COMMUNITY

You should start planning at least 5 – 6 weeks in advance for your event, and even earlier if it’s going to be a large-scale event.

Things to consider… is your event being held near exams, semester break, due dates for assignments or other similar events?  Can you tie your event into a National or State initiative e.g.: Biggest Morning Tea or an awareness week such as National Student Volunteer Week, R U OK, or Mental Health Week? If you are planning a big event, it may help to get another club/society involved, the load and costs are shared, as well as the membership base and visibility.

Step 1: Submit an Event Application form via QPay.

• WHY? Because as a TUSA affiliated Club/Society we need to know what you are planning to make sure it’s safe and so we can help.

Step 2: Complete Risk Assessment Form, submit via QPay NOTE: TUSA requires 10 business days to review

• WHY? Because as a TUSA affiliated Club/Society, if an accident happens during your event and we have an approved Risk Assessment, you are covered by our General Public Liability insurance. No Risk Assessment, No Event and No Insurance!

Additional forms may be required depending on the nature of the event:

• Application for Temporary Stall on University Campus: Fill out the form and submit it via QPay here.
• Application for Venue Hire on University Campus: Access and submit this form through the UTAS website.
• Application for University Liquor Permit (On-campus – serving): Fill out the form and submit it via QPay here.
• Security is required for events with over 50 people when alcohol is involved. Please contact TUSA for more details.
• If the event takes place at a student residence, you must fill in a Student Living Event Proposal Form. Please contact them directly. The Student Living team requires a minimum of 10 days (including TUSA’s 7 days) for processing. For more information, contact enquiries@accommodation.utas.edu.au.
• Application for a Liquor License (selling or providing). Please note that this form is accessed and submitted through the Tasmanian Government website.You will also need to provide a site map of the event location.

Step 3: Create an Event on Rubric(QPay) – (unless an alternative platform has been agreed upon/approved by the TUSA). Sign-in into your Club/Society portal, go to the ‘Event’ Tab and then click ‘Create new event’.

• WHY? Because you can check if your event is clashing with any other Club/Society event. You can also enhance visibility and attract more people to your event and make more money

Step 4: Be sure to include the TUSA logo on your promotional material. TUSA Branding guidelines can be found here TUSA C&S BRANDING GUIDELINE

• WHY? Because a good event starts with good promotion at the end of the day, word-of-mouth is still the most popular tool for a good campaign, the more students are talking about you, the more students you will have at your event!

Important side note: If you have received a grant from TUSA to support your event, you must include the following statement on all your posters, marketing material and ticketing.

• This is a SSAF funded initiative supported by TUSA.

On Campus Events – Venue Bookings & Equipment Hire Store

Off Campus Events – Health Requirements

Please monitor the Tasmanian Public Health or NSW Public Health websites (depending which campus you are holding your event) and follow the rules and guidelines of the venue / location of your event.

• Hobart City Council
• Launceston City Council
• Burnie City Council
• Inner West (Rozelle) Council

Off Campus Events – Resources

Use your networking skills and/or ask for help from the TUSA Clubs and Societies Team and we can advise you on a good location for your event.

When budgeting for an event you need to decide on the purpose of the event. Most events are held with the aim of fundraising where a profit is the ideal goal. With very little money available in budgets to hold certain events, the aim of making a small profit to fund future events should be considered; or at the very least, you should aim for funds raised to offset the cost. An event budget should detail the expected income and expenditure for the event, and to help you do that you can use our Event Budget Template.

Income

This information details all money that is expected to be received to hold the event. Different sources of club/society’s income such as attendance fees, ticket costs, club/society fundraising, external monetary grants, or sponsorships should be listed separately.

Please note that clubs and societies grants being requested from TUSA, SHOULD NOT be listed in your projected income for the event and should not be used for calculating your club/society’s Net Financial Position.

Expenses

This details the types of expenses expected to be incurred by the club/society for the event.  Please list all expected expenses, such as venue hire, printing, advertising, decorations, entertainment, bus hire, security, a total of food and non-alcoholic beverages, etc.

