Event Services Overview
Get your regional event off to the right start by planning each step of the way
In an effort to protect the Association and event hosts, NIRSA Regional Conferences (US-based), associated Student Lead Ons, and the Emerging Recreational Sports Leaders Conference are required to use the Risk Management, Strategic Communication and Financial Management services from NIRSA Event Services. An NES administrative fee is charged to your event budget along with a minimal fee for each registered attendee. Additional optional services to aid in the planning and organization of your event are also available.
Required NIRSA Event Services
Risk Management
Event Venue Negotiations, Contract Review and Signature
Event organizers must submit all contracts to NIRSA Headquarters for review and signature. NIRSA Headquarters will support all venue negotiations and share best practices and negotiating options with event organizers. NIRSA Headquarters will sign all contracts. Volunteer leaders are not authorized to sign contracts on NIRSA’s behalf. NIRSA’s financial policies outline signature authority with principles of good fiscal management and in consultation with our auditors.
Event Liability Insurance
To manage risk exposure for NIRSA and protect the assets of the association, liability insurance is required for NIRSA events. NIRSA’s insurance umbrella covers all regional conferences and related events (fun run, golf tournament, etc.), with a few exceptions (see policy page). Certificates of Insurance naming a venue or vendor as additionally insured can be requested as needed.
Financial Management
Budget Review, Consultation and Authorization
Event organizers must submit proposed budgets in conjunction with the event contracts. NIRSA Event Services will work with you to make sure your proposed budget is realistic and appropriate for the event. Regional Representatives also need to review and approve the event budget, before NIRSA HQ signs off.
Attendee Registration Administration
NIRSA Event Services manages your event registration. Attendees will have access to online or PDF registration forms that are processed by NIRSA Headquarters. Attendee registration will be tied to their status in the NIRSA membership database.
- This service includes:
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- Branded online registration form setup
- Branded PDF registration forms for fax and mail registrations
- 24-hour access to attendee rosters/registration information
Sponsor / Exhibitor Payment Processing
- Shared Google Doc with sponsorship Menu incorporated for Hosts to track leads and NIRSA HQ to invoice and collect payment
- NIRSA HQ Communication to exhibitors regarding the requirements of Certificates of Insurance and tracking of compliance in the shared google doc.
Conference Expense Payment Processing
NIRSA Event Services provides accounts payable support by paying your event deposits and expenses/invoices as requested and upon receipt of a completed Vendor W9 form. Included with this will be the completion of Direct Bill Applications to hotels and convention centers to assist in your event payment processing.
Strategic Communications
Logo review and Approval
The graphics department will review your logo design for alignment with overall NIRSA branding. NIRSA logos are available for download. Logos must be approved prior to their use in promoting your regional event.
Enhanced Guidebook App
NIRSA has negotiated a bundled deal for the Guidebook App, allowing regional conferences to have access to the Premium level of Guidebook for their event. Attendees will have access to your event schedule, maps, private messaging, surveys (including presenter evaluations), document library for presentation materials, push notifications, sponsor banners, promotional posts and much more.
Conference Web Site hosting
Regional conference hosts will follow a standard conference template to build out the content for their event. Regional Representatives will assist in the training of hosts in developing and uploading the content for the website. Attendees, sponsors and Associate Members will be able to find information for every regional event on the NIRSA website. Once your event contract and budget has been approved, the Regional Conference will be posted on the NIRSA Events Calendar and feed into your regional webpage.