Our Clubs and Societies do an amazing job of delivering over 2300 events every year for the LSE community, but before any activities or events can go ahead, an Event Form, complete with a Budget and Risk Assessment (see templates above), must first be submitted by one of your committee, and then be approved by LSESU. All of the information you'll need in following this process can be found below.
Risk Assessments
Risk Assessments are a legal requirement for all Student Group activities and events, so will need to be included each time as part of the Event Form submission process. The purpose of a Risk Assessment is to ensure that your activity/event can go ahead safely, and that appropriate measures have been considered/implemented with regards to mitigating expected and/or potential risks.
- As committee members, you have a duty of care to the people who join your Student Group and take part in your events, so you must always take reasonable steps to keep them safe throughout your activities.
- The Risk Assessment for your event(s) should be specific to the type of activity you're hosting, so that the key elements of its makeup are considered and accounted for (i.e. Venue, Number of Attendees, Provision of Food, Alcohol Consumption, etc).
- Committee members are then required to implement any necessary steps to mitigate potential risks, and be aware of how to respond to them in situations where related issues and/or emergencies happen whilst a given activity is taking place.
- Even with a completed Risk Assessment, committee members must also assess risk dynamically during an event (i.e. when someone gets injured, if more people show up than accounted for), to ensure that it remains safe to continue.
- Where incidents do happen, Student Groups must ensure that they're reported to LSESU via the Incident / Near Miss Form as soon as they can (within 24 hours if possible).
- For more specific information on the different types of risk, and Risk Management overall, see here.
The template you'll need to use for your Risk Assessments can be found on the link below:
RISK ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE (EVENTS)
BUDGETS
If your activity/event has any costs associated with it, and if reimbursements are going to be claimed for it, a budget will also be required as part of the Event Form submission/approval process. Budgets must include a detailed breakdown of all income and expenditure, and be checked against your Club/Society's account balance to ensure that you have sufficient funds to cover any expenses.
- For more specific information on Managing Club/Society Finances and Funding overall, see here.
The template you'll need to use for your Budgets can be found on the link below:
BUDGET TEMPLATE (EVENTS)
EVENT FORMS
There are two main types of Event Form – you will need to complete the one most relevant to your event (see the drop-downs below for more details). The required notice periods for these are also outlined in the section below.
- Please note, however, that if the activity/event you're organising is outside of London / the M25, and/or includes an overnight stay, you will need to submit a Trip Form instead - see here.
- Additionally, if you're looking to organise a simple, low-profile stall on Sheffield Street (just outside the SAW building), you will also need to complete a separate form there instead - see here.
NOTE - Please be aware that until the academic timetables for 2026-27 are confirmed in mid-late September, LSE Room Bookings won't be able to confirm exact spaces for Society events on campus. However, please continue to submit your Event Forms as normal before then, so that they can be approved and lined up for a space in the meantime. We also have some spaces pre-booked between 9am-9pm throughout Welcome Week itself, so those can also be allocated already.
Furthermore, if your Group name isn't coming up as an option when you're looking to submit an Event Form, it's likely because it hasn't been set as 'Active' - see the required steps for this being done below:
New Committee Induction Checklist
- This form should be used for regular / smaller-scale events (i.e. General Meetings, Socials, Rehearsals, etc).
- This form should not be used if the event you're planning:
- Involves External Speakers
- Involves more than 75 Attendees
- Is centred around Alcohol Consumption
- Is being organised in collaboration with an External Organisation
- Has a Budget of over £500 (or a large proportion of your Club/Society Balance)
SUBMIT FORM - SOCIETIES
SUBMIT FORM - SPORTS CLUBS
Required Notice Periods
With ~300 active Clubs and Societies, we receive a high volume of Event Forms every week. Various other teams involved in the approval process for them (i.e. LSE Room Bookings, Security, etc) also have their own policies and deadlines which we need to abide by, and so the minimum notice we require when it comes to Event Forms being submitted is outlined below. If an Event Form is submitted outside of these timeframes, you may be required to rearrange.
- Regular / Smaller-Scale Events = 10 Working Days (Monday-Friday)
- Larger-Scale / Higher-Profile Speaker Events = 1 Month
For Flagship Events, which require even more detailed planning and support, we have a separate deadline for each term:
Deadline for Autumn Term Flagships = 31 August 2026
Deadline for Winter Term Flagships = 31 October 2026
EVENT SUBMISSION AND APPROVAL PROCESS
As a way of outlining what the process looks like from start to finish, please see below for the basic lifecycle of an Event Form:
STEP 1 - Event Form Submission
- As mentioned further up this page, any activity/event you're looking to host will need an associated Event Form to be submitted. Once you've done this, it will pull through to us, ready to be picked up and actioned by a member of the team.