Profit/Loss – Net Financial Position

This represents your club/society’s financial position for the event once its expenses have been subtracted from its income.  Where possible, clubs/societies should aim to have a positive net position for each event to ensure profitability and financial self-sufficiency for the year.  Once a club/society knows how much financial assistance it intends to apply for via a grant for the event, you should add this amount to its net position.  This adjusted net position represents the club/society’s position with the financial assistance from the Clubs and Societies grant.  Financial self-sufficiency may not be possible for every event.

An important thing to remember when planning an event is make sure you have an email trail of any agreed changes with venues/suppliers as this can prevent issues with invoicing.

We have created an Events Food, Beverage & Equipment Flowchart to help you with this process.

On Campus Events

 IMPORTANT: If you forget to upload your approved licences/permits in the Event application, you need to notify TUSA or Campus Services (only for on Campus Events).

Alcohol at Events

We want you to have fun and be safe at your events. It essential that you follow these rules if you are selling alcohol or supplying alcohol at your event.

The following rules apply to all events involving alcohol, whether it is being sold or supplied at no charge:

• Clubs and societies are limited to 3.5 hours of alcohol service on campus as per UTAS liquor service requirements.
• Contracted security is required for events on campus with over 50 participants.
• Last drinks to be called 30 mins prior to end of event.
• Two hands two cans policy must be adhered to.
• Cans must be cracked open before handing to participant.
• No glass permitted on campus. All alcohol must be served in cans or plastic cups.
• Food must also be served/available at the event.
• Non-alcoholic beverages and free water must be readily available to participants.
• Required RSA signage must be displayed, including a copy of the Tas Liquor Permit if selling alcohol.
• Alcohol is to only be served by people with a valid RSA qualification, a copy of which must be submitted to the TUSA with your Risk Assessment and a copy on site at your event to be made available to Tas Liquor and Gaming Police should they inspect your event.
• RSA certificates must be provided to TUSA for verification and storage via this form.
• An RSA register with copies of certificates must be available on site should someone from Liquor & Gaming decide to visit the event & request these.
• Drinking games, shots, punches, or activities that encourage the rapid consumption of alcohol are strictly prohibited.
• Those selling or serving the alcohol must not consume alcohol.
• The club or society must have 2 sober event committee reps for the first 20 participants, and then 1 additional sober event committee rep for every other 20 participants.
• If using TUSA branding or equipment for events with alcohol, please contact the C&S Team to discuss important information around the promotion of your event.
• If the club/society is issued a fine by Tas Liquor and Gaming for non-compliance with the Liquor Licencing Laws, it is the club/society’s responsibility to pay this fine.
• All liquor licence holders must treat their event in the same way as a Licensee would at a licenced venue (e.g., a bar, or club), which means:
  • minors (U18s) are not permitted in the licensed area without a parent or guardian,
  • service to minors (U18s) is not permitted,
  • consumption of alcohol outside the perimeter of the nominated event space is prohibited,
  • people cannot take alcohol off site to consume (e.g., leave with an open can of beer or a glass of wine),
  • alcohol cannot be sold to people who are intoxicated and/or purchasing alcohol on behalf of minors (U18s) and/or already have two drinks (2 hands, 2 cans rules apply).

If you are running an alcohol event on campus, either selling or supplying at no charge, you will need to complete a University Liquor Permit via QPay. You must abide by the terms of this permit as required by UTAS.

If you are selling alcohol at your event either by way of ticketed entry to the event or purchase during event, you’ll also need to apply for a Tas Liquor Special Permit through the Tasmanian Government website. You must abide by the law as if you are the liquor licensee.

BYO Alcohol

In accordance with the commitment of the University and TUSA to the safe consumption of alcohol, TUSA will not authorise any functions with BYO (bring your own) alcohol.

Licensed Venues

Clubs/societies must complete and sign an Event Agreement Form or relevant terms and condition form with the licensed venue(s) whichever is accepted by the venue.

