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How we can help - English Subject Centre
Sponsored Events
Information for Departments
Introduction
The English Subject Centre is pleased to support teaching or learning-related events organised by departments. These may be traditional workshops with invited speakers, ‘round-table’ seminars, regional events or just an opportunity for colleagues within a department to come together to focus on a teaching issue. As a general rule, we expect events we sponsor to involve at least 10 persons. We will consider any format or topic, so feel free to be imaginative. These notes give an outline of what the Subject Centre can do to support your event, but do contact us (esc@rhul.ac.uk , tel. 01784 443221) to check the details.
How We Can Help:
Lunch and Refreshments
We can pay for a sandwich or buffet lunch with soft drinks, morning coffee and afternoon tea at the usual University rates. We ask you to book the catering as you know best what (and what not) to order, but the invoice can then be sent to the Subject Centre. Please check the cost per head and the approximate number of delegates with us in advance.
Venue and Rooms
If a Department is hosting an event, it can usually book rooms free of charge. If this is not possible, then the Subject Centre normally will pay for the hire of a room, and can advise on venues if you wish to go outside your institution.
Speakers’ Expenses
We will pay for speakers’ travelling and subsistence expenses (subject to the guidelines of our Royal Holloway, our host institution – a copy is available on request) from within the UK , and will consider those from overseas, but again please check the cost with us in advance. We will send you copies of the Royal Holloway Expenses form to give to speakers, who then claim their expenses from us. Please note that the Subject Centre is unable to pay a fee to speakers.
Publicity
If your event is open to everyone, we publicise it on our website and in our Newsletter , via printed mailings to departments and to e-mail lists. This means that it is advertised across the UK , in a variety of formats.
Registration and Administration
If your event is an open one, we can relieve you of the hassle of processing registrations. Bookings can be made centrally with the Subject Centre via its website, and we will produce a list of delegates and badges for them to wear. We will send joining instructions to the delegates. If you wish, we can also arrange for delegate packs to be made up and sent to you prior to the event. You will normally need to arrange for someone to meet the delegates and give them their packs and badges. Our aim is to handle the administrative side of the event for you, leaving you more time to concentrate on the speakers and the programme.
What You Do:
Book the Room and Catering
See above: we will pay for these but prefer it if you make the bookings. Remember to check the accessibility of the room, the presentation equipment and network facilities. Will you need someone from IT services to give support on the day? Check whether it’s okay, and there’s space, to have refreshments and lunch in the room, or whether you need to book another one for this purpose. You might also need a second or third room if parallel sessions are planned. (You may wish to refer to Accessible Events: a good practice guide for staff organising events in Higher Education.)
Arrange Speakers and the Programme
The Subject Centre is happy to advise on the programme and to suggest speakers, but we expect that the Department will be responsible for the programme and arranging speakers. We also like you to send us a description of the scope and purpose of the event for publicity purposes. Please bear the following in mind when organising your programme :
- It is best if one-day events start no earlier than 10.30am and finish no later than 4pm so that participants do not incur overnight expenses.
- Allow sufficient time for discussion of presentations.
- An uninterrupted series of formal presentations, no matter how good individually, may be wearisome for the delegates. Think about using different formats or devising more participative activities.
- Participants value events as a chance to meet and talk to colleagues. Allow plenty of time for informal networking.
- Remember that a teaching-related event should in itself be an example of creating a good environment for learning!
Acknowledge our Support
Publicity about the event should acknowledge our support and it is helpful if a brief statement to this effect is made at the event. We would usually expect to some of our publications to be included in the packs and/or be displayed at the event.
Jane Gawthrope
January 2009
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