For Faculty & Staff

The Smith College Conference Center, by policy, charges a rental fee to all clients. Both college (departmental) clients and external clients (e.g. weddings, corporate retreats) are assessed rental fees.

The following policy is in now effect for use of the Conference Center for Smith business.

The department/office will be billed under the current fee schedule for the use of the Center. This includes space rental fees assessed to college departments for night and weekend events (space and administrative fees, department support from catering, ETS, etc.).

Clients who have questions about how this fee schedule applies to an upcoming reservation are invited to call the Events Management Office at 585-2669 or the Conference Center manager at 585-6977.

Members of the Smith community may use campus spaces for private or personal events such as parties, wedding showers and meetings. Fees may apply and insurance may be required; fees will be accessed for rental of space in the Conference Center.

Contact the Events Management Office when you are planning a large internal event, conference or reception or when contacted by an external organization about planning an event.

See our Spaces page to view a list of reservable spaces for your type of event.

Policies

Fundraising Events

External organizations can rent most Smith College facilities (excluding the Field House and the Poetry Center during the academic year) for fundraising events, subject to rental, service and administrative fees and insurance requirements. All such events must be cleared through the Events Management Office. Permission to use Smith facilities does not imply any endorsement of an event or organization; if an organization seeks Smith's endorsement of an event, the EMO must coordinate and approve requests with senior representatives of the college.

The EMO must review and approve all event publicity to ensure that Smith's name is included for location purposes only and the college cannot be misconstrued as a sponsor. For political events, please review the Smith College Political and Campaign Activities Policy.

The first step in planning an event is to request a space using 25Live (see below for instructions). You will need to provide an accurate date and time and specify a location in order to secure your request.

Event Form Basics

You must request resources such as technical equipment, tables and chairs and publicity using the "Resources" tab in 25Live. You may request these services at the time of the space request or later; however, all Facilities services must be requested at least six days before the event and all IT services must be requested at least two weeks in advance.

If your event is in the Campus Center, please use the "Campus Center Spaces ONLY" category to select your equipment.

Food is allowed only in the rooms listed under “Meals” in the Reservable Rooms on Campus section. You may hire an outside vendor, bring in your own food or use Smith College Catering services. All requests for Smith catering should be made directly through Smith's catering office.

When hiring an outside caterer, review your contract, which should cover all details, including fees, staff, taxes, gratuities, insurance, extra charges, payment schedule and cancellation policy. We have provided a list of local caterers who have worked both with Smith and external clients on the Smith campus; however, you may select a vendor not on this list. There is a $100 fee for the use of an outside caterer in the Conference Center.

If potluck or guest-prepared food is provided, you must provide signage Including:
"This food was home-prepared by ______." (e.g. swim team, supporters, etc.)
"These food items contain ____." (list particularly potential allergens, such as nuts) 
"This is a fund raiser for ________." (e.g., swim team)
"Proceeds will go directly to the ______" (e.g., swim team). 

Local Caterers & Policies (PDF)

Use bold, sans serif fonts in a large type size so that name tags can be read from at least 12 feet away. Name tags with the Smith College logo are $0.40 per sheet (6 tags per sheet) and can be ordered through College Relations. Contact the College Relations office (ext. 2172) with the number of sheets required, the campus address of the requester, the date needed and your department account number.

Fundraising Events

External organizations can rent most Smith College facilities (excluding the Field House and the Poetry Center during the academic year) for fundraising events, subject to rental, service and administrative fees and insurance requirements. All such events must be cleared through the Events Management Office. Permission to use Smith facilities does not imply any endorsement of an event or organization; if an organization seeks Smith's endorsement of an event, the EMO must coordinate and approve requests with senior representatives of the college.

The EMO must review and approve all event publicity to ensure that Smith's name is included for location purposes only and the college cannot be misconstrued as a sponsor. For political events, please review the Smith College Political and Campaign Activities Policy.