Off Campus Events

To drink or possess an open container of alcohol in a public street is illegal. This does not stop you enjoying a picnic in a park or on a beach where council by-laws permit.

Please check the following websites for restrictions on alcohol consumption at parks in and around:

• Hobart – Consumption of Alcohol at City of Hobart
• Launceston – check section 24 at City of Launceston
• Burnie – check section 32 at Burnie City Council
• Sydney – check the City of Sydney website

Security

TUSA have recommended security service providers for events on campus. They are well acquainted with TUSA C&S events and will help you work out what you require for your event at a reasonable cost. They can be :

South – Hunt Security Services, admin@huntsecuritytas.com

North – Essential Security Tas, admin@essentialsecurity.net.au

Licensed venues will have their own security on site. Depending on the type of event you are running this may be an additional requirement made by the venue, this will incur additional costs to your Club.

Keep in mind that you can apply for a TUSA grant to cover up to 50% of the security costs at your event.

Incidents

Events where alcohol is served are prone to riskier behaviours by participants. Should you encounter unwanted behaviours or resulting incidents at your event please be sure to utilise security services at your event or the UTAS Security Team on (03) 6226 7600 and report all incidents to TUSA via Clubs@TUSA.utas.edu.au. Please refer to the Incident Reporting section in this handbook for additional information.

Forms that are required depending on the nature of the event, please contact TUSA if you’ve any questions.

• Application for Temporary Stall on University Campus: Fill out the form and submit it via QPay here.
• Application for Venue Hire on University Campus: Access and submit this form through the UTAS website.
• Application for University Liquor Permit (On-campus – serving): Fill out the form and submit it via QPay here.
• Security is required for events with over 50 people when alcohol is involved. Please contact TUSA for more details.
• If the event takes place at a student residence, you must fill in a Student Living Event Proposal Form. Please contact them directly. The Student Living team requires a minimum of 10 days (including TUSA’s 7 days) for processing. For more information, contact enquiries@accommodation.utas.edu.au.
• Application for a Liquor License (selling or providing). Please note that this form is accessed and submitted through the Tasmanian Government website.You will also need to provide a site map of the event location.

Each club/society having an event MUST submit a Risk Assessment (RA) form within their Event Application – you can find a link to download your file here. The importance of having a Risk Assessment is because as an affiliated TUSA club/society you are covered by our General Liability insurance, this means you need to comply with our guidelines. Also, we cannot support your club/society with a grant for the event if we don’t have this document.

A risk is anything that may affect the overall success of your event. It is important to consider all the risks involved with running and organising your event so that you are prepared if something does go wrong. For example:

• A bad/wet weather plan? (If your event is being held outside)
• Who are the Event Risk owners?
• The BBQ gas cylinder leaks
• Tripping over power leads
• Do you have a plan B if there are any problems? (Consider time for testing equipment and arrange support if needed)

These are just a few things that you need to consider when you plan and then run your event.

Completing Your Application

Please ensure to provide us with as much information as possible about your event. Your application will be assessed based on the level of information you have provided TUSA.

Please ensure to consider what kind of risks/hazards your event will face and put the initials of the person responsible for managing that particular risk in the “Responsible” column. TUSA needs to know who is responsible for making sure that the risk mitigation measures have been implemented.

IMPORTANT: This is a pre-filled template; it means that if you are not having a BBQ, you need to delete the risks/hazards associated with it. For example: cooking food, Gas Heather operations, Food Handling. Just delete the sections that don’t apply.

Once you finish with the Risk Assessment document you can submit your Event Application form and wait for TUSA to get back to you.

We require 10 business days to check and approve all the documentation as there are 100+ Clubs and Societies and we are a small organisation, so please be kind and understanding if we take a little more time to get back to you.

If you have a Temporary Stall Booking application or a UTAS Liquor Permit application, Campus Services require 7 business days to check and approve these.

