Event Planning Guide

Campus Center and Student Union

Rooms, A/V, and catering can be requested through the Event Sales Office (413-577-8200). A/V rates can be found here. Off-campus catering options cannot be used in the Campus Center and Student Union.

A complete list of available rooms and capacities can be found here. Please note that the the Student Union is expected to be offline from Spring 2019 to Fall 2020 for extensive renovations. Rooms will not be available for reservation during this time and will likely be significantly different post-renovation.

The Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management runs the Marriott Center on the top of the Campus Center. HTM students cater events reserved for lunches on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and dinners on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Reservations must be made far in advance and can be made by contacting Jenafer Andren, Chief-Instructor & Marriott Center Operations Manager.

Commonwealth Honors College Events Hall

Includes two rooms: 160E and 160W. These rooms can also be combined into one larger room. Table capacities can be found here. In order to request a room reservation, follow the steps below:

• Consult the Reservation Calender.
• Review the Policy Statement.
• Submit a Reservation Request (university login required).

Dining Halls Event Rooms

Two dining halls on campus – Berkshire and Hampshire – each have one room available for events. To request a reservation, please contact the respective managers found on the UMass Dining website.

Goodell Hall – Bernie Dallas Room

A wood-paneled, formal room typically used by admissions for prospective student information sessions. The Bernie Dallas room holds around 200. Campus catering is available, but can only be set up outside of the room. To request a reservation, contact Erin Bernard, Manager of Visitor Relations. To request A/V, contact AIMS (413-545-5765).

• 3^rd Floor – Communication Hub: Contact the Department of Communication’s Chair. Reservations are contingent on having at least one Communication faculty member involved.
• 4^th Floor – Linguistics Hub: Contact Michelle McBride.
• Other ILC Rooms: Contact the Registrar’s Office. ILC room types and capacities can be found here.

Mullins Center

Offers two function rooms available to rent for private events. Both are useful for departmental functions, meetings, and banquets. To request a reservation, contact the Director of Events or fill out the online form.

• The Massachusetts Room is located on the third floor and offers an aerial view of the arena.
• The Green Room is located on the ground level. On major event days, the Green Room is used for a variety of purposes, from musical artist dressing rooms to catering rooms.

Old Chapel

Three rooms available for events. To request a reservation, contact Christopher Oakley, Old Chapel Manager, or fill out the online form.

• 1^st Floor – Multi-purpose Space: Holds up to 80 based on configuration. Open to the public and to students from 10:00am to 4:00pm. After business hours and special functions in this room require reservations. Public hours are subject to change. 
• 1^st Floor – Conference Room: Holds up to 14 and can be configured with modular furniture.
• 2^nd Floor – Great Hall: Holds up to 163, while a plated dinner with a bar can hold up to 100.

Stockbridge Hall – Bowker Auditorium

Holds around 700. To request a reservation, contact Sarah Aldridge, Operations Office Manager.

University Club and Restaurant

Also known as the Faculty Club. Open to the public and campus community, with a full-service restaurant and lounge featuring local beer, wine, and farm-fresh ingredients.

To request a restaurant reservation, call 413-545-2551. To request a reservation for an event, contact the Event Sales Office. For other inquiries, contact Valerie Maurer, University Club and Restaurant Manager. There are a variety of rooms available for reservation.

• Homestead House: Holds 20 (45 standing)
• Baker Lounge: Holds 26
• Tory Room: Holds 22
• Levi Stockbridge Room: Holds 18
• Daniel Chester French Room: Holds 18
• Chancellor’s Room: Holds 8-12

Video Conferencing Rooms

Engineering Lab II – Room 115: Configurable tables with 20 seats, plus additional chairs. This facility can also be used for the development of multimedia content through lecture-capture or classroom-based video production for use in teaching, podcasting, and beyond.
Equipment:

• Tandberg 6000-MXP (standard-definition)​
• Desktop video conferencing (Zoom, WebEx, Skype)
• Multi camera setup
• Full room echo cancelling microphone array
• Dual-boot iMac (runs Windows or MacOS) with Microsoft Office

W.E.B. Du Bois Library – Room 1649: Configurable tables with 15 seats, plus additional chairs.
Equipment:

• ​Lifesize Room 220 (high definition)
• Desktop video conferencing (Zoom, WebEx, Skype)
• Wearable echo cancelling microphones
• Computer (iMac) with Microsoft Office

Portable System: The portable cart system can provide temporary video conferencing capabilities in rooms other than those listed above (e.g., classrooms, offices, meeting rooms, etc.).
Equipment:

• Computer (MacBook Pro) with Microsoft Office
• Desktop video conferencing (Zoom, WebEx, Skype)
• Sanyo PROxtraX data projector
• Logitech CC3000e Conference Cam (camera and microphone)
• Ipevo VZ-1 USB document camera
• Bretford high cart

System Requirements:

• Location must have an active (100/Full) IT Ethernet jack (preferably Internet 2).
• Location must have a fixed or portable screen.
• Testing prior to an event is required.

SBS Departmental Spaces

Contact Saulo DePaula for information on SBS departmental spaces.

Venue Setup

Most on-campus venues are able provide a range of tables, chairs, and other basic furniture needed for an event, which are often free of charge. However, some venues may not have exactly what is needed for a particular event. If that is the case, an outside vendor could potentially be used to provide furniture, tents, and other needs. A popular local vendor is Taylor Rental, out of Hadley, MA. Consult their online catalog to see what is available for rental.

There are a variety of off-campus event and meeting spaces that are available for reservation. These venues are great for retreats, commemorations, and meeting with off-campus guests. All of the locations listed below are also restaurants with full menus.

30Boltwood at The Lord Jeffery Inn: 413-256-8200

The Amherst Pub: 413-549-0077

Bistro 63 at the Monkey Bar and Grill: 413-259-1600

Blue Heron: 413-665-2102

Ginger Garden: 413-256-6666

Goten of Japan: 413-665-3628

Hadley Farms Meeting House: 413-387-0811

The Hangar Pub and Grill: 413-253-4400 

High Horse: 413-230-3034

Homestead: 413-586-0502

Johnny's Tavern: 413-230-3818

Judie's: 413-253-3491

Kaiju: 413-461-0405

Mulino's: 413-586-8900

Osteria Vespa: 413-230-3194 

Pasta E Basta: 413-256-3550

The Taproom: 618-889-4831

Between Hotel UMass and local off-campus hotels, there are many lodging options available for reservation.

On Campus:

• Hotel UMass

Off Campus:

• Lord Jefferey Inn (Amherst, MA; 1.5 mi. from UMass Amherst)
• ​​Courtyard by Marriott Hadley Amherst (Hadley, MA; 3.6 mi. from UMass Amherst)
• Howard Johnson by Wyndham Amherst Hadley (Hadley, MA; 3.7 mi. from UMass Amherst)
• Holiday Inn Express and Suites Amherst-Hadley (Hadley, MA; 3.8 mi. from UMass Amherst)
• Hampton Inn Hadley-Amherst Area (Hadley, MA; 7.9 mi. from UMass Amherst)
• The Hotel Northampton (Northampton, MA; 9.1 mi. from UMass Amherst)
• Fairfield Inn and Suites by Mariott Springfield Northampton/Amherst (Northampton, MA; 10.7 mi. from UMass Amherst)