Scheduling, Events and Conferences

Use of a facility must be scheduled and approved prior to the event. Requests for large events must be made at a minimum of 30 days prior to the requested day. Requests for weekly meetings, etc, must be made no later than 72 hours prior to the requested date. All requests for use of any facilities must be made through the Office of Scheduling, Events and Conferences.

Events to be held at any and all locations, owned, leased or operated by Christopher Newport University must receive approval from the university. The sponsor of the event must reserve space to hold the event. Request for space also serves as a request to hold the event. Confirmation of space implies that the event has been approved. If additional information or approval is needed, the Office of Scheduling, Events and Conferences will request such before confirmation is given. Events are not approved unless the sponsor has received written confirmation.

All events must have a sponsor from the university. The sponsor may be a student organization, a university department or a university-affiliated organization. Non-university groups or organizations must have a university sponsor to hold an event. An event that is co-sponsored with, or otherwise involves, an external group not affiliated with the university requires the submission of a written justification that demonstrates a clear connection between the event and the University-affiliated sponsor. The primary contact with the university regarding logistical support of the event will be a representative from the on-campus group.

Faculty and staff space reservation requests go directly to the Scheduling Office for approval. We will notify you directly if there are any issues or concerns with your space reservation request.

You can request space by contacting our office directly at sched@cnu.edu or by making reservations through our online reservation system VEMS.

How to get VEMS Access

Please contact the Scheduling Office at sched@cnu.edu to request VEMS access to make reservations for your department on campus. Please include your CNU Connect User ID Number, the department(s) that you will be responsible for making reservations for, your email address and phone number when making your request.

The Office of Student Activities (OSA) will advise and assist student organizations funded through the OSA in planning and conducting events as appropriate and will coordinate the use of university space and/or services for the events with the Office of Scheduling, Events and Conferences. Student organizations may sponsor activities on campus without additional approval when these events are open only to the organization’s membership and invited guests. Approval of events must be obtained from the Office of Scheduling, Events and Conferences when the event is open to non-members, when an admission fee is charged or when a contribution is solicited.

Please consult the Student Organization Handbook for all policies and procedures related to events, event scheduling and pre- and post-event responsibilities.

Only student organizations recognized by the OSA can reserve space on campus. Space reservations must be made at least 72 business hours in advance of the meeting. Any last minute reservations must be made directly through the Scheduling Office by contacting sched@cnu.edu or calling 757–594–8211 (Keep in mind these may not be approved based on availability and resources). Only the organization’s authorized reservation appointees can make space reservations.

Student organizations should make space reservations online through VEMS. Student organizations can make reservations up to six months in advance (This is ideal for larger student organization events). Once a reservation request is made through VEMS, it goes to the OSA for approval. The OSA will send the Web Request Approval to the Scheduling Office. The Scheduling Office will then review the request and see if there is any additional information that we need to clarify for the needs for your event. Occasionally, there will be situations where the event cannot be approved due to other events happening or limited resources. The Scheduling Office will work with you to meet your event needs for your event to be successful.

All student organizations are only allowed to reserve space when classes are in session. No student events will be approved prior to the first day of classes, during university breaks such as Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break and Spring Break, or after the last day of classes.

Once your event is approved you will receive a Space Reservation Confirmation Email. Please review this confirmation to ensure all the information is correct. The email will direct you who to contact to make any changes to your reservation needs.

How do I get VEMS Access?

Each student organization is allowed two people to have permission to make reservations for their student organization. You will have to go to the OSA and update your VEMS Contacts any time your authorized users change. Once they have approved your VEMS access they will inform us in the Scheduling Office so we can activate your account. This process usually takes about a week. Once we have activated the account we will send an email notification that the account is activated and send a training PDF on how to use VEMS.

We have a ballroom, two banquet rooms, four conference rooms, four different theaters, classrooms and several other meeting room options.

Available spaces vary in size. We have spaces available that will accommodate as few as 20 people and as many as 530.

We have a large variety of audio visual equipment including: Wall-mounted televisions, DVD players, overhead projectors, lecterns with attached microphones, easels, flipcharts and much more. We also can provide your event with several seating configurations based on your needs. We have long buffet tables, round dining tables or theatre seating.

We have a standard room rental fee based on a 4-hour usage period for each individual space.

You will receive an invoice from the University Business Office which must be paid at least 48 hours prior to your event. (We will assist you in completing the reservation contract. You will be given a copy for your records.)

• Organization/cepartment the reservation should be under
• Date of event
• Event beginning time
• Event ending time
• What time do you need access to the space in order for your setup prior to your event?
• Desired location/building
• How you would like the room set?
• How many people are you expecting?
• Will you be serving food of any kind during this event?
• Are you expecting any VIPs to attend this event?
• What will you be doing during your event? (Is it a panel, party, lecture, reception, fundraiser, dinner, performance, craft night, etc.?)

The more information we have prior to your event, the more smoothly your event will run on the day of your event.

Food or beverages are not to be brought into any campus facility for any scheduled/reserved event. However, CNU has an extraordinary catering service that provides an exquisite variety of light fare and full-course fine dining to suit any occasion.