- If you submit an Event Form outside of our required notice periods, you may be required to postpone the related activity.
- We can always make edits to Event Form submissions from our side once you've sent them through, so if you don't know every single detail for what your proposed activity will look like initially, that's fine, and can be added before final approval.
- Event Forms must be approved before related activities are promoted, and concrete plans are made for them.
- No payments or reimbursements can be approved for your proposed activities until the related Event Form is approved.
STEP 2 - Event Form Approval and/or Adjustments
- Once your Event Form has been received, a member of the team will pick it up, and aim to respond within 5 working days. It will usually be on the quicker side of this, but that will depend on a number of factors, including how much notice you've provided, how much detail you've provided on your Event Form, and whether your proposed event is of a larger-scale / higher-profile nature. It may also take slightly longer during busier periods of term.
- Once you've heard back from your designated 'staff lead' for a given event, there may be some additional back-and-forth at this stage before final approval. This usually includes confirming additional information about the event, liaising with other relevant teams (i.e. LSE Room Bookings, Security), adjusting the Risk Assessment, and consolidating the Budget.
- If your proposed event is of a larger-scale / higher-profile nature, you may also need to meet with LSE Security alongside your 'staff lead' before final approval, in order to confirm any additional requirements and/or adjustments for the given activity.
- If you're organising an event involving external speakers and/or organisations, you will also need to follow the rules and regulations outlined here, so make sure you've familiarised yourself with them before submitting your Event Form.
STEP 3 - Booking and Confirmation of Room/Space/Venue
- Once your Event Form has been approved, it will be shared with LSE Room Bookings (if your event is taking place on campus), who will then contact you separately to confirm a suitable space based on your event requirements.
- Up to 2 members of core committee per Student Group will also be able to make provisional bookings for some LSE spaces themselves once they've completed the Room Bookings training module on Moodle.
- If you're wanting to book a space within Saw Swee Hock (SAW), please indicate this on your Event Form / let you staff lead know, and they'll be able to assist in confirming the possibility of this with the central SU Events Team.
- For external spaces and venues, if there's a contract associated with your booking, please don't sign it yourselves, as these must be signed centrally by LSESU on behalf of your Student Group - just let your staff lead know if this applies.
STEP 4 - Confirmation of Event Logistics (i.e. Catering, Security, AV Support)
- In cases where you might need more than just a space, your 'staff lead' for a given event can support you in organising any additional logistics that are required, such as those outlined below:
CATERING
- If you want to provide official catering for your event, this can be done via LSE Catering, but you'll need to let your 'staff lead' for your given activity know, so that it can be approved separately as part of the overall event approval process itself.
- Guidance notes on ordering catering (including available options and deadlines) can be found here.
- If you want to provide your own catering for an event, please specify this on your Event Form and to your 'staff lead', so that a suitable space can be booked accordingly. Please be aware, however, that some areas/rooms across campus are licensed for exclusive provision of alcohol/catering by LSE Catering only - see LSE's policy on the informal provision of hospitality catering here.
- If alcohol and/or catering is going to be a part of your event, it will need to be included within your Budget and Risk Assessment.
AUDIO VISUAL (AV) EQUIPMENT
- Many of the LSE spaces you'll be using throughout the year will be equipped with AV equipment (e.g. Microphones) anyway, but if there's something else you'd need for an event, just let your 'staff lead' know as early as possible, and they'll be able to support in getting things booked in on your behalf.
EXTRA FURNITURE / PORTERING
- Your 'staff lead' for a given event can also arrange for additonal furniture (e.g. Chairs, Tables) on your behalf, via the portering team within LSE Estates, as long as it's requested at least 5 working days in advance. Please note, however, that if you're moving equipment/furniture around yourselves, you'll need to ensure that it's put back in its original position following your event, as otherwise you'll be disrupting others' use of that space (including teaching), and may have your booking rights revoked.
SECURITY
- It's been referenced further up this page as well, but if your proposed event is of a larger-scale, or is of a higher-profile nature (due to the status of an External Speaker, for example), you may be required to meet with LSE Security alongside your 'staff lead' before it's fully approved to go ahead, in order to confirm any additional requirements and/or adjustments for the given activity.
STEP 5 - Ticketing and Promotion
- LSESU will have a new central ticketing platform going into the 2026-27 academic year, more details for which are coming soon, so watch this space!
NOTE - See the additional webpages below for specific information on various topics!