Guidelines

Generally, the Scheduling Manager shall have priority during any semester for room reservations for academic needs. Exceptions may be made for external events that need to be scheduled significantly in advance. Once all academic requirements have been completed, the Scheduling Manager will notify Smith Programs and Events that they may schedule their events.

Smith Programs and Events will book all known events and notify Smith Operations when completed. Then reservations may now be made for all other requirements. Smith Programs and Events will reserve rooms for other events as defined by (a) above as the requirements become known throughout the semester.

Anyone desiring a room or rooms for other purposes should notify Smith Operations of their requirements via telephone, e-mail, or in person.

Reminder: if this is for a program or event, please submit your request through the Online Event Request Form: events.rhsmith.umd.edu/eventrequest.

WHY SHOULD I USE THIS SYSTEM? You should submit your event to the online submission site in the following instances:

  1. If you would like your event or program to appear on the Smith Master Calendar,
  2. You plan to ask for room reservations at Van Munching or any of the other satellite campuses,
  3. You plan to ask for support from Events, Mar Comm, Development and Alumni Relations or other staff functions or
  4. You plan to invite any internal or external audiences to attend your program.

Smith Operations will respond to the requestor with the room(s) assigned to them and any restrictions on the use.

Requests from outside the Smith School of Business shall be handled in the following manner:

  • The Scheduling Manager will coordinate all requests from the University (e.g. Scheduling Office, academic departments) for academic events.
  • Smith Programs and Events and Smith Operations will work in conjunction to handle all outside requests for meetings and other activities.

Dedicated Conference Rooms: 1570 (Undergraduate Studies), 3570A (Communications/QUEST), 2534 (Executive Education), 3370 (Marketing and LBPP) and 4370 (DO&IT), as well as all space within the Office of Career Management is reserved through their respective departments.

South Original and North Wing Classrooms and Conference Rooms: (1202, 1206, 1212, 1303, 1307, 1314, 1330, 1333, 1335, 1336, 1505, 1511, 1518, 1520, 1528, 1524 Frank Auditorium, and conference rooms 1326, 2330, 3332, 3440, 4335, 4440, 4534, and 4535, 1411, 1412, 1415, and 1418) are available for reservations by faculty, staff and students. Smith MBA Student groups may also reserve these spaces for external functions on Friday afternoons, evenings, and weekends.

PhD Seminar Rooms: (2509 and 3330H) may be reserved by faculty and staff if not required by the PhD Program Office.

Students reservations can be made through the following channels:

  • Undergraduate student groups may make reservation requests through the Smith Undergraduate Student Association (SUSA).
  • MBA students and groups should make their reservations through the MBAA’s Executive Vice President or emailing: mbaa@rhsmith.umd.edu.
  • PhD students may make reservations for non-events through Smith Operations.

Case Rooms: (2301C/D, 2311C/D, 2333F/G/H/J/L/M/N/P/Q/R/S/T) may only be reserved in advance by MBA students, on a first come, first serve basis. These reservations may be made no more than two weeks in advance of the requested date and for a period of no longer than 4 hours. Reservations can be made with the Master’s Program Office.

Grand Atrium (Pownall Atrium), 3rd Floor Lobby, 1400 Atrium, North Wing Atrium may only be reserved by faculty or staff typically only when all rooms surrounding these spaces are empty (generally after 2pm on Fridays and on weekends).

Executive Education Classrooms and Conference Rooms: (2505, 2511, 2515, 2534) are reserved solely through Executive Education. Smith Programs and Events will work with Executive Education Office for events handled by OSPE.

Executive Dining Room: administered through Executive Education, this room will be made available for receptions and lunches for important departmental or program events. Smith Programs and Events will work with Executive Education Office for events handled by OSPE.

Outside Area (Edwards Courtyard & Mayer Mall): may be reserved by any department or any club or organization that is officially sanctioned by the Smith School of Business during the evenings and weekends pending class schedule.

Executive Meeting Space (2333A/B/C/D): requests for use of these rooms should be directed to the Smith Program and Events Director and are handled on a case by case basis.

Department Controlled Spaces: the following labs, computer rooms and classrooms are controlled by individual departments or organizations. Their use may be coordinated through the appropriate organization.

  • 1407 & 3522 - Supply Chain Management Center
  • 1318, 3505, & 3507 - Smith Information Technology
  • 3518 - Decision and Information Technology
  • 3509 - Department of Marketing

Governance

This policy administered by the Office of Smith Programs and Events and is governed by the Office of the Dean. Any clarifications or resolution of conflicts should be addressed to the Director of Smith Programs and Events and the Vice Dean.

Exceptions to these guidelines may be made by the Director of Smith Programs and Events. Exceptions involving the Executive Education Classrooms, Conference Rooms and Dining Room shall require the additional consent of the Office of Executive Programs.

