On this page:
Financial
- What is your budget? Be sure to include contingency funds to cover unexpected expenses.
- What cost object(s) will cover this event?
Facilities
- Make arrangements for access * to the building and space, if necessary, for your team and attendees. Registering your event does not automatically give you building and room access if those spaces are normally locked.
- Arrange to have your event space cleaned and any needed repairs made; submit requests to MIT Facilities for on-campus venues or the relevant management company if the event is taking place in one of the buildings that MIT leases.
- Check for any elevator and wheelchair lift outages in and near your event space.
- Schedule day-of technicians to be onsite.
- Be aware of delivery hours and who has access and/or keys to the space.
- Ensure you have any required permits (also part of the event registration process).
- Review the Environment, Health, and Safety Office’s safety and preparedness information for events.
- Have designated reserved seating available, being mindful of space and ease of accessibility for those in need (attendees who are pregnant, those with disabilities or service animals, older adults, etc.).
- Be aware of—and prepare for—your responsibilities for cleaning up the space after your event.
Personnel
- Compile the names and contact information (phone numbers, email addresses) for your team, temporary help, and vendors and share with key personnel to have handy during the event.
Assistive services
- Ascertain the accommodation needs of your guests.
- Designate event personnel to ensure attendees are connected to accommodation support on event day.
- If needed, request assistive services for your event at least three weeks in advance.
Lighting and stage
- Consider the event décor.
- How should the stage be set?
- Do you need any of the following?
- Lectern
- MIT logo sign or seal
- Banners
- Flags (if government official/s will be participating)
Audiovisual
- To request audiovisual support for your event, contact MIT Audiovisual Services.
- Do you need to hire a photographer and/or videographer?
- Will you be playing video or showing slides?
- Enable display of closed captions and audio descriptions for any presentation videos.
- Should the event be webcast?
- Helpful if interest exceeds onsite capacity.
- Could hurt in-person attendance and engagement; a recording could be made available to a wider audience after the event.
- Choose a streaming platform(s) (e.g., your website, Facebook Live, YouTube).
- Will the webcast be available to the public or a restricted audience?
- Will it need to be interactive (i.e., viewers can submit questions or comments)?
- Will the event be recorded?
- You may need releases.
- Consider privacy issues related to recording.
- Who will handle editing, captioning (required for videos that are to be made publicly available by MIT’s settlement with the National Association of the Deaf), and sharing the video?
- Provide assistance for deaf or hard of hearing guests, for example:
- Request an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Transcription) services through the HR Service Request form for staff events, or Disability and Access Services for student ones.
- Offer assistive listening devices
- Minimize background noise
- Provide assistance for blind or visually impaired, such as:
- Audio descriptions of content
- Large print and/or Braille materials
- Avoid flashing animations, unnecessary/unusually loud sounds.
Virtual/Hybrid Event Considerations
- Provide connectivity for speakers, staff, and participants
- Will you use real or virtual backgrounds?
- Consider the speaker’s sound, lighting, and wardrobe.
- If using Zoom, enable the sign language interpretation (or spoken language interpretation) and live captioning features. (Note: enabling auto captions does not make a video accessible as these tend to be inconsistently accurate.)
- Identify someone who will share verbally what is in the chat periodically as well as describe what is on slides; for smaller virtual group meetings, reserve an Owl so remote participants can see the faces of who is speaking.
Catering
- Solicit vendors certified by Massachusetts and/or MIT as diverse.
- If you would like to have a food truck, consult with MIT Dining for rules and regulations.
- Consider how to address allergies and special dietary needs (e.g., halal and kosher).
- Label ingredients for each item.
- Arrange for linens, dishes, and glasses.
- Give thought to table types and layout.
- Provide lightweight dishware.
- Use low cocktail tables or a mix of high and low.
- Consider finger foods that do not require utensil use.
Parking and transportation
- Have signs, directions, and maps available.
- If needed, arrange for special shuttles and parking.
- Do you need meter reservations or special street access?
Safety and security
- Check the MIT Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Office’s Event Safety Guidelines to see whether a formal safety plan is required for your event.
- A safety plan may also be required if you are planning on an art installation or exhibit.
- Have MIT Police advised you that other entities will be engaged (e.g., State Department, Secret Service, MA state police)?
- Will staff need ID/special access/badges during the event?
Sustainability
- Review the MIT Office of Sustainability’s guidance to event planners to help reduce the environmental impact of your event.
Press and media
- Are you expecting members of the press?
- Do you need to advise or engage with MIT News?
Related MIT Offices & Services
* This is an article in the IS&T Knowledge Base, which is only accessible to those connected to the MIT network, either on campus (e.g., via the MIT SECURE wireless network) or remotely through the Institute’s VPN.