Room & Events Booking Policy
Effective date: 18 May 2026
Last reviewed/updated: n/a
Next review date: March 2027
Policy owner: Head of Operations
Approved by: Governing Body
1. Purpose
- Objective:
This policy seeks:
- (a) To ensure that the use of college teaching, meeting and events facilities is in line with the College’s core charitable objectives and its values.
- (b) To ensure that events taking place at the College – internal, external and commercial – complement and do not conflict with core objectives.
- (c) To advise Fellows, students and staff of the availability of College spaces and the circumstances in which they may be booked for internal and external meetings.
- (d) To ensure events are conducted in a safe and secure manner
This Policy covers all events taking place on College premises.
- Scope:
This policy relates to the booking and use of College facilities for:
- (a) College and Centre events: room booking or events organised by St Antony’s academic or professional staff.
- (b) Student events: room booking or events organised by students for the purpose of academic or social use.
- (c) University society events: room booking or events organised by University societies registered with the Proctors’ office.
- (d) Commercial events: room booking or events for visitors to the College.
2. Policy statement
- Overview:
This policy describes the principles and rules that the College and its members will adhere to in the booking of events.
- Specific Provisions:
- (a) The College will give priority to bookings in support of the academic purpose of the College, and those that are essential to the running of the College (eg Governing Body meetings).
- (b) All event bookings must adhere to the College’s Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech.
- (c) For all bookings under this policy, the named College event organiser must attend for the start of the event and serve as the contact person for any potential issues afterwards. The event organiser will be assumed to be the named person booking the event, unless otherwise stated.
- (d) Certain spaces are bookable by agreement with the relevant Centre only. These include the Investcorp Lecture Theatre & Gallery, Nissan Seminar Room and some other Centre spaces (eg MEC Board Room, ESC Board Room).
3. Procedures: all internal events
These procedures apply to: College and Centre events, Student events and University society events.
- Standard notice periods
- For room bookings only (no catering), a minimum of 24 hours’ notice is required, subject to availability.For events requiring refreshments (tea, coffee etc), a minimum of 5 working days’ notice is required.For events requiring catering (eg private lunch), a minimum of 10 working days’ notice is required.
- Meeting organisers wishing to make their own catering arrangements must make a request to the Events team at least 5 working days in advance. They will need to abide by the self-catered event guidance and, when required, to complete the indemnity form (appended at Annex A & B). A list of recommended caterers is also provided (Annex C). Agreement is at the College’s discretion.
- Making a booking
- When making a booking, event organisers must state:
- Event name and brief description
- Proposed date and time
- Name of intended speakers, when known
- Expected number of attendees
- Name of College contact who will be present throughout the event
- Name of operational contact (if different).
- A safety and security risk assessment if the event does not conform to the general Events risk assessment
- Cancellation
- Events that are cancelled without reasonable notice as determined by the College may be charged for any costs already incurred, including catering, staffing or equipment hire.
4. College and Centre events
- St Antony’s Fellows and staff may book events that meet the charitable objectives of the College free of charge; these will include academic and research events that support the academic purpose of the College, and meetings or events that are essential to the running of the College as a charity.
- The Oxford School of Global and Area Studies, whose regional study centres contribute to the College’s purpose to promote international understanding in a complex world may book meeting rooms free of charge if they are available. The named OSGA event organiser must attend for the start of the event and serve as the contact person for any potential issues afterwards. The event organiser will be assumed to be the named person booking the event, unless otherwise stated. Priority is given to College members and such bookings will be possible if they do not conflict with College events. Hospitality will be charged at commercial rates as now.
- Any catering will be charged at the agreed College rates.
- Regular academic seminars are expected to be booked ahead of the start of each term.
- Requests must be made via events@sant.ox.ac.uk.
- The College reserves the right to approve or reject requests for room or event bookings.
5. St Antony’s student events
- Graduate Common Room (GCR) elected representatives and St Antony’s clubs and societies’ nominated representative (as stated during registration) may book space in the College free of charge.
- Any catering will be charged at the agreed College rates.
- Other St Antony’s students may use the bookable rooms in the Old Main Building, the Music Room or the Buttery free of charge if the room is not already booked in line with this policy.
- Requests must be made by GCR members and nominated representatives of clubs and societies via conference@sant.ox.ac.uk.
