Who do I talk to about events at the WCP?

WCP (formerly SAC) Reservations Office is located in room 1.104 of the first floor of the WCP and can be reached at 512-475-6628 or via email at WCPevents@utexas.edu.  

What types of reservation can I make?

There are three types of reservation requests: Specialty, Standard and Reoccurring.

Specialty rooms are our larger and more unique spaces that are used for events, these include the Ballroom, the Auditorium and the Black Box Theater. These spaces have special policies and are of higher demand. Performances, banquets, ceremonies, formals, presentations are often held in these spaces.

Standard meeting room requests are for one time meetings in the WCP in our many meeting rooms on the first, second or third floor. These spaces often have flexible seating options.

Reoccurring room requests are for weekly, biweekly or monthly use of the standard meeting rooms at the WCP including the dance rehearsal space. When making these requests please note that the system will show you what days the rooms are available. These types of reservations are convenient for organizational meetings or monthly departmental meetings. A recurring room request is limited to two hours blocks per week.

Can I tour the rooms before I reserve?

Yes. Please call the reservations office at 512-475-6628 to set up a meeting space tour with one of our staff based on availability.

If interested in a building tour please contact our hospitality desk at 512-475-7739.

Who can reserve the spaces at the WCP?

Authorized representatives of Registered Student Organizations and UT Austin department staff may reserve the rooms.

When can I make a reservation?

Student events and activities will be given reservations priority at the William C. Powers, Jr. Student Activity Center. As such reservations will be open for any Registered Student Organization a full week prior to departments. For more information and a complete list of approved Priority Uses please refer to our Policies & Procedures.

FALL SEMESTER REQUESTS SUBMISSION DEADLINE: First Tuesday of May at 10 AM

These programs and events are defined as activities occurring within the fall semester as designated by the academic calendar and fall between the months of August – December.  

SPRING/SUMMER SEMESTER REQUESTS SUBMISSION DEADLINE: First Tuesday of November at 10 AM

These programs and events are defined as activities occurring within the spring semester and summer sessions as designated by the academic calendar and fall between the months of January - July.

Do I need to come into the office to make a reservation?

No. Please submit your reservation request online.

Can I make a reservation for more than two semesters in advance?

No. Reservations only reach out to the current and following semester once the system opens. For example, if it is November of 2014 then reservations can only be taken for the current semester, the spring semester ending in May, and the summer sessions ending in July.   A reservation for November 2015 could not be accepted at that time. No exceptions will be made.

What types of spaces do the WCP have for reservations?

The WCP has 6 general meeting rooms, an executive meeting room, a black box theatre, a ballroom, a dance rehearsal space, a legislative assembly room and an auditorium for the use of students and departments on campus. For more information on the spaces please visit the Reservation Guide.

Is there A/V in the Rooms?

Each standard meeting room is equipped with standard A/V-please refer to the Reservations Office for specifics. Due to the complexity of the A/V in the Black Box Theater, the event representative must assign an individual to serve as the technical representative. This representative is required to attend a mandatory meeting to learn about the available equipment and its proper use.

What type of furniture is in the rooms?

The standard WCP event rooms have flexible meeting furniture that can be arranged to meet your preference keeping in line with each room's capacity. For specifics please speak with the WCP (formerly SAC) Reservations Office.

Are there any restrictions on the dance rehearsal space?

To accommodate the many dance groups across campus, the WCP Reservation Office limits weekly practices to a maximum of 2 hours per week for each organization. Inquiries for a one time performance or special requests can be made to the Events Manager and will be assessed on individual request basis. Furniture or food is not allowed in the dance rehearsal room.

Are there any parameters on reserving the Black Box Theater?

RSO’s producing theatrical performances will be given first consideration for the space on a first-come, first- serve basis. For theatrical performances that require multiple day stage practice and prop set-up, a 7-day reservation will be arranged. Please contact the Reservations Office for more details.

I don’t see the room I want showing up.

There are many reasons why your room is not showing up. The most likely reason is that the room is not available. When reservations are processed the space is taken out of available inventory.

