Bristol SU groups run hundreds of events across the year, from large collaborative balls to debates and film showings.  

To help, we’ve created the below:

• Planning guide
• event budget template

Keep an eye on our training page for upcoming live training sessions. 

Safety

For all activities and events, you will need to complete a risk assessment.

You should also be aware of what to do if an accident or incident occurs.

Contracts with external venues

A big part of event planning is agreeing contracts with any external venues or providers. Find below our top tips. 

1. A contract is a written document based on the agreed partnership between 2 or more parties, the key word is “partnership”.
2. Make sure you read the whole contract and you understand everything that is being requested and agreed to.  
3. Make sure you can deliver on everything that is being asked of you.  
4. If there’s anything you’re unsure of or want to add, ask the question, don’t feel pressured to sign something you don’t agree with. Never assume a contract is non-negotiable!  
5. Check that the partner is a legitimate business? An easy way to check is to look up their website on Companies House, is the business name and contact details the same?
6. Don’t begin working with a company or pay any money until you have an agreed and signed contract in place.  
7. It’s always good to get payment upfront, but just be clear on payment timelines (standard practice is anything from 30 to 60 days from invoice date).  
8. Check the cancellation terms and make sure you fulfil all your obligations.  
9. Make sure all parties have a signed copy of the contract, including yourself.  
10. Bristol SU has standard contracts available for you to use if required. 
11. We advise that you send your contract to us at bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk.
12. We can only provide the sense check on the contract instead of legal advice. If you are looking for legal advice on your contract, feel free to contact University of Bristol Law Clinic.  
13. Please contact bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk for any questions, we are more than happy to help!