This applies both to events and activities directly organized or sponsored by the university as well as events sponsored by others who may be leasing, renting, or using university facilities. For events of significant magnitude, send written invitations to faculty, staff, and guests. If you invite a subset of the faculty or student body, it should be clear as to why the subset was chosen. E-mail or posters may be adequate to notify students, but faculty, administrators, and staff should receive invitations. Invitations should be sent prior to or at the same time as general publicity announcements.
Reservations are helpful when planning expenses and space requirements.
If your event involves a meal, RSVP's can be essential. For less formal events, it may be useful to gauge the type of room and how much seating will be required. A small fee can help encourage people to honor a reservation while an excessive fee is likely to discourage interested parties. It is especially beneficial to know which faculty members, university administrators, staff, and other important guests will be attending. It is also a center for distributing programs and name tags, a place for people to ask questions, and a location where guests can be personally greeted.