If you have not completed your form correctly, your application will be delayed. Please triple check details before submitting.

If you are serving or selling alcohol at your event please read the “Alcohol at Events” section under “Food & Beverages at your Event” for crucial information.

Please remember to attach Risk Assessments as Word documents and not PDFs.

A good event starts with a good promotion, so you should start to advertise 3-4 weeks ahead.  Allow at least a week for design and another week for printing.  Don’t leave it until the week before to advertise if you want a good turnout.

Build up your advertising – keep it fresh in people’s minds. Ways to promote are:

TUSA Facebook Page

Do you want the TUSA co-hosting your event? Not a problem – just add a request on our Facebook page or contact the Clubs and Societies Team at Clubs@tusa.utas.edu.au.

Togatus, the TUSA student publication, is a great way to promote your club/society.

Posters

• Does it get the message across?
• Is it easy to read?
• Does it have all the relevant information – time, date, venue, cost, etc.?
• Does it have the TUSA logo? See the TUSA Brand Guidelines and the TUSA Brand Usage Cheat Sheet
• If your event has been partially funded through a grant, you must have the following statement – ‘A SSAF funded initiative supported by the TUSA’

Don’t forget we created the TUSA Brand Guidelines and the TUSA Brand Usage Cheat Sheet where you can find all the info about the correct usage of the logo, with copies of the logo for you to use.

Placing Posters Around Campus

• TUSA affiliated Clubs and Societies must also include the TUSA logo on their posters and
• If the activity has been funded via a Club/Society grant then the statement ‘A SSAF funded initiative supported by the TUSA’ must also be included.
• For logos, please refer to the TUSA Brand Guidelines

In general, posters will not be allowed on any brick walls or glass (unless specified).  Posters may only be put up using blu tack or drawing pins (where appropriate).  Sticky tape and glue cannot be used.

The TUSA reserves the right to invoice any clubs/societies, businesses, etc. for the cost of the removal of unapproved (TUSA logo not included), incorrectly placed, or incorrectly fixed posters.  Such cost may include cleaning and re-painting of the relevant surface.

On the day/evening of the event:

• Ensure you have enough volunteers to help collect the equipment you have booked from the Hire Store, in advance making note of TUSA business hours.
• If you are serving/selling alcohol, you MUST Display your liquor PERMIT, and any other mandatory signage, and have copies of all RSAs easily accessible.
• Display clear signage for any costs.
• Pop up your decorations
• We encourage EFTPOS payments but if you really need cash, you can keep it safe in one of our cash boxes available through the Hire store.

Checks by authorised inspectors may occur at any time.

Keep these guidelines on hand during set-up, the duration of the event and pack-up. If you ensure that the guidelines are followed, ultimately, they will guide you if a problem occurs during your event.

Both the TUSA and UTAS Campus Services are available to help at any time should you have questions regarding any guidelines.

Clean Up

• Ensure the area is left how you found it. Remove all garbage, return any items you have borrowed, clean all equipment, and consider recycling where possible (we can provide biodegradable plates, cups, etc. if you indicate this on the event application form).
• If something is damaged, please report it on return.
• BBQs and trestle tables – if you’re using TUSA equipment from the Hire Store it MUST be cleaned before returning otherwise you WILL be charged a commercial rate for cleaning.

Post Event Debrief

Keep an accurate report of the event, including your:

• Final budget and receipts for all goods and services
• Number of attendees
• What worked, what didn’t, and what you’d do differently next time
• If an incident occurs on campus before, during or after the event, please make sure you register it on MySafety for follow up
• You must also report any incidents it to the TUSA team, using the Incident & Investigation Report Form
• In the case of a serious accident, injury or assault please report to the Clubs & Societies Manager devilleneuve@tusa.utas.edu.au, using the Incident & Investigation Report Form

This helps future reps in planning similar events; make sure you outline any problems you encountered as well as any improvements that could make your next event even better.

The following is an event checklist to help you tick off what you need for your event!

