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We get a lot of cancellations in the Spring. It's not that people no longer want speakers, it's that they often book a speaker for a date without securing an adequate room. As much as we try to remind people to make sure they have a room before requesting a contract from us, people still do it.
If you have any meetings or events coming up this Spring, get those rooms reserved immediately! Reserve for your Greek Week, reserve for your big meeting, reserve for your big annual reception. Lock in your date way, way, way in advance because rooms get snatched up early this time of year. If you don't reserve now, you will end up having your event outside on the sidewalk!
If you are a new officer of a student organization, this should be a high priority. Get on it now. Look at your programming calendar for the next six to nine months, and make sure you have your locations secure. Take a few moments and make sure you know your college's policy on room reservations. How soon can you reserve rooms for your Fall 2008? Mark that date in your calendar or set some sort of other alarm so you can be the first one to snatch the choice room for your event.
This is one of the most common mistakes made by new officers. They aren't thinking far enough in advance and they don't know the policies for securing rooms.
If you're receiving this suggestion too late, and all the good rooms are reserved, it's time to get creative. What about dining halls, large lounges in residence halls, large foyer areas in your student union? What about athletic facilities? I swear, I did a program once on a racquetball court.