In addition, please try to be specific with the number of attendees to ensure the room selecting will best fit your needs. We are unable to accommodate more people than the stated capacities on our website due to fire code regulations.

Why do I get the “Conflicts with another booking” message?

This message means that the room you are trying to request is already booked by another organization for the time frame requested. The event calendar appears in EMS and the unavailable times will be marked out in blue so that you will be able to see what times the rooms are not in use. Keep in mind that this message may appear even if it only conflicts by a small fraction of the time (ex. 30 minutes) so adjust accordingly.

What does the “violate building hours” message mean?

This means that the time of your event is outside the determined building hours. Please keep in mind the building opens at a later time on weekends.

What does the “First Available Booking Date Violation” message mean?

This message means that either we have not opened up our reservation system for that date yet, or the reservation request is attempted to be made less than:

48 hours for standard meeting rooms

OR

30 days for specialty meeting rooms.

Requesting space within those time frames means that once confirmed, it is a firm reservation with no opportunity to cancel. To make these arrangements, please email WCPevents@utexas.edu.

My organization is not listed under the clients, what do I do?

This means that your group has not used the reservation system yet. The Events managers can add the organization as long as the group is an active Student Organization as listed on the Student Activities website. For assistance please visit their website.

What do I do if I do not see my name under the contact list?

Please use the temporary contact option to add yourself, then our office can add your name after the reservation request has been received. Please note that only authorized representatives for Student Organizations and department representatives are able to make requests. All others will be declined.

Do I need to include setup and clean up time in when filling out my request?

No. Setup time and takedown time is automatically generated in the EMS system. The times for setup vary depending on room. For example, for specialty rooms the setup time is longer than for standard meeting rooms. Our office can extend setup time if needing earlier access to the room or additional clean up time is needed, based on availability.

How do I advertise for my event in the WCP?

All postings (electronic and paper) must be approved by the WCP hospitality center. For further details please contact 512-475-7739 or read our policies and procedures section 5.2 for further information on advertising.

Where can I park?

WCP doesn’t provide parking. Should your event require parking in order to drop off or pick up decoration or reservation equipment, please coordinate with the reservations office in order to ensure that we can accommodate your arrival for drop off/pick up. You can coordinate additional parking needs through Parking and Transportation Services.

Can we have decorations for our events?

Decorations are fine but with certain parameters. These are outlined in our policies and procedures. For example, open flames are not permitted, and hanging of lights, signs and decorations needs special tape. Our office does not provide decorations for clients. Please refer to our policies and procedures section 5.1 for further information on decorations.

Does the William C. Powers, Jr. Student Activity Center provide linens or decorations?

Our office does not have linens or decorations for events in the WCP. Setup in all rooms includes tables and chairs only.

How does catering work?

There are two catering options. The University Unions catering is the buildings preferred caterer. Using this caterer requires no additional forms or meetings. Any external caterer must meet with the events managers to ensure there is clear understanding of what the buildings policies are. In addition to this, the WCP food Waiver and EHS form is required. Please ensure that if the caterer will need the driveway in order to unload, that our office is aware so that we may contact our staff and make sure the way is clear. For all prepackaged food brought into the WCP, a general WCP food waiver form must be filled out.

How does cosponsoring an event work?

Full summary of cosponsorship can be found at the Institutional Rules on Student Services and Activities. Cosponsorship is not allowed at UT of Austin facilities if the event is planned, managed and/or benefits off-campus parties. UT of Austin organizations may not advertise the event as cosponsored by an off-campus organization.

Does this mean that events are not allowed to have guest speakers? NO. Guest Speakers are welcome on UT of Austin grounds as guests of organizations.

Can we bring in a DJ?

DJs at the WCP are welcome as long as the event sponsor notifies the reservations office and a meeting with the DJ takes place in order to ensure the DJ is knowledgeable of the space they are using.

Can we show a film at the WCP?

Proof of rights to show a film should be submitted to the Events Manager at least two (2) weeks prior to showing the film. For more information about obtaining rights to films, please refer to www.mplc.com.

What about signs around the WCP?

Should your event need signs for the event, our office has up to ten easels that can be placed around the building for your use.