Student Events

Welcome to our MBA Event Planning Resources. To help with planning your event, the MBA Program Office has developed a step-by-step Event Planning Guide to help you through the process.

If your club or organization is registered through the UW’s Student Activities Office, you can find additional resources through their office.

For further clarification on event planning and advisory support, please
contact Student Affairs Manager, Kamryn Kurtzner ([email protected]). For event registration and logistics, please contact Student Affairs Program Coordinator, Kilian Olszewsky ([email protected]).

An integral part of event planning is reserving the right space for your event. MBA student organizations have the ability to reserve space, if it’s available, in Paccar, Dempsey, Founders Hall, and the American Airlines Executive building. There are three types of rooms available in these buildings:

MBAA Classrooms

During fall, winter, and spring, the MBA Program Office holds space in two classrooms for MBAA, VP, or MBA Clubs to host events, typically during the lunch hour. These rooms change every term.

• Price: $0
• Spaces: Typically classrooms on the 3rd floor of Paccar.
• How to submit a reservation: MBAA Classrooms reservations are self-service. You can find the availability and make your claim on a room by viewing the spreadsheet online.

Foster Rooms

Foster manages most of the public spaces and some rooms in Paccar Hall (PCAR), Dempsey Hall (DEM), Founders Hall (FNDR) and the Bank of America Executive Education Center (EXED).

• Price: $0 (with the exception of Anthony’s Forum, which does require a cleaning fee [$60 – 170])
• Spaces:
• Orin’s Cafe, Deloitte Commons, Dempsey Gallery, Garvey Family Atrium, Hogan Terrace, Jiambalvo Hearth, Overlook, Anthony’s Forum, Peek Forum, conference rooms, 50-85 person classrooms.
  • In maps linked below – Foster Rooms will be highlighted in yellow
• How to submit a reservation: Reservation requests are made when you complete the Event Registration Form.

UW Event Services Rooms (aka “Non-Foster Rooms”)

Event Services manages some classrooms in Paccar and Dempsey, along with many rooms across campus.

• Price: Rental Rate Information
• Spaces:
  • Non-Foster small classrooms: DEM 002, 124, 126; PCAR 297, 492
  • Non-Foster large classrooms: DEM 004, 012, 024, 102, 104, 112; PCAR 290, 291, 293, 295, 391, 395
  • In maps linked below – UW Event Service rooms will be highlighted in red
• How to submit a reservation: Reservations for UW Event Services Rooms must be requested through their online system.

Use the maps below to identify if the room is managed by Foster (yellow) or managed by UW Event Services (red). Look at the bottom of the maps to see the capacity of each room.

The MBA Program Office recommends utilizing MBAA classrooms or Foster-owned rooms, as this will reduce your event cost.

Paccar Room Map
Dempsey Room Map

To help enable the MBA Program Office to support events, we require that all events submit our Event Registration Form. The only events that do not need to be registered are those that are reoccurring club meetings or board meetings. Any other event should be registered with the MBA Program Office. Completing the Event Registration Form also allows for you to request Foster Controlled Rooms, technology support, parking passes, room equipment, and speaker gifts.

We encourage organizations to complete the Event Registration Form at least three weeks in advance of the event. The MBA Program Office processes Event Registration Forms every Tuesday and Thursday. Once processed, a member of the MBA Program Office will reach out to the event coordinator to confirm event details and provide support.

There are several ways you can notify Foster MBA students and alumni about your event.

MBAA Event Calendar

Submit your event to the MBAA calendar.

MBAA Club Newsletter

The Full-time MBAA produces a weekly club newsletter every Friday. All events on the MBAA calendar will be automatically included. If you need to include something last minute, email the EVP of Communications.

Slack & social media

We recommend utilizing Foster MBA Slack channels and other forms of social media to reach a greater audience for your event.

Club Funding

Students should contact club leadership directly to request event funding from individual clubs. Each club is structured differently and may have different rules and regulations.

HUB RSO Funding

All organizations registered through the HUB RSO Office can apply for various funding and grants.

MBAA Funding

Students and Club Leaders can request ad-hoc funds (for events not allocated in your budget) from the MBAA VP of Finance using the Ad-hoc Funding and Reimbursement Request forms. These requests need to be made prior to the event.

Corporate Fundraising

It’s important to follow UW guidelines when approaching fundraising to support your event. Review the Student Club Guidelines for Corporate Fundraising and follow up with the Assistant Director of Foster Corporate Relations, Eileen Herbert Bhatia, for support.

