This document intends to outline the booking rules and regulations for space use in the University Centre for the Winter 2022 semester. Due to continued COVID-related conditions, fewer events can be supported than in a normal year. Virtual gatherings remain a viable and inclusive option for events.</s
The University Centre will be open for bookings Monday to Friday from 8:30am-10pm. Weekend bookings will not be available.
All bookings must be requested through SSMU VEMS (Virtual Events Management System). Only Ballroom Booking requests or recurring event requests will be processed via email by the Events Coordinator.
If your group requires a VEMS account and credentials, please email the Events Coordinator directly. Please note that only SSMU email addresses may be used to log-in.
Please be reminded that your event must be submitted in VEMS a minimum (5) business days prior to the event date. Signatures and supporting documentation (if applicable) must be completed minimum (2) business days prior to the event date; this includes the submission of the Health and Sanitation Compliance Plan. Events submitted later than (5) business days will not be processed. Contracts and supporting documentation that are not returned within (2) business days of your event date will result in your event being cancelled.
| Desired Event Date | Request Submitted (minimum) | Contract Returned & Signed (minimum) |
| January 5, 2022 | December 13, 2022 – not December 31st | December 16, 2022 |
| January 11, 2022 | January 4, 2022 | January 7, 2022 |
| January 24, 2022 | January 17th, 2022 | January 20, 2022 |
We will continue to operate at a reduced capacity for the Winter semester until further notice. Please see our room capacities in the table below, as well as what types of activities the space can accommodate:
| Space | Capacity | Type |
| Gerts Half Bar | 60 | Bar, Social/Party, Networking |
| Gerts Full Bar | 175 | Bar, Social/Party, Networking |
| B-29 | 15 | Training, Workshop, Rehearsals (theatre/music) |
| B-30 | 20 | Training, Workshop, Rehearsals (theatre/music) |
| Tabling: Student Lounge | 2 | Tabling & Food Sales |
| Southside Cafeteria | 20 | Class, Training, Workshop, Speaker/Lecture |
| Madeleine Parent | 15 | Networking, Conference, Workshop, Training, Trivia, Speaker/Lecture |
| Lev Bukhman | 20 | Networking, Conference, Workshop, Training, Trivia, Speaker/Lecture |
| Ballroom | 150 | Large Social/Party, Rehearsals (theatre/music), Conference, Religious Practice, Fair, Ceremony, Movie Screening, Speaker/ Lecture |
| Ballroom Adjacent | 15 | Workshops, Trainings |
| Tabling: Club Lounge | 2 | Tabling & Food Sales |
| Room 403 | 8 | Meeting |
| Room 404 | 4 | Meeting |
| Room 420 | 8 | Meeting |
| Room 433-A | 6 | Meeting |
| Room 434 | 3 | Meeting |
| Room 436 | 3 | Meeting |
Events and activity types that fall outside of these general parameters will be considered on a case by case basis. If you are not sure if your event can be held in the University Centre, please contact the Events Coordinator for more information. Please be reminded that the University Centre cannot accommodate any dance or fitness type events due to insurance limitations. For these types of events, please reach out to McGIll Athletics or an external rental space.
As per the booking contract, please be reminded that a no-show fee of $25 will be billed to your group retrospectively if you do not use your reservation. Please inform the Events Coordinator as soon as possible if you need to cancel or reschedule your booking so that we may offer space to other groups.
We understand that it has been difficult to book space on campus and in the University Centre. We will continue to try and accommodate as many groups as possible, given our limitations and having to operate at a reduced capacity. For this reason, only the following rooms are available to host solely meetings: 403, 404, 420, 433-A, 434 and 436. Should your expected attendance to these meetings exceed the room’s capacity limit, we recommend that you host your meeting virtually or introduce a hybrid model. This is to ensure that we liberate multipurpose rooms that can accommodate group activities that are not viable online.
The vaccine passport, which requires proof of vaccination to allow fully vaccinated individuals to access non-essential services, remains in effect. At the SSMU and McGill, you will need your passport to participate in extracurricular activities, including all student association clubs and activities. See a full list of activities and their corresponding requirements here. Attendance and passport verification is still required for all events and activities in the University Centre, and must be submitted to the Events Coordinator no later than(24) hours post event for contract tracing purposes. The activity organizer is responsible for validating the vaccine passports of all attendees, including volunteers. Please be reminded that if an activity is part of a SSMU employees’ regular work and related duties, they are not subject to vaccine passport verification (eg. employed Service Executive).