- In addition to serving as a point of contact with the College and attending the event, the event organiser assumes full personal responsibility for:
- ensuring that College facilities used are left in suitable condition, with lights and equipment turned off after use, AV equipment locked away
- ensuring that food and drink is not taken into rooms unless this is permitted
- Any damage to College property will be dealt with in accordance with procedures set out in the Code of Student Discipline.
- The College reserves the right to approve or reject requests for room or event bookings. Priority will be given to events for St Antony’s College members only, or where the majority of guests are St Antony’s College members.
- Non-compliance with this policy and the procedures it sets out may be addressed in accordance with the relevant College policies and disciplinary procedures.
Deadlines: term card and large-scale or complex events
- The GCR is encouraged to submit their term card for the forthcoming term by the end of Week 9 of the preceding term or, for Michaelmas Term, by 1 September, to conference@sant.ox.ac.uk. College Clubs and Societies are similarly encouraged to submit requests for such events (where relevant) by these deadlines.
- For BOPs and events that are ticketed, or have live music or extended hours or require a marquee or similar arrangement, a minimum of 20 working days’ notice is required. If in doubt, students should provide the minimum of 20 working days’ notice.
- The annual Summer Ball is subject to separate processes as agreed with the Management Executive Team or equivalent body and notified separately.
External speakers
- For events where there is an external speaker, prior approval must be obtained from the Dean 10 working days in advance. Please email dean@sant.ox.ac.uk and provide information about the planned event together with the name of the speaker and any other details which you consider relevant. Please also refer to the College’s Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech.
6. University society events
- University Societies registered with the Proctors may book space free of charge at St Antony’s only where the St Antony’s College member booking the venue is the University Senior Member or holds an executive role in the society (eg President, Treasurer). Societies must provide evidence of registration on request.
- Any catering will be charged at the agreed College rates.
- University Society events are subject to the same procedures and deadlines as Student events, unless otherwise specified.
- Event organisers are likewise subject to the same responsibilities and liability provisions as set out under St Antony’s student events.
- The external speaker approval requirements set out above apply equally to University society events.
- The College reserves the right to approve or reject requests for room or event bookings. Priority will be given to events where the majority of guests are St Antony’s College members.
7. Commercial events
- All spaces in the College may be booked by external bookers, with the exception of those listed under the exempt rooms below.
- Priority is given to College and academic events and commercial events will be possible if they do not conflict with academic and College priorities. As a result, external bookings will usually only be taken during vacations, and then usually only during the Long Vacation.
- The Senior Common Room and Combined Common Room are not bookable spaces.
- Commercial events where the total anticipated value of room hire, catering and associated services is £5,000 or more in value:
- require approval from the Head of Operations
- are subject to an event booking agreement and must adhere to the contractual terms and conditions set out in that agreement
- are subject to the cancellation and variation terms set out in the event booking agreement
- will only be confirmed on receipt of a non-refundable deposit. In the event of cancellation, the deposit will be treated in accordance with the cancellation terms set out in the event booking agreement.
- Commercial event organisers must agree to abide by the College’s policies and its Code of Conduct.
8. Charges for the use of event facilities
- The College facilities charges are set annually by the Management Executive Team during Hilary Term as part of budget and five-year planning considerations.
- Room hire charges are not levied for events meeting the criteria set out at College and Centre events, Student events and University society events above. However, catering charges will apply and any activity incurring additional cost (eg staffing requirements, hire of equipment) will likewise be charged.
- Internal events are not usually subject to VAT, with the exception of alcohol.
9. Review and Revision
- Review cycle: March 2027 – first review
Revision history: March 2026: generation of policy
10. Related Documents
11. Contact Information
- Policy owner: Head of Operations (head.operations@sant.ox.ac.uk)
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- Italian (authentic pizza): Mamma Mia Pizzeria, Summertown and Jericho (Mamma Mia Pizzeria – Oxford’s best Italian restaurants – Pizza Pasta Oxford)
- Lebanese: LB’s (253 Banbury Road, Summertown. Telephone: 01865 311660, email: lbscatering95@yahoo.co.uk)
- Sandwiches & salads: Taylors Oxford (Taylors Oxford – Premium Catering in Oxford)
- Deli & takeaway coffee: Kitchen Food Company, Summertown (Welcome | Kitchen Food Company)
- Middle Eastern cuisine: Zaatar Bake (Zaatar Bake | Arabic Food in Oxford)