Events policy

Informatics policy on events.

Background

The Informatics Forum was designed with the primary purpose of providing an environment conducive to research and research training. To facilitate this purpose, the Forum includes a number of spaces which are suitable for hosting events related to the activities taking place within the building, such as workshops, seminars and conferences.

Policy – internal events

Internal events are events related to Informatics which are organised by a member of staff of the School of Informatics.
Bookings for events related to Informatics and with less than 100 attendees may be made by through the appropriate admin office.
Bookings for events organised by a member of staff which involve more than 100 attendees and/or events which are not related to Informatics will require the approval of the Director of Professional Services, who will consult with the Head of School, as necessary. Enquiries for such bookings should be directed to the School office.
Any administrative and/or technical support required for internal events must be agreed in advance. For events, such as conferences, where a delegate fee is charged, the expectation is that the cost of any such support will be recovered from the delegate fee. Similarly for events which are externally funded. This will be in addition to any space hire costs.

Policy – external events (non-Informatics)

Where event and conference spaces within the Informatics Forum are not required for internal use by the School of Informatics, they may be made available for ‘external’ events.
External events are all events which are not organised by a member of staff of the School of Informatics and/or events which are not related to the work and activities of the School of Informatics.
External events include events organised by other Schools/Colleges or divisions of the University of Edinburgh, as well as events organised by external bodies.
External events that have a connection to Informatics, or which are of strategic importance to the University, will be looked upon more favourably.
Any such availability for external events is conditional on the event not being unduly disruptive to the normal activities which take place within the Informatics Forum.
There is a presumption against hosting external events other than on the ground floor of the Forum.

Policy – applicable to all events

All events must have a designated ‘responsible person’. For internal events, this will be a member of staff of the School of Informatics. For external events (including those external to the University of Edinburgh) this will be a member of staff of the School or of the University. The responsible person must be present throughout the event and will ensure compliance with this policy. On duty reception and servitorial staff may not act as the responsible person, nor is the role of responsible person part of the normal duties of admin staff.
The responsible person who will be in attendance will undertake all necessary risk assessments.
Out-of-hours events will require first aid and fire steward cover. As guidance only, a ratio of one first-aider and one fire steward for every 40 attendees would be expected, however this may vary for individual events, based upon the organiser’s own risk assessment.
There is a presumption against events that do not have a pre-determined invitation/guest list or which are not pre-ticketed.
The responsible person will ensure that only bona fide guests gain entry to the building and that all guests vacate the building, at the end of the event.
There is a presumption against events for which an entry charge is made or at which goods or products are sold (including catering) or at which any other commercial activity takes place.
Details of the theme of an event, along with information on speakers, will be required in order that a risk assessment may be undertaken in relation to the University’s statutory ‘Prevent’ duty. In the case of events organised by other Schools/Colleges or divisions of the University of Edinburgh, this risk assessment is the responsibility of the event organiser.

General guidance (of particular relevance to external events)

The Informatics Forum is not primarily an event venue or conference centre. It does not provide stationery items, secretarial/admin support, photo-copying/printing facilities, open access computing, or technical services to external users. The use of audio visual facilities in the main meeting room may be demonstrated to users, but ongoing support is not provided.
All events on the ground floor of the Informatics Forum, including non-Informatics event bookings, must have an event enquiry booking form completed, details of which should be recorded in our booking system.
Event organisers may utilise their own audio-visual equipment by prior arrangement and subject to the availability of power outlets in the required locations.
The Informatics Forum does not have space suitable for use as ‘break-out’ rooms or similar.
Only approved contractors may provide catering within the Forum. Details are available from the School office or relevant admin office.
Any children attending an event must be under close supervision at all times. Spaces above the ground floor present significant fall risks to young children, in particular, and this must be factored into risk assessments.
The Informatics Forum reception is staffed from 9.00 am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. Servitorial cover, at the organiser’s expense, must be arranged for events which extend outside these hours. Reception staff/servitors cannot ‘check-in’ invited guests. This is the responsibility of the event organiser.
Event organisers are responsible for any additional cleaning requirements and for any waste disposal (eg catering waste), at the organiser’s expense.
Details of contacts for arranging catering, servitorial cover and additional cleaning are available from the School office or institutes admin office.

Responsible person

All events must have a responsible person. This will be either a member of staff of the School of Informatics or of the University of Edinburgh.
The responsible person must:

Ensure risk assessments are undertaken
Be present throughout the event
Ensure only bonafide guests enter and leave
Ensure the venue and all facilities are left in good order