2. Event Notification Process

The Event Notification Process is the University’s events approval system. It exists to enable holistic campus co-ordination, provide high-quality guest experiences, and give guidance to event organisers so they can ensure campus events and activities are safe.

Events are activities that intend to gather people for a purpose outside of core curriculum teaching and learning. They don't comprise regular staff or business meetings. As part of this process, details of the event will be circulated to the Event Notification Group for comment and approval. In return, event organisers receive a collective response to verify the activity. The group is represented by senior University stakeholders from a variety of areas, such as Catering, Estates, Health & Safety, and Security.

The process enables monitoring of adequate risk mitigation and management of event volumes on any given day/time/venue. Third-party, commercial events brokered, booked, and managed with Venue Reading and Venue Henley are currently exempt and should follow their existing risk assessment procedures.

Please refer to the list below for clarification as to which events require an Event Notification. Please note that online events and off-campus events do not require an Event Notification, however the University’s External Speaker Policy must still be followed.

Organisers must submit their event using the Event Notification Portal if the event falls into one of the following categories:

• Venue Reading managed events, with 500 or more attendees.
• Student hall functions, including JCR events, with 100 or more attendees.
• Reading Students' Union sports and social events, with 100 or more attendees.
• SportsPark events, with 100 or more attendees.
• School, department, function, museum events* (e.g., research events, careers talks, award ceremonies, guest lectures, etc), with 50 or more attendees.
• Charity events (if involving students or members of the public).
• Campus-wide events such as Open Days, Visit Days, Clearing, Welcome Week, Graduation, Careers Fairs, Summer Ball, Varsity, etc.
• Any event which has an impact on the University grounds (including hard surface areas, roads, car parks, etc) or adverse impact on buildings.
• Any event that presents an environmental risk that could impact the University grounds (including hard surface areas, roads, car parks, land, water, or air, such as: 

• Additional waste services required (e.g., skip hire)
• Use of hazardous substances
• Potential discharge of substances to drains.
• Potential for littering.

• Any Estates/Construction project which could have a significant impact on activities on campus.
• Any event which involves a significant number of vulnerable people, such as children or the elderly, immunocompromised people or people with disabilities.
• Any event with high profile or VIP guests attending (e.g., royalty, government, celebrity).
• Any event with high-profile or VIP external speakers (e.g., royalty, government, celebrity), or event with an external speaker presenting to a public audience, apart from timetabled research activity (note: the University's External Speaker Policy must also be followed in this instance).
• Any event (other than a regular staff or business meeting) which invites members of the public onto campus.
• Any event outside of buildings’ regular weekday opening hours (please note these may differ out of term time), apart from Venue Reading, Venue Henley, Reading Students' Union, UPP Ltd. managed events, who have their own risk assessment.
• Any event which is looking to use a building's foyer, other than for access. Please note daytime use of a foyer for access i.e. to register people going into a lecture theatre/room for an event is permitted as long as included in an Event Notification. Activities, exhibitions, catering (lunches, drinks receptions etc) either during business working hours or before teaching closes at 1800 are not permitted. You are advised not to raise an Event Notification for those uses of a foyer as it will not be approved - instead an alternative venue should be sought. Evening uses of foyers may be considered on a case by case basis, dependant on a robust risk assessment and whether other rooms in the building are already in use. Please complete an Event Notification in that instance, detailing measures that will be taken to uphold the foyer as a safe means of escape.

Or if you are carrying out one of the following activities, regardless of the number of attendees:

• Staking the ground e.g., for a marquee (Permit to Dig should also be applied for)
• Temporary structures (larger than a small, weighted pop-up gazebo).
• Alcohol provided (unless in a licensed UoR premise served by Catering Services).
• Music (recorded or live).
• Inflatables.
• Fairground equipment.
• Barbeques or other naked flames, except fixed barbecues within campus catering facilities run by catering staff and those within university student accommodation grounds where activities are controlled by UPP Ltd.
• Fireworks or pyrotechnics or dry ice.
• Toxic or asphyxiant gases.
• Animals.
• Work at height or similar high-risk activity, such as bungee jumping, bucking bronco, mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), and hot air balloons.
• Drones on campus, even if owned by a School or Department (see note below).
• Filming on campus, even if part of timetabled activity or a School or Department project (see note below).
• Any event where catering will be provided (excluding small staff/team picnics or ‘delivered-to’ catering provided for a business meeting).
• Any event which is looking to use a shared outdoor space on campus, e.g. Palmer Quad, Meadow, London Road Quad, Harris Gardens. Please note that use of the Palmer Quad, Meadow and London Road Quad only must be booked via Venue Reading prior to submitting an Event Notification.

Important points to note:

• If you are organising a series of near-identical events taking place across several dates, these can all be submitted in one Event Notification at the start of the academic year or term, but confirmed dates rather than provisional dates must be submitted. Use the + button to add all individual dates, rather than entering a termly/yearly date range. If not all dates are known, a further notification will need to be submitted at a later date once known. Note that this function should only be used in cases where all the event details (aside from the date) are the same and can be covered under the same risk assessment. Please also ensure that Security Services are reminded 48 hours prior to each event of the nature/number/movement of visitors on campus, including mode of transport and drop-off and pick-up points.
• Events that occur in Venue Reading/Venue Henley/Reading Students' Union/UPP Ltd. managed inside spaces (such as Meadow Suite, Great Hall, Student’s Union, and Student Halls) are only exempt from Event Notifications if the Venue Reading/Reading Students' Union/UPP Ltd. teams are the Organisers.
• Student Societies must notify the Student Activities Manager at Reading Students' Union of any events planned, who will submit an Event Notification on their behalf if required.
• Community events organised by a member of the public will need an internal sponsor who can submit an Event Notification on their behalf.
• After submitting and receiving approval of a notification for drone usage or filming on campus, the Security and Internal Communications teams must also be notified directly before the flight/filming is about to start and again once it has finished, even if the equipment is School/Department owned or forms part of timetabled activity, and, even if approval has previously been granted.
• Organisers should have all supporting documentation ready to upload to their notification before submitting.
• For events where an Event Notification isn’t required, Organisers should complete a local risk assessment with their Health & Safety Coordinator.
• Organisers should keep a copy of their Event Notification (received automatically by PDF on submission) for further reference and/or if asked to provide.
• Turnaround time for review of Event Notifications is usually one week (exceptions apply).

Note: The Event Notification Group reserves the right to ask for an Event Notification to be submitted if deemed necessary.