materials for events can be purchased using the Procurement Card (the school's "credit card"), which can be checked out from the Dean's Suite and/or Business Office.
Important things to Note:
Larger expenses such as equipment require purchase orders. See "Preferred Vendors" for tips below, and contact the SOA business team for more information.
An "official occasion" is defined as a reception, luncheon, dinner, or similar event that is sponsored and funded by The University of Texas at Austin. These functions are normally associated with special programs, university guests, and faculty and staff recruitment. Examples include conferences, workshops, seminars, development events, planned retreats, and staff meetings.
OOEFs must be completed after the purchase of any food, beverage, flowers, invitations, or similar expenses:
Use of the OOEF–Dean is required if:
Use the regular OOEF if none of the above apply.
Important Things to Note:
As noted in the Participant Payment/Invitations sections above, out-of-town event participants typically make their own hotel reservations, using their SOA honorarium to self-reimburse for hotel expenses. In this case, the participant may select their own lodging based on their personal preferences. Hotels that are closest to the School of Architecture are the:
In cases when SOA will be reserving and/or paying for the participant's room–-including events with multiple speakers, in which case a block of room reservations is most efficient-- the event contact can make the reservation by contacting the hotel on behalf of the participant(s).