Event Planning & Marketing

OSA works with other CBS partners to set specific dates and times when student organizations are not able to plan any types of events. These are put in place for academic purposes (such as exams or LEAD), important community wide events (like the Career Fair or Town Hall) or breaks and holidays when the school is closed.

No. The programing dates and hours listed below are put into place by OSA to ensure there are no conflicts with classes. Academics are the priority, and this rule also ensures equitable programming opportunities and attendance. 

Event exceptions are rare and are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Student groups must submit an exception request in advance to be reviewed by their OSA club advisor and/or CMC and Academics.

Student group executive board meetings are allowed to occur during blackout days and times with the exception of individual academic conflicts (classes, exams, etc.).

• Room booking requests can be submitted for:
  • Tiered classrooms
  • Flat space classrooms
  • Student screening room (Monday-Thursday, after 5:45 p.m. & Friday-Sunday, all day)
• Room booking & event approval requests may take up to 72 hours for review. Last minute requests may not be approved.

Special event spaces that can be reserved by student groups are considered the following locations:

• Cooperman Commons
• Alumni Suite
• The Board Room & Ray Horton Lounge

Click here to review space descriptions and click here to review space floor plans (CBS log-in required).

Special event spaces are often booked far in advance and are used for all signature Business School events (Orientation, On-Campus Recruitment, Conferences, etc.) across academic departments, centers, programs, and student organizations. Note that due to high demand, special event spaces are not guaranteed and are only considered if the capacity or structure of an event cannot be accommodated by a classroom. If you would like to reserve a special event space, e-mail your OSA advisor at least two weeks in advance to review your event proposal. Your OSA advisor will coordinate with the Dean’s Office on availability, and will work with you on next steps and additional details as needed.

When requesting special event space, please be prepared with the following information:

• Event space preference
• Preferred date, time, and at least one-two alternate choices
• Type of event and description of what will be taking place
• Anticipated attendee size
• Confirmed co-sponsors/speakers/alumni/other guests
• Will food or catering be needed for this event?
• Will alcohol be needed for this event?
• Any additional information

Student conference special event space requests submitted on short notice will not be honored. Please reach out to Nicole Zisa for more information.

• For locations outside of the Business School such as Lerner Hall, Low Library, Faculty House, or outside locations please reference University Event Management
• Charges will occur for space, catering and facilities.

• All large-scale events that require catering and/or alcohol must be catered by University Events Management (UEM).
• Use of hard alcohol at events is strictly prohibited. See full CBS Alcohol Policy.
• Click here to access the UEM Business School Menu.

Columbia Dining is offering CBS student organizations finger food and causal cuisine by the pan pick-up options for on-campus club events.

Please review the process below to order:

1. Review the Columbia Dining CBS Catering Menu.
2. Send an e-mail to  [email protected] at least 72 hours in advance with your event date, event time and order selections. 
3. An invoice will be sent requesting payment information (club chart string) and pick-up information will be provided.

Additional information:

• All orders are for PICK-UP only at Smith Dining Hall (Kravis 2nd Floor).  Delivery to your event will not be available. 
• All orders come with disposable cutlery, plates, and napkins. 
• Pick-up services will be available Monday- Friday until 7:00 p.m.
  • For pick-up after 7:00 p.m., arrangements must be made with Columbia Dining.
• Allergen information will be provided. 

• For smaller events in classrooms or do not require staffing, please see other approved vendors that can be utilized.
  • Note that pick-up for non-UEM vendors must be arranged in the lobbies of Geffen or Kravis hall.

• Elect for buffet-style catering 
• Gauge food order based on expected attendance and melt
• Utilize digital marketing and promotional methods 
• Consider using eco-friendly giveaways and promo items

Click here to review the Club Logo approval process. 

• All merchandise, whether a Club name/logo or the CBS name/logo was used or not, produced by a student group needs to uphold the University's quality assurance policies and comply with CU Licensing requirements. 
• Promotional items created by vendors that are not approved and submitted for reimbursement will not be honored and students will be responsible for the cost.
• Click here to review policies on creating promotional items for your student organization. 
• Click here to review guidance for student organization graduation stoles. 

Clubs and clusters have various methods of communication to members. In most instances, you are able to use your CampusGroups portal to communicate. Unofficial communication can not be delivered via CBS communication channels. 

• Examples of ​​​​​​official Communication to Club Members:
  • Event promotion and/or sign-up
  • Professional and/or career opportunities
  • Election results
  • Approved travel such as career treks
• Examples of ​​​​​​unofficial Communication to Club Members:
  • Events not sponsored and/or approved by CBS
  • Events not using club or cluster funds
  • Unofficial club or cluster travel (review the Student Travel information).
• Community E-mail Policy
  • Clubs may opt to send one community wide e-mail for application-based programs or events that require a ticket to be purchased. Please e-mail your OSA advisor to coordinate.
• Note on Social Media
  • Usage of social media such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snap Chat and LinkedIn are encouraged to be used as a way of diversifying communication methods. Care should be taken to ensure that any type of social media posts reflect official club communication and also is representative of the core values laid out by the Honor Code and Community Standards. Failure to follow may result in club and cluster sanctions.
• Note on Slack & Other Messaging Apps
  • Slack is a student-managed platform that clubs and clusters may use to communicate with members. While Slack (and other messaging apps) can be used to communicate both official and unofficial events, it should not be a club's primary communication channel.

• Be aware of your intended audience and think about the best time to communicate.
• Be sensitive to the language included in club and cluster communication- inclusion and sensitivity are key.
• Ensure your messaging is clear and targeted to the overall goal of the communication.
• Remember that official club and cluster communication can be viewed by audiences beyond club and cluster members.

Click here to review helpful FAQs about using the CampusGroups E-mail tool in your club or cluster portal. 

• For flagship club events (signature/long standing legacy event, student conferences, heritage cultural celebration month event)
• Requests must be submitted at least four- six months prior to your confirmed event date.
• Due to the availability, only a limited amount of requests will be approved per academic year and participation is not guaranteed. 
• Direct outreach to the Dean's Office is not allowed and may impact your student organization's ability to make requests in the future. 
• Submit a dean's participation request via CampusGroups.

• For flagship club events (signature/long standing legacy event, student conferences, heritage cultural celebration month event)
• Requests must be submitted at least six months prior to your confirmed event date.
• Due to the large number of requests the Office of the President receives and the complexity of the President's calendar we are not able to guarantee her attendance at your event. Only a limited number of requests will be approved per academic year.
• Direct outreach to the President's Office is not allowed and may impact your student organization's ability to make requests in the future. 
• Submit a President's participation request via CampusGroups. 

• OSA will consider formal exception requests from student organizations that fall outside of approved club programming times and for event costs that exceed the normal spending amounts
• 2X2 Rule: Clubs are limited up to 2 approved event exception requests and up to 2 approved budget exception requests per semester. Exception approval is not guaranteed and will be reviewed by your OSA advisor.
• Click here for the Exception Request form

• Operation requests can be submitted for:
  • Special room layouts
  • Special ADA requirements/questions
  • Additional furniture required
• Requests must be submitted at least two weeks prior to approved event date by indicating requests on the Campus Groups events form or e-mailing below:
  • Ops Events

• Multimedia requests can be submitted for A/V Support via the Campus Groups event form or e-mail Multimedia Services Group (MMG).

• Requests can be made by student clubs for event takeovers and post-event coverage.
• Please submit your request here.

For events that feature outside speakers, clubs may spend up to $75 for thank you gifts. We recommend: 

• CBS Gear Store
• Columbia University Book Store
  • Clubs can purchase items from the book store directly from their club account!