Catering

There are a variety of catering options available for your events. Housing and Food Services offers a variety of options to help support on-campus events.

• Bay Laurel Catering
• Cafe To Go
• Pagliacci Pizza

There are other off-campus catering options that are available to support your events. We recommend using UW Business Diversity and Equity’s list of local, minority, and women-owned catering companies.

To help support our community, the MBAA has started a google document to share their experiences with local caterers. Please feel free to use this as a resource and add to it as you work with caterers.

Alcohol Service

Serving alcohol on campus requires various steps, that when not enforced, can prevent future events from having this option. Please be sure to complete the following steps:

1. Request permission from the UW Office of Special Programs at least 2 weeks before your event.
   • Please list Norah Fisher, [email protected], as your sponsor.
2. Purchase a banquet permit from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board – once your request from the Office of Special Programs has been approved.
3. Post your alcohol permit in plain sight at the entrance to your event on the day of or where alcohol is being served.
4. Regulate your event to control the entry of minors or identify those who are legally allowed to consume alcohol.
5. Think about your behavior and who you represent when serving and consuming alcohol.

Parking Passes for Guest Speakers

Each MBA Student Organization has access to five parking passes during the academic year (Autumn – Spring), for speakers/special guests who are attending events. These parking passes will be provided by the MBA Program Office. Parking passes cannot be used by students under any circumstance. Student organizations can request parking passes when completing the Event Registration Form. The request must be made in advance because they need to be purchased through a specific process from Transportation Services.

Event Parking

When planning your event, it’s important to provide guests with parking options near your venue. You can find information and resources on the UW Transportation Services website.

Thank You Gifts

It’s always important to thank your guest and show appreciation for their time by providing them a thank you gift. The MBA Program Office has general MBA marketing materials that we can provide you for a thank you gift. You can request a guest speaker thank you gift, in advance, by completing the Event Registration Form.

This checklist is intended to assist Foster MBAA organizations in planning celebrations, workshops, and other events. Taking time to create an inclusive event helps to ensure that your club attracts a broad range of participants/attendees. A Google search for “accessible meeting checklist” will provide you with a wide range of resources from top companies and universities that also use accessibility checklists.

Date and Time

Did you know that Evening MBA students have core classes on Monday & Wednesday from 6:00 pm – 9:30 pm and that approx. 10% of the FT MBA students have children (even more if we consider our beloved pets!)?

• Does your event conflict with a major holiday or observance?
• Does the event conflict with a core project or exam?
• Is the event at a time that is inclusive of parents and evening students?

Venue

Whether virtual or in-person, you’ll want to be sure your event is accessible.

• Remember, 48% of Seattle commutes by train, bus, streetcar or ferry. Choose a venue that is friendly to mass transit, light rail, buses, or carpooling.
• Include a virtual option for those who cannot attend in-person or record the event for those who already have conflicting schedules.
• Make sure your physical and digital resources are accessible.
• Provide clear direction and signage about how to attend your event or arrive at the venue.

Administration & Marketing

• Does your panel represent a range of experiences, abilities, beliefs, and ethnicities?
• Ask and encourage your panelists to share their preferred pronouns and ask your moderator to use throughout the event.
• Consider collecting dietary needs and chemical sensitivities prior to the event and do your best to accommodate.
• Collect feedback after the event to ensure you can learn and improve for future events.

Beverages

Approximately 33% of Americans do not drink alcohol and 45% of the world’s adult population are lifetime abstainers (58% if we include those who haven’t drank in the last year).

• Have non-alcoholic options available for your event attendees like:
  • Tea
  • Coffee
  • Water
  • Sparkling Water
  • Kombucha

Clean-Up

Paccar, Dempsey, and other UW facilities are self-clean spaces. After your event, you are required to complete the following steps. Failure to do this will impact future organization’s ability to host on-campus events.

• Remove trash from the room and bring it to the dumpster outside of Dempsey Hall.
• Wipe and sanitize all surfaces.
• Replace furniture and equipment to their original position.
• Remove any signage that was posted.
• Return any reserved equipment to supply closets, Program Office, or Learning Spaces.
• Return any keys that were borrowed.

Surveys and Evaluations

While the event might be over, you don’t want to miss a great opportunity to learn how you can improve events for the future.

• Create a google form or Qualtrics survey that you can send to those who attended.
• Sent the evaluation within 24 hours of your event to ensure responders remember their experience.