Important Things To Consider

Community Impact

The most important thing to consider when planning an event is how it will affect other people and other areas of Van Munching Hall. If you are planning an event during a time when classes are in session, it’s very important to ensure that your group does not disrupt classes.

How will the arrival, departure and traffic from your event impact other people and other areas of the building? This includes transportation to and from Van Munching Hall, as well as traffic in the building caused by your event. Are there classes in session during your event? Are exams taking place during your event? Who else will be using stairs, elevators, hallways and restrooms during your event?

What Kind of Event?

Are you hosting a conference, lecture, panel discussion, round-table discussion, information session, reception or meeting?

What Time of Day Can Events Take Place?

Generally, the best day to host an event in Van Munching Hall is on Friday when there aren’t as many classes scheduled. Of course, all events cannot and will not occur on Friday. As such, there are other considerations when scheduling your event. The most important considerations are classes and other events occurring in the building on the potential date of the event.

Who May Host an Event in Van Munching Hall?

Any Smith School faculty, staff member or recognized student group may host events in Van Munching Hall. Other members of the Smith and campus communities may be able to host an event or meeting in Van Munching Hall. Members of Smith School student groups should go through their appropriate governing body for planning events (i.e. SUSA, MBAA). In general, Van Munching Hall rooms are not open to the public to host events or for rental.

Who Is Attending?

Who is coming to your event? Are your attendees from inside the Smith Community or outside the Smith community? Will this be the first time any of your guests have visited Van Munching Hall? Are any of your guests members of the Smith Alumni Chapter Board, the Dean’s Advisory Council or the Board of Visitors? Are any of your guests’ alumni or corporate friends of the Smith School with existing relationships with other departments in the school such as the Dean’s Office, Office of Development and Alumni Relations, Office of Marketing Communications, Office of Career Services, or Office of Executive Education?

Who Is Paying for It?

Your first task is to determine a budget for your event and how expenses will be paid for the event. Common sources are departmental and faculty budgets, fees and sponsorships. If you plan to charge a fee, you need to let your business manager in the business office know and they will help you manage the process.

The Office of Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) staff may have contacts and/or connections with various corporations and could be instrumental in securing sponsorship for your event. DAR should be contacted to coordinate event sponsorship. In addition, it’s important to understand the strategic relationships with various organizations.

Where Can It Be Held?

What spaces are available for my event? What is the best location for my event? How to best utilize space in the building for my event? Will the spaces that have been reserved reflect the type of event, # of attendees, audience and hopeful outcomes? Generally, classrooms and public spaces in Van Munching Hall, the Ronald Reagan Building and Bio Park can be reserved for your event if they are not being used for academic purposes.

Where Can I Go for Help?

The Smith Programs and Events Team is a one-stop shop for advice and resources for your event planning questions for Smith School events. If you have invited external guests to attend your event, this should be your first point of reference when planning an event at Van Munching Hall and as a Smith School community member.

How Much Will My Event Cost?

In addition to the cost of food, you will want to consider costs for marketing, invitations, printing, signs, parking, facilities requests, housekeeping, equipment rentals, photography and gifts for speakers. Please note: If the event occurs during regular business hours, there will be no charge for A/V for events directly related to academics or Event team support except for departments or groups outside of the Smith School of Business. There is no cost for the use of the space.

NOTE: Please work with your department’s representative in the business office to determine the length of time it will take to access funds received from the business office. This information will be extremely important as you negotiate services with vendors to ensure you are upfront with the business procedures.

How Will People Find Out?

How are people going to find out about your event? It may be a simple email invitation to members of the Smith School community or an elaborate mailing to thousands of people. Depending on the purpose of your event this will be a key component in your planning.

How will people tell you they are coming? Small audiences may RSVP to an individual while larger groups or groups collecting a registration fee should use Cvent for online registration and payment. Career related activities should contact the OCS for posting events and collecting RSVP’s via HireSmith

Cvent is an online registration management program. With this program you can register guests, collect payments (options include creating invoices and payment by credit card), ask questions (type of meal, t-shirt size) and send e-mails to registrants. This program can also assist with post-event follow-up such as surveys, which allow you to prepare for future events. The system secures current contact information from guests as they register, enabling you to update your records.

Why?

What is the purpose of your event? Will your event help to elevate the Smith Brand with the group or impact other areas? Are you trying to create awareness and/or exposure for your department, club or group? Do you want to provide information to existing constituents? Attract new constituents? Do you want to provide a platform for speakers to address relevant business topics/issues? Should this event be held?

Cost

One of the most important factors to consider for your event is the department to be charged for the event. There must be an FRS# associated with the event in order to use any resources either inside the Smith School or campus wide services. In addition, to use online registration for fee based events an FRS accounting number must be used to accept income.