Writing An Event Proposal

Event Proposal Hero Image

You can scope and write your event proposal to suit your event’s needs. The following No. 1 – 9 are recommended considerations when writing your event proposal.

Before jumping in to plan for your events, you would need to establish your event objectives and goals. By taking this step, your planning will be much easier and more focused!

You may reference this “S.M.A.R.T” objectives and goals setting model:

Specific (simple, sensible, significant)

  1. Measurable (meaningful, motivating)
  2. Achievable (agreed, attainable)
  3. Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
  4. Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive)

Source: MindTools.com

You may also want to take a look at a guide on how to plan an inclusive event. A Guide to Inclusive Event Planning is available here and also in the NUSync Student Leader Resources folder. There is an Event Management Resources folder that will provide useful guidelines and tips to assist in your event planning.

Date and Time
Date and time of event are key elements when planning an event. Take a look at the NUSync Event Calendar as well as resources such as NUS Calendar of Events, Faculty Calendars before setting a date and time. Note: These calendars are not made to be exhaustive but to provide a general overview of the happening on campus.

Finding a Venue
On campus facilities are available for booking, find out more.

NUSSU Student Lounge services@nussu.org.sg
YIH Training Rooms (unavailable-currently under renovation) https://reboks.nus.edu.sg/
Sport Halls https://reboks.nus.edu.sg/
UTown Facilities https://uci.nus.edu.sg/suu/facilities-booking/facilities-booking-utown-non-residential-facilities/
Faculty Facilities Contact respective Faculty Dean’s Office for faculty booking. Your staff advisor’s approval is needed.

Audience
In your proposal, share your audience profile, are they all Tertiary students in Singapore, NUS students, all undergraduates, all members of your student organisation or the general public? By identifying your audience and the expected turnout help you to develop your event plan and later on, your communication strategies.

You would need to find out each part of your event that could potentially incur a cost. This is starting point that you can continue to refine along the way as you talk to partners and vendors in order to receive an accurate allocation of your budget. Here are some areas of expenditure to get you started -

  1. Events venue rental and set-up
  2. Publicity including production of marketing collaterals
  3. Catering
  4. T-shirts and apparel
  5. Logistics such as vehicle rental

Any correspondence with the President of the Republic of Singapore (State President),  the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament who simultaneously hold office as Ministers, and foreign Ambassadors/ High Commissioners in Singapore should be forwarded through OSA.

Please refer to the VIP Category table below for more information.

1. State President, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam

2. Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Lawrence Wong

3. Senior Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong

4. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Gan Kim Yong

5. Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Heng Swee Keat

6. Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, Mr Teo Chee Hean
1. Invitations to be sent to OSA 6 months in advance.

2. All student organisations to go through OSA, which will liaise with UCO.
7. Minister for Education, Mr Chan Chun Sing

8. Minister, Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Education and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman

9. Minister for Health, Mr Ong Ye Kung

The list of Singapore Cabinet appointments is available here (updated as at 15 May 2024)
1. Invitations to be sent to OSA 3 months in advance.

2. OSA is the point of contact for all invitations from NUS student organisations to VIPs in this category.

COMPASS Permit

Permits are issued to organisers of ad-hoc events. Any event other than a dramatico-musical work, an oratorio or other choral work, or a ballet, would require a Permit from COMPASS if it involves the public performance of Copyright musical works. Examples of parties who require Permits are organisers of concerts, exhibitions, promotional events, dinner & dances, carnivals and fun fairs.

Click for more information.

Motion Picture Permit

Whenever audiovisual content, whether films or TV shows on DVD/Blu-ray, downloads, streaming, broadcast television, pay TV and video on demand are being viewed outside the private home it is considered a ‘public performance’ where legal authorisation is needed to avoid copyright infringement.

MPLC licences these public exhibitions - the right for an audience to view all audiovisual content in a public location, such as retailers, waiting rooms, reception areas, bars & restaurants, coaches, activity centres, schools, children’s nurseries, care homes etc.

Click here for more information.

Fundraising Permit

Fundraising activities are broadly catergorised into 2 types:

a) Internal Fundraising - are activities conducted on campus by a student organisation to solicit and raise funds in support of activities and events organised by them. Funds raised must only be solicited from NUS students or NUS staff.

b) External Fundraising - are activities conducted both on campus and off campus by a student organisation to raise funds in support of Social Service Agencies and other Charitable Organisations. Funds raised may be solicited from members of the public.

House-to-House and Street Collections (HHSC) Licence must be applied for all external fundraising activities. All applications for HHSC must be supported and approved by the staff advisor of the student organisation.

Student organisations conducting collection activities are required to obtain approvals from the relevant government agencies before applying for a HHSC Licence for e.g. National Environment Agency (NEA) for the collection of recyclable items such as old electrical appliances, old clothes and old newspapers. Click for more information.

Click for Guidelines on Fundraising.

There are many factors of safety considerations when planning your events. From handling of materials to electrical and structural work to traffic control and hydration plan, you would need to be aware of these safety factors.

All Safety & Crisis Management plans should be approved by your staff advisor and submitted to Office of Safety, Health and Environment (OSHE) for review.

Safety & Crisis Management Workshop (conducted by OSHE)

  • Safety Management Plan
  • Overseas Trips Safety Guidelines

For additional information, click on "Event & Activity Safety" in myPortal@NUS.

Catering

For catering of food, you can enquire to view the Catering catalogue through department/faculty staff advisors or click here.

*Not applicable to Registered Societies

Food & Beverages Preparation

To ensure that food hygiene and food safety is maintained, organisers of events should take note of the following guidelines governing the sale, provision and free sampling/tasting of food and drinks in NUS campuses.

Do’s

  1. Only pre-packed food and drinks in sealed containers obtained from licensed caterers or food factories can be sold.
  2. Reheating of such pre-packed and sealed food using microwave oven is allowed.
  3. All food for sale is to be displayed in proper showcase or appropriate storage means.
  4. Ice-cream sellers, including those on motorcycles, are allowed to sell pre-packed ice-cream in sealed packets provided they have the relevant SFA (Singapore Food Agency) license to sell ice-cream at an outdoor venue.
  5. On a case-to-case basis and with the approval of the staff advisor, ice cream, pop-corn and candy floss may be prepared on the spot and given away free. Otherwise they are to be sold in pre-packed packets.

Examples of pre-packed food and drinks:

  1. Pre-packed ice cream in sealed packets.
  2. Sandwiches in sealed packets.
  3. Bubble-tea in sealed plastic cups.
  4. Unopened canned drinks.

Examples of food and beverage that is not allowed:

  1. Home cooked/ prepared food and drinks are not allowed to be sold at bazaars or allowed for free sampling.
  2. Preparation and cooking of food or washing of utensils are prohibited at the bazaars.
  3. Sale of cut-fruits is not permitted.

Alcohol

Please refer to Code of Student Conduct (point 15 & 16).

There is also a catalogue for Vehicle Rental that you can view at Student Leaders Resources> Student Finance Matters> Period Contract/ Vehicle Rental.

*Not applicable to Registered Societies

You can view the file at Student Leaders Resources> Student Leaders Resources > Policies & Guidelines

*Not applicable to Registered Societies

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The NUS Office of Student Affairs (OSA) seizes every opportunity to supports the NUS student community through student services, residential admission, clubs, leaders’ training, community engagement, integration and service learning, health and wellness, as well as disability support.

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