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Venue Management Policy

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Section 1 - Purpose

(1) The Venue Management Policy ensures a coordinated and consolidated approach to the management of facilities identified by the University as the primary locations for hosting events, conferences, workshops, and significant meetings such as those of Senate and Academic Board.

(2) The Policy scope includes addressing enquiries and bookings by University Partners and other parties for these dedicated spaces as well as other nominated locations on University campuses.

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Section 2 - Scope / Application

(3) This Policy covers spaces such as the Peter Cosgrove and Greg Craven Centres that have been primarily developed as Event Venues and are listed in the Venue Management associated information. Enquiry and booking management processes will also apply for spaces that are designated as Teaching Spaces and have been identified as being available for hosting Events (internal or external) outside of study periods – these are listed in the Venue Management - Venues and Charges.

(4) Should Licensing of ACU office space for short term (or longer) use by external bodies be requested and/or proposed, they are considered and approved on an individual basis and require the active involvement of a ‘sponsor’ department or division for ongoing support of the external personnel. Formal signed agreements are required for each of these arrangements, managed through the office of the Director, Properties and Facilities.

(5) The following are ‘out of scope’ of this Policy:

  1. management of all bookings for the use of active sporting facilities, including ovals and sports fields, hard courts, and gymnasiums. Management of enquiries and bookings is the responsibility of the Student Experience Directorate;
  2. use of internal meeting rooms for ACU related meetings with external parties. Booking and use of these spaces will remain the responsibility of individual Departments, using the Robin interface currently active within the University’s Outlook software;
  3. Chapels – use of these are overseen by the Office of the Vice President and Director, Identity & Mission; and
  4. access to Specialist Teaching and Research facilities. Enquiries for use of these facilities are to be determined by responsible officers within the Faculty or Research Institute that is the primary occupant of the facility or location under consideration.

(6) All revenue generated through the hire of Venues under this Policy are managed through Properties and Facilities and is reported similarly to other revenues at the end of each financial year.

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Section 3 - Policy Statement and Principles

(7) Properties and Facilities is responsible for the operation and management of Venues for the purpose of hosting events such as conferences, workshops and meetings that generally meet one or more of the following principles:

  1. in accordance with the Catholic ethos of the University;
  2. furthering the advancement of tertiary education, research, and the endeavours of ACU;
  3. progressing the development of the students and/or staff of the University; and
  4. advancing engagement with the local community.  

(8) A link on the main ACU site is established to receive and triage enquiries for bookings of the Venue spaces. Enquiry assessment will entail:

  1. availability of the specified Venue for the time(s) requested by the applicant;
  2. ability for special requests (if any) to be met; and
  3. in the case of an external party requesting to book a Venue, alignment with the ACU Mission, Identity and Values.

(9) A consistent approach to charging for use of the facilities is adopted and is indicated in the Venue Management - Venues and Charges, which depending on the requirements of individual functions is as follows:

  1. 50% discount on advertised rates - Key partners and Catholic partner organisations as endorsed by the Director, Properties and Facilities and Chief Operating Officer, as well as ACU Departments, during normal business hours;
  2. Full Tariff – All other external organisations that fall outside the above definitions. These are based on whether the booking falls outside normal business hours, the services required and would be determined on a case-by-case basis agreed prior to formal confirmation of the booking; and
  3. cleaning, Security, and IT support fees may apply to bookings.       
Business Hours for this clause are defined as 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. Charges will be reviewed annually.

(10) Requests from External Organisations are referred to the Director, Properties and Facilities and Chief Operating Officer for approval. Local Properties and Facilities staff will maintain a record of these approvals.

(11) For Venue hire by approved External Organisations, Terms and Conditions set out the expectations and responsibilities of both parties, including health and safety, conduct of the event and relevant considerations. There will be a strict prohibition of use of the ACU logo or other branding unless specific permission has been sought and granted beforehand. These will need to be signed prior to the commencement of the Event.

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Section 4 - Roles and Responsibilities

(12) Approval Authority: The Vice-Chancellor and President reviews and approves this Policy.

(13) Governing Authority: The Chief Operating Officer is the Governing Authority for this Policy and considers and determines requests to hire facilities by parties or organisations external to ACU.

(14) Responsible Officer: The Director, Properties and Facilities is the Responsible Officer for this Policy.

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Section 5 - Review

(15) This policy will be formally reviewed every three years.

(16) The university may make changes to this policy from time to time. In this regard, any staff member or student who wishes to make any comments about this policy may forward their suggestions to the Director, Properties and Facilities.

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Section 6 - Associated Information

(17) For related legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines and any supporting resources please refer to the Associated Information tab.