All Club events and activities must be declared via the Events & Activities Declaration Form prior to its commencement and promotion. We recommend that you submit your events well in advance to ensure your event will be properly covered (~20 days).
Some events might require insurance coverage depending on the type of event, such as athletic events or ones involving alcohol. All SSMU Clubs may be eligible for insurance coverage, but we need up-to-date information to ensure that each activity is covered under our insurance policy. Using the form, you must notify the SSMU of:
You will be contacted within 2 business days if your event has been approved or if we require additional information.
Tip: You may fill out the Events & Activities Declaration Form as many times as you need. Each event should have its own submission unless it is a recurring event, in which case please include all dates in the form.
For activities involving athletics or sports, or those which involve travelling outside the city of Montreal, additional insurance may be required. Fill out the Events & Activities Declaration Form and contact the Clubs and Services Coordinator (cscoord@ssmu.ca) for details on how to obtain extra insurance for these activities. It may take at least 60 days to be processed by the insurance broker.
If you also require a certificate for proof of insurance, or if you have any questions, please contact the Clubs and Services Coordinator (cscoord@ssmu.ca) directly.
If you are planning an off-campus event, make sure to read the Event Checklist / Timeline. If your event is off campus, it is likely that it will be taking place in a public venue. In this case it will be essential to have a contract in place between SSMU and the venue. A contract should be sent to the Events Coordinator in the Event Declaration form for review. As a reminder, student groups CAN NOT sign these contracts, only SSMU can.
One of the many benefits of being a SSMU Club is having access to room and table bookings in the University Centre for events, meetings, parties, rehearsals, and other Club initiatives.
As an Interim Club, you will receive a 50% discount on room booking reservations in the University Centre. As a Full Status Club, you will have up to 15 hours per week of free room booking in the building.
To activate your account, please email the Events Coordinator at eventscoord@ssmu.ca. You will need your ssmu.ca email address to access the EMS room reservation system.
Student groups will be able to find a space for their events and activities by visiting the Events Booking section on the SSMU website.
In the VEMS User Guide you will find all the information to make your reservations.
In the interim, during the University Building Closure, the SSMU is looking into finding other office and event spaces on campus for student groups. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee of securing space.
Bookings must be submitted via the SSMU VEMS Portal (Internal Booking System) at least 2 business days in advance and within 2 months before the date of the event.
If you are a SSMU Club you are allotted eight subsidized hours a week for kiosk and table reservations.
Please note that this is independent from your subsidized room booking hours. If you have reached your hours for the week, tables and the kiosk can be reserved at an hourly cost with a 50% discount.
Note:
For more information, please visit Plan Your Event.
SSMU-recognized Clubs can book through the SSMU VEMS Portal (Internal Booking System).
SSMU Clubs are also able to book tables for promotion or sales in other buildings – including Leacock, Burnside, Bronfman, and McConnell. You can find a list of bookable locations, along with the relevant reservation processes, detailed here. Clubs may also request room bookings in the McGill Sports Complex. Athletics offers a $15 rental rate for the rental of gyms, activity rooms, and fieldhouse courts for SSMU-accredited groups. Please note that the Sports Complex will contact the SSMU to verify that you are a SSMU-accredited group prior to approving your requests. Contact the Administrative Coordinator (sandra.crescenzi@mcgill.ca) at the Sports Complex for more information!
Only SSMU student groups that receive authorization from the SSMU Operations Department may sell or serve food on/off campus at designated locations. SSMU student groups who wish to host bake sales, samosa sales, and other food-related events on/off campus will need to complete a Sale & Service of Food Request Form (coming soon) at least fifteen business (15) days prior to the event.
Note: This procedure is not required for hot or cold beverages (such as coffee, tea, packaged juices, or soft drinks) and/or pre-individually packaged food items by the manufacturer that remain un-manipulated (such as granola bars, candies, chocolate bars, etc.).
All procedures are outlined in the SSMU Sale and Service of Food Policy and the MAPAQ regulations to protect the health and safety of all students, employees, and campus visitors.
MAPAQ Permit Request Form (sans but lucratif)
There is a $25 administrative and processing fee in order to extend the legally required food permit to student groups. Groups will be able to rent food equipment required for the food they will be selling as specified in the SSMU Sale and Service of Food Policy from the SSMU. Groups will need to submit their request by filling out the Food Equipment Request Form and paying the applicable fees for the rental of the equipment and supplies.
If you have any questions regarding the food procedures, please contact the Events Coordinator at eventscoord@ssmu.ca.
The following regulations describe what Clubs can and cannot do with respect to organizing events that include alcohol and alcohol purchasing:
If you wish to purchase alcohol, you may do so one of the following two ways:
Only SSMU student groups that receive approval from the SSMU via the Event Declaration and Insurance Form are allowed to proceed with their events that include alcohol and alcohol purchasing.
If you have any questions, please contact the SSMU Events Coordinatorat eventscoord@ssmu.ca.
All SSMU Clubs are part of the Society and have no independent legal status. As such, they cannot enter into legally binding contracts or engage in activities that would pose a risk or liability to the SSMU. This includes, but is not limited to, contracts and/or agreements (including verbal agreements) with venues, sponsors, or caterer services.
Should you have any pending contractual agreements with a third party, it is compulsory to submit these agreements (as an attachment) by filling out the Events & Activities Declaration Form or contacting the Events Coordinator (eventscoord@ssmu.ca) for processing.
Also, make sure to consider all the information on the Contracts & Agreements Template (MOA).
If a Club or other student group desires to invite a guest speaker to their event who may contribute to the McGill community, the event organizer must complete the Guest Speakers Waiver Form and the Events & Activities Declaration Form 10 days prior to the event so that it can be processed and approved.
When a guest speaker event is approved, McGill Security Services may also be consulted to determine whether or not it is necessary to hire security or event management personnel to assist with the event. If security or other event management personnel are deemed necessary, the student group may be responsible for any fees associated with the event. Please contact the Clubs and Services Coordinator (cscoord@ssmu.ca) for more information regarding this.
As a Club, you are also able to take advantage of the SSMU’s many student-run Services in order to ensure the success and safety of your event. Some groups you should consider working with:
*SSMU WALKSAFE’s, Drivesafe’s, and MSERT’s services can be requested through the Safety Service Request form
After careful consideration and due to recent changes in Eventbrite’s pricing policies, we have decided to migrate our event ticketing system to Zeffy. Zeffy’s is a FREE platform for ticketing and fundraising for non-profit organizations.
All SSMU student groups are part of the Society and have no independent legal status. Due to taxation regulations while selling tickets, the SSMU must oversee ticket sales and donations for student groups. This means the SSMU will create Zeffy pages for your events, handle the earnings collection from ticket sales, and deposit the amounts directly into your group’s bank account.
Please note that we discourage using Eventbrite due to the high fees associated with event ticketing and tax requirements. Any fees associated with Eventbrite or another ticketing platform will be directly deducted from the student group bank account.
How to Submit Your Request Form:
Timeline:
Contact:
If you have any questions regarding the progress of ticket sales or requesting refunds for sure attendees, please contact communications@ssmu.ca. For any other questions related to the approval process of your event declaration form, please contact internalevents@ssmu.ca
Should you require assistance with creating your event or finding a venue, we have various preferred venues, caterers, and bars that would be happy to offer you their services and collaborate. Please submit all inquiries to the Events Coordinator (eventscoord@ssmu.ca).
We do our best to ensure the site is as up to date as possible, but new developments in Club processes may take time to go live. Please take note that the information listed above may not reflect the most recent changes.