Planning your event

​​​Planning an event involves a series of coordinated steps to ensure everything runs smoothly and meets the goals of the occasion. It is highly recommended that you use a checklist of your own, or the University's Event Plan template, to capture the tasks involved, assign responsibilities, and keep track of key deadlines. 

The Faculty of Law’s Events Team is available to support you from the initial planning stages through to the successful delivery of your event. To request assistance, please complete and submit the Event Notification Form.

Here are the components involved in planning an event:

Event purpose and goals
The first step in planning your event is to define your goals, set a budget, and establish a clear timeline.

Set a budget
Please see details in the section Budgeting for your Event.

Choose a date 
When selecting a date for your event, consider the following:
- Will it be held during Term Time or outside of it? This will significantly affect the availability of lecture theatres, seminar rooms and dining facilities. 
- Does it conflict with any events already scheduled in the Faculty of Law’s calendar? It is strongly advised to avoid overlaps with annual lectures, special events, or professorial inaugural lectures.
- Consult the calendar or equality and diversity dates. 

If you plan to hold your event in the St Cross Building or Manor Road Building, please contact the Timetabling and Events Administrator in the first instance to check for availability. 

Select a venue
Venue options depend on your requirements:
- How many attendees are you expecting? 
- Do you require the use of a lecture theatre?
- Do you require seminar rooms/breakout rooms?
- Do you require a foyer or space to serve lunch or to host a drinks reception?
- Will you be hosting a formal dinner in the dining hall?
- Are there any accessibility requirements?
- How far is the venue from the Faculty of Law, if part of the event is held in the Faculty?

Conference Oxford is a website to start your search for a venue. You can submit an enquiry with details of your event. Upon submission of your enquiry, you will be notified and made an offer if venues that match your requirements have availability. 

Negotiate, agree upon, and sign the venue contract
Unless your event is being held at the St Cross Building or Manor Road Building, a contract must be signed with the chosen venue. All contracts should be signed by the Head of Finance, unless prior authorisation has been given for another staff member to do so in their absence.

Procure suppliers and services required
You may wish to engage suppliers for various aspects of your event, such as accommodation, catering, photography, furniture or crockery hire, decorations, printing of badges, brochures or programmes, and gifting.

The Events Team can advise on suitable suppliers based on your event needs. We’re happy to help source and manage suppliers, and coordinate delivery and setup to ensure everything runs smoothly.

The Purchase to Pay process is as follows:

Identify the need --> Obtain quotations --> Select a supplier --> Order with Purchase Order --> Receive goods or services --> Process invoices --> Make a payment

Note that if only one quote is obtained, the Single Quote Justification form must be completed and submitted to accounts@law.ox.ac.uk. 

Further information on the process can be found in the Law Faculty's Purchasing Procedure page. 

Registration and Guest Management
For managing guest registration, we recommend using Microsoft Forms or Cvent, depending on the size and complexity of your event. MS Forms is ideal for smaller events—it’s quick to set up, free to use, and integrates easily with Outlook and Excel. Simply create a form, add your questions (like name, email, dietary needs), and share the link with attendees. For larger or more formal events, Cvent offers a more professional solution, with features like custom registration pages, automated emails, and attendee tracking. It’s especially useful for conferences or multi-day events. 

We do not recommend using Eventbrite, as it stores data externally, may not meet university data protection standards, and includes commercial branding that may not align with academic events.

As part of the Events team's services, we can design and send invitations, track RSVPs, provide guest communication and support, and disseminate delegate packs. 

Logistics and set-up considerations
Here is a practical checklist for the lead-up phase:

  • Collect dietary requirements and accessibility needs from attendees
  • Share dietary and access information with the venue
  • Finalise menu and drinks with the caterer or venue
  • Confirm final attendee numbers with all relevant suppliers
  • Send final schedule and event details to all participants
    • Include venue address, room details, travel guidance, and accommodation info (if applicable)
  • Confirm arrangements with all suppliers (e.g. catering, AV, photography)
  • Ensure all printed materials (badges, brochures, programmes) are ready
  • Coordinate delivery and setup times with suppliers and venue staff
     

On this page