• Develop the concept
  • Get the idea, write it down and develop the concept for your event
• Planning
  • Establish an event committee or identify 2 or 3 society members who are willing to take responsibility for the event.
  • Set the date and time and location
  • Develop a project plan (depending on the complexity of the event)
  • Create a budget
  • Write the Risk Assessment and submit via Rubric (QPay) together with the Event Application Form
  • Write a contingency plan (in case of last-minute changes)
• Coordination
  • Book the venue
  • Promote your event – after all the paperwork has been approved
  • Set up ticketing on Rubric (QPay)
  • Develop a run sheet
  • Contact and lock in event content (e.g., activities, theme, performers, other clubs, or societies)
  • Apply for a liquor permit (if selling or serving alcohol – from Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming)
  • Book security if selling alcohol (the TUSA Team can help with contact details)
  • Book a photographer via student media team (if you want to have professional pics)
  • Book catering – if you are selling / serving food
  • Create a site plan (maybe useful for the Tas Liquor and Gaming application too)
  • Brief the committee, volunteers (if any), suppliers, artists, etc …
  • Prepare collateral to promote your club/society with TUSA logo/branding
  • Arrange AV set-up for your event or ask the TUSA for help with this
  • Coordinate set-up for the event (make a roster of people working, people involved in serving drinks, etc.)
  • Make sure to have all the certifications required for the event (Food Handling Certificates, RSAs for people serving / selling alcohol)
  • Create name tags for event staff so they can be easily recognised
  • Finalise number of people attending
  • Checking last updates about COVID requirements for events (Off University Campus)
• Delivery
  • Make any final updates to the attendees list, name tags, and other stuff as needed
  • Set up the equipment and test that everything is working
  • Pack down and clean up
• Evaluation
  • Hold a post-event debrief
  • Collect feedback from attendees – what went well, what went wrong, what to improve .
  • Share a BIG thank you to everyone on your socials!

You can also download a pdf version of the Event Checklist

Each club/society having an event MUST submit a Risk Assessment(RA) form within their Event Application – you can find a link to download your file here. The importance of having a Risk Assessment is because as an affiliated TUSA club/society you are covered by our General Liability insurance, this means you need to comply with our guidelines. Also, we cannot support your club/society with a grant for the event if we don’t have this document.

A risk is anything that may affect the overall success of your event. It is important to consider all the risks involved with running and organising your event so that you are prepared if something does go wrong. For example:

• A bad/wet weather plan? (If your event is being held outside)
• Who are the Event Risk owners?
• The BBQ gas cylinder leaks
• Tripping over power leads
• Do you have a plan B if there are any problems? (Consider time for testing equipment and arrange support if needed)

These are just a few things that you need to consider when you plan and then run your event.

Completing Your Application

Please ensure to provide us with as much information as possible about your event. Your application will be assessed based on the level of information you have provided TUSA.

Please ensure to consider what kind of risks/hazards your event will face and put the initials of the person responsible for managing that particular risk in the “Responsible” column. TUSA needs to know who is responsible for making sure that the risk mitigation measures have been implemented.

IMPORTANT: This is a pre-filled template; it means that if you are not having a BBQ, you need to delete the risks/hazards associated with it. For example: cooking food, Gas Heather operations, Food Handling. Just delete the sections that don’t apply.

Once you finish with the Risk Assessment document you can submit your Event Application form and wait for TUSA to get back to you.

We require 10 business days to check and approve all the documentation as there are 100+ Clubs and Societies and we are a small organisation, so please be kind and understanding if we take a little more time to get back to you.

If you have a Temporary Stall Booking application or a UTAS Liquor Permit application, Campus Services require 7 business days to check and approve these.

If you have not completed your form correctly, your application will be delayed. Please triple check details before submitting.

If you are serving or selling alcohol at your event please read the “Alcohol at Events” section under “Food & Beverages at your Event” for crucial information.

Please remember to attach Risk Assessments as Word documents and not PDFs.