• What are you wanting your event to accomplish?
  1. Having fun? Meeting new people? Sharing information about your organization? Sharing knowledge? A combination of many purposes?
     • Once you’ve identified the purpose, build the event planning team!
  2. Consider the goals and mission of your organization when planning the event; does the event align with these or not? Are you ok if they don’t?
• How will the event be considered successful?
  • High attendance, quality of knowledge learned by attendees, the amount of fun had?

• Your organization may have specific individuals set up as event If not, that’s ok! Ask for volunteers, build a committee, and get to work!
• Ideally the event planning team will have members who have planned an event before, in any If not, you’ll want to make sure the team has committed individuals who are ready to learn.

• When is it?
  1. Will students be around to attend during this time?
  2. Is it during a break period?
  3. Is it during a high-event part of the year?
     1. August/September, late March, and April are usually extremely busy times for student organizations hosting events, along with larger, annual campus events, such as the Grand Prix Race
     2. You’ll want to check to see if your event is taking place at time where you could be competing for attendance, and evaluate from there.
        1. You can always check the Boilerlink events calendar to see how many approved events are taking place during a More events may be pending approval, so keep that in mind.
• Where is it?
  1. Does the room have a maximum capacity, and if so, how will your organization stay below it?
  2. Is the room/building ideal for hosting your event, or should you look somewhere else?
  3. If you are planning an outdoor event, what are your weather plans in case you need to move inside?
     1. Consider setting up a rain location, if applicable, so you’re ready to move inside ahead of time.
        
        
• What is the timeframe of the event?
  1. What time should folks arrive to set up?
  2. What does the post-event teardown/clean up look like?
  3. Make sure to communicate expectations with your organization on event responsibilities!
     
     
• What are the expected expenses?
  1. Does your organization have a general budget or events budget? Does this event have a budget?
     • Make sure to check in with your treasurer.
  2. How are you funding the event?
     • Personal finances, organization account, sponsorship, an admission fee, or a SOGA/SFAB/other grant?
       
       
• Who is invited?
  • Is this an organization-only event? Are other Purdue students invited? Could faculty/staff attend? Is it open for anyone to attend, including the campus community or Greater Lafayette community? Are minors allowed to attend?
    
    
• How are you going to advertise the event?
  • Boilerlink, social media, physical flyers (where permitted), academic departments, and personal invitations are great ways to promote your event.

Your organization will need to submit an activity planning form (APF) via Boilerlink for Student Activities and Organizations to review the event and provide support, as well as other applicable campus partners.

1. To submit an APF, go to your organization’s page on Boilerlink and click “manage organization”.
   • Then under “Upcoming Organizational Events, click “create event.” a. You can also go to the “events” tab under “Organizational Tools” and then click the blue “create event” button
   • Make sure to go through each page and click “submit” at the end to ensure the form has been submitted. You should also receive an email notification of your submission automatically from Boilerlink.
2. APFs must be submitted at least two weeks in advance of your event, but certain events, such as one with a high-profile speaker, international guest, etc, may be required to submit the APF farther in advance to ensure the contract/services agreement is able to be completed.
   • For more information on this, please contact Student Activities and Organizations.
3. Consider including pre-event and post-event evaluation questions to receive feedback from attendees on the event so your organization can review and implement for the next event.

1. Space reservations may go through either Unitime (classroom space) or EMS (non-academic and classroom spaces)
2. On the frontpage of Boilerlink under Campus Links, there are various links categorized by the respective space you are seeking to reserve. Click the link, and you’ll be taken to either Unitime or EMS to reserve a spot on campus.
   • Some spaces on campus, such as a space in a Cultural Center, cannot be reserved via Unitime or EMS, so check in at the front desk space of that building for further information.

1. 1. Once your APF is submitted, please make sure to check your submission daily so that any questions from SAO staff or campus partners can be answered. This will help the review of the event and help your organization in any changes that may need to happen.
      • In the comments section of the APF, you can ask additional questions, post needed updates, and request changes to the APF if needed (such as event date, time, location, etc).
   2. An SAO staff member will be assigned to your APF to review the next business day after submission.
   3. Approval or denial of the event will ultimately come from an SAO staff member.
      • If the event is approved, you will receive a comment with instructions on how to edit the APF if there are any changes you need (time/date/location change, description, or photo change, etc).
      • If your event is denied, you will receive instructions on how to re-submit the APF for further review.

1. Whether or not your organization has set up evaluation questions in your APF, consider sitting down as the event planning team or organizational leadership to evaluate your event.
2. You can evaluate your event right after it is completed, a couple days after the event, or at your next organization executive board or general meeting.
   • Evaluation questions to consider.
     • 1. What went well?
     • 2. What could have been better?
     • 3. What can we change for next time?
     • 4. What feedback did we receive from attendees? From our team?
3. A strong evaluation can help set your organization up for success for future events!