Running Events
Any student can run an event, whether part of a society or not, the process is the same!
To start planning your event, complete the Student Activity Form. Once that’s done, Your Communities team will be in touch to discuss your requirements.
- Submit your event idea to Your Communities via the Student Activity Form including all details of planned activities, guests and refreshments, plus a risk assessment
- Create a realistic budget
- Apply to the Student Communities Fund if you need help with costs.
Once event confirmed...
- Publish event on the website with tickets and start advertising!
- Order everything needed for the event. Make sure you keep receipts!
- The SU can place orders for you, as well as paying invoices directly from your society accounts (2 weeks’ notice required - please check that delivery times will be sufficient).
These are the required timescales but we would encourage you to start planning as soon as possible to ensure the best chance of success with your activites and events! You can also use the Event Planning tool in Resources to help you.
For events with more costs/paid tickets involved such as balls, tickets should go on sale before any payments are made to the venue etc. This is to ensure that there is sufficient interest for the event and bookings can be upheld.
Important info
All external visitors to campus must be approved by the University. Therefore we require at least 6 weeks' notice.
Please submit all details of your external speaker/guest/performer when completing the Student Activity Form, including their name, role and what role they will play in the event.
Speaker and Guest Declaration Form
Activities outside Sunderland and/or overnight trips require a Trip Pack. A list of participants should be gathered through sign-ups on the SU website. Contact yourcommunities@sunderland.ac.uk and we can help set this up for you.
Any food served on campus should have allergens clearly displayed. A template can be found under Resources below.
External caterers must have a food hygiene rating of 4+ and be able to provide a valid Public Liability Insurance certifcate.
Students cannot serve home-cooked food unless they have an up-to-date level 2 food hygiene certificate and the food items have been approved by Your SU.
Bake Sale Risk Assessment Template
Any film screenings on campus must be licenced under a STSL licence which costs approximately £150 per film. You can choose from a wide variety of films.
Once your screening is licensed you can stream or show the film in any (legal!) format. Please contact yourcommunities@sunderland.ac.uk to arrange this through the Students' Union.
You cannot charge entry for film screenings under this licence.
Risk Assessments
Risk assessments are a requirement for all events and are designed to cover the risks and mitigations attached to them.
All event organisers are responsible for ensuring student activities are carried out in line with your risk assessment. If you need any support with completing your risk assessment, please contact yourcommunities@sunderland.ac.uk
Separate risk assessments must be carried out for different types of activities/events, including:
- Trips outside Sunderland city
- One-off activities and events not covered by a general risk assessment
- Large scale events (e.g. ball, celebration OR any activity/event with a 50+ capacity)
- Speaker and guest events
- Bake sales and other fundraising activity
