Making events compliant

Getting event approval

Regardless of whether or not you are part of an official club or society, if you want to run an event, it must be approved.

For an event to be approved, the nominated Event Manager or those who are submitting the application must make sure that the event complies with all Government and University policies. These include:

On this page

What events must be approved?

Events that need approval are those which are:

How to get approval for an event

The relevant forms will need to be submitted to your Student Centre with sufficient time for approval. The time you will need to allow for approval will vary with the size and scale of your event. If you are unsure about timing, check with your Student Centre during the early planning stages of the event to see what length of time they require for approval.

The following table provides a guide for the lead time in event planning and application approval.

Event Timing
Generic Social Event 3 weeks before
Barbecue 4 weeks before
Movie nights / Trivia nights / Big events 4 weeks before
Camps / Big Events / Off Campus Events 3 months before

Forms forms forms!

To make your event compliant you must complete the relevant forms.

The range of forms required will vary according to some of the choices you have made in the planning process. Events involving the serving of food or alcohol may require more forms that those that only require a grounds use form.

Risk management

If you are part of a club or society that meets together in an organised way, your group is subject to numerous legal risks and obligations.

Your club or society owes a duty of care to those who take part in any event run in the name of your club, and by extension the Faculty, the Union and the University.

If your club is affiliated with UMSU, legal coverage and insurance for your activities will already exist. However, some events may have different, more extensive insurance requirements. The onus remains on the club or society to take all reasonable steps to make sure that possible risks are evaluated and minimised. If this does not happen, your event may not be covered by insurance and any liability could rest with the individual club members.

Insurance

Events run by affiliated clubs and societies are, for the most part, covered by the University public liability and other Union or faculty/department insurance. In most cases this insurance will be sufficient. However, some high risk activities may require a higher level of insurance for which the club will be responsible.

For more information on the insurance you will require if you are not an affiliated club or society and the extra insurance you may require for some high risk activities, please see your faculty or department, the Student Union if you are affiliated and Venue Hirings: Insurance.

University policies

Code of Conduct

A code of conduct is being prepared by the University, the unauthorised running of events or failure to register an event may be seen as a contravention of the Code of Conduct. In the meantime, please see the following guidelines.