Marketing & Planning

Room & Event Registration Process

Student organization officers may reserve space for their organizations in the following ways:

Online through Virtual EMS;
In person at Events at Vanderbilt in Suite 307 of Rand Student Center. Learn more here;
Via e-mail at reservations@vanderbilt.edu;
By phone at (615) 322-2448.

Please refer to the student handbook for more information about room reservation and event registration policies or contact the Events at Vanderbilt directly. Only student organization leaders who are listed as Officers on the organization’s Anchor Link group will be eligible to reserve space. Once you have booked your space through Reservations and Events, please register your event on Anchor Link!
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Advertising & Copies

Dores Design is a free resource to all students, student organizations, and faculty departments at Vanderbilt University. Dores Design does the work to advertise your campus event! Select the forms tab on Dores Design’s Anchor Link page to submit a project request.
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Advertising in Student Centers

There are three types of advertisements that may be used in Student Centers:

Print Advertising – Only student organizations and University departments may post within the Student Centers. Display boards are available in the Commons Center, Kissam Center, Sarratt Student Center|Rand Hall, and Student Life Center. Please reference the Marketing and Communications section of the Student Handbook for more information on publicity promotions and advertising.
- Postings cannot exceed two (2) 8.5″ x 11″ OR one (1) 11″ x 17″ up to 24″ x 36″ poster per display board.
- No postings are permitted on walls or glass. These posters will be removed and disposed of by Student Centers.
Banners – Only approved banners, co-sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students may be hung in the Student Centers. Banners will be hung by Student Centers. All banners must be collected by their sponsors no later than 3 days after the event. Only commercially made vinyl banners are permitted inside the Student Centers. Hand-painted paper or sheet banners may be hung on the poles in front of the Rand Wall on a first-come, first-serve basis with no reservation required. Please reference the Marketing and Communications section of the Student Handbook for more information on publicity promotions and advertising.
Digital Signage –

Student Centers manages screens in the Commons Center, Sarratt Student Center, Student Life Center, Kissam Center, E Bronson Ingram, and Zeppos College.
Student Affairs’ departments and student organizations are permitted one (1) 10-second slide at a time, which will play for a minimum of three days and a maximum of 21 days. It is the responsibility of each area director to determine which slide to have posted. All signs must be submitted by a representative of the specific department, or officer of the student organization. Student Organizations in need of help creating digital signage are encouraged to use the free services of Dores Design team.
Please submit your digital signs by email to digitalsignage@vanderbilt.edu one week prior to your requested ‘start’ date. All files should be in widescreen format, saved as a .jpg or .png file type. This is an aspect ratio of 16:9 or 1920 x 1080. Include your run dates in the file name or in the email.
Other campus departments may request to post a sign by submitting it in the same format to the email address above. Please note that priority is given to student organizations and SA departments. Signs from other departments will be accepted as space on the queue allows.
All requests for exceptions to the policies above should be directed to an Associate Director of Student Centers.

Learn more here.

Hiring Performers, DJs, Bands, and Other Entertainment

Student organization members and officers are not authorized to sign contracts or make deposits. All contracts for performers, speakers, or other types of entertainment must be reviewed, approved, and signed by Procurement first and then Student Affairs. All performers will be paid at the conclusion of the scheduled event or performance. Please speak with your organization’s coach as early as possible to begin identifying performers and other entertainment needs. It is best practice to allow six weeks before the event for processing.

Electrical & Stage Needs

If you have any electrical or stage needs for your event (ex. microphones, sound systems, stage equipment, etc.) you are required to register your event in Anchor Link. In addition to registering the event in Anchor Link, it is necessary to inform Student Centers in order for arrangements to be made for additional services. Student Centers work with Plant Operations to provide cost estimates for stage and electrical services. Outside vendors may also be used for some of these services, although students should communicate their vendors’ specific needs and plans to Plant Operations throughout the planning process.

Event Ticketing Policies & Procedures

Visit the Event Ticketing Site for information.

Events Registration

The event registration process is designed to support a variety of events that have special needs. The event registration process is managed online in Anchor Link. Please visit the Anchor Link Resource page for information on registering your upcoming events. Occasionally, event organizers may be required to provide clarification if requested on one or more arrangements for the event. For more information, click here.

Catering & Other Food

When reserving your facility, be sure to inquire about specific guidelines for food as some spaces require you to order food through Vanderbilt Catering while others will allow for outside food to be served. University Departments and outside clients that host events in the Student Centers event spaces are required to request a quote from Vanderbilt Campus Dining. If a group’s needs cannot be met by Vanderbilt Campus Dining, an alternate caterer can be used for a small fee.

If you need to use Vanderbilt Catering, be sure to place your order at least two weeks in advance. Whether you use Vanderbilt Catering or another food service vendor, you should request a written quote for the order prior to the event, and follow up frequently to ensure success. If you buy your own food and drinks, make sure to keep your receipts, so you can be reimbursed by your organization.

As a RSO, your organization is considered to be a part of Vanderbilt and as such is afforded use of Vanderbilt’s tax exemption. In order to make purchases, you must physically have the Tax Exempt Certificate with you at the time of the purchase whether you are using your own money or the p-card. If you are using your own money, please note that you will not be reimbursed for taxes you paid on supplies for your organization. A link to the Tax Exempt Certificate is here: Tax Exempt Form.