Internal USA Planning Tips

All events at the University of South Alabama deserve special attention and care regardless of their size. For our USA colleagues who are planning events with attendance of 75 or fewer guests, listed below are a few things for you to consider:  

 USA has a lot of great underutilized venues that are ideal for smaller events. Here is a listing of some of our favorites.

 When possible, avoid dates or times when large University-wide events are scheduled, otherwise your smaller event may run into unavoidable parking or other operational challenges.

 Make sure your event is scheduled in the Events Management System (EMS) with a detailed event description. By doing this, your event will have the opportunity to appear as a featured event on USA’s homepage.

 If budget is a consideration, avoid scheduling your event during meal times, i.e. plan for 10:00 - 11:00 am rather than 8:00 – 9:00 am or from 2:00 - 4:00 pm rather than noon – 2:00 pm.

 After you have selected your date, time, and location, develop a communication plan.

For special events, we recommend this communication strategy:

 Three weeks or earlier: Formal invitations

 One week: RSVP date – This timing will assist you in making an accurate catering order

 Week of: Pre-event communication

 Not later than 72 hours prior: Post-event communication, including thank you notes (if applicable)

For an internal meeting, we recommend this communication strategy:

 One month prior or earlier: Email with a preview of the meeting topic

 One month prior or earlier: Meeting invitation

 Two weeks prior: Meeting reminder

 One week prior: Reminder with materials

 Not later than one week after: Post-meeting communication, including a survey (if applicable)

 If you are looking to provide light fare without breaking the bank, consider a menu with bite-sized elements. Please work with Aramark directly to receive accurate pricing.

Depending on the nature of your event, you may want to consider these event planning additions:

 Schedule a consultation with our dynamic Marketing and Communications team to develop a robust communication strategy.

 Personalize thank you gifts to participants.

 Schedule our University photographer for the event so you can include pictures in your post-event communication, as well as use for future marketing.