Do you know what your budget is? Do you know how much to estimate for each aspect of your event?
2: Choose Your Date(s)
Do your dates conflict with a major University event such as Move-in Weekend, Parents and Family Weekend, Homecoming, or Commencement, for example? Have you checked the academic or student events calendar? View the University’s calendars for dates to avoid.
3: Take Care of Your Special Guests
Please fill out a dignitary notification form to alert appropriate campus departments of high-profile visitors coming to the University campus. If you are inviting someone likely to draw significant media attention, such as a well-known lecturer, an entertainer, or a political figure, chances are you will need to fill out the form.
4: Reserve Your Space
After narrowing down your choice of possible dates, the next step is to request a location[s] for your event. Request space using the University’s centralized scheduling tool.
Unsure what space you’ll need?
Note the size, required accommodations, and general nature of the event so that we may schedule the necessary support services staff to ensure safe and appropriate operation of the event.
While every effort is made to confirm your meeting space as early as possible, please recognize that, as a college campus, there are priorities in scheduling that dictate confirmation dates. If your group will be affected by these deadlines, our office will discuss options with you to assist you in your decision-making process. Contact the Office of Conferences, Events, and Support Services for advice and suggestions.
5: Outfit Your Meeting Space
Will you need registration tables, chairs, custodial cleaning, and other equipment for your meeting space(s)? If so, be sure to notate your event request submission.
Imagine that your meeting space is a blank slate. Try to envision everything that you will need for your event, and assume that your space does not come equipped with any of these things!
6: Arrange Your Audio-Visual Needs
Request any special media or technology requirements for your event when you submit your event request.
Imagine that your meeting space is a blank slate. Even though media equipment may exist in a room, that does not mean it will be available and unlocked for your event. Are you planning to use equipment that is already installed in a classroom, showing a PowerPoint, showing a video, or speaking in a room that requires a microphone?
7: Order Food and Beverage
Finish your menu and order food and beverage by contacting University catering at catering@lynchburg.edu.
University catering is the sole provider of food and beverage at the University of Lynchburg and has the right of first refusal for all catering on campus.
8: Make Your Event Safe and Accessible
Consider your audience. If your event is open to the public, be sure to use a space that is accessible to attendees with mobility concerns. For more information, visit the Center for Accessibility and Disability Resources.
Events can be featured on the University events calendar by asking for “featured” status when requesting your event.
Consider the use of social media, email blasts, and printed materials to get the most exposure to your audience.
Most spaces on campus have a limited variety of layouts due to room size and furnishings. However, several of our larger spaces are able to accommodate a variety of layouts. These spaces include Memorial Ballroom, West Room, and East Room.
Theater Layout
Classroom Layout
U-Shape Layout
Hollow Square Layout
Conference Layout
Banquet Layout
Banquet Rounds Layout
If you require a customized layout, please contact us to explore more possibilities.
The following is a list of commonly used vendors. The University does not endorse these vendors or services; they are frequently used by clients on campus.
Food trucks and other vendors are allowed on campus for approved events only. All student group requests should be made through the Office of Student Activities, then routed to the catering office for approval. Faculty and staff requests are approved by the catering office. All food trucks and vendors must be preapproved and provide the following documentation three weeks in advance in order to serve the University community:
A copy of the vendor’s current business license.
A copy of the vendor’s liability insurance policy showing minimum coverage of $1,000,000, to include auto insurance for any food trucks.
A copy of the vendor’s Virginia Department of Health permit.
Additional requirements:
No alcoholic beverages.
No amplified sound.
Trucks must be self-contained and able to provide any necessary power and running water.
