Guidelines for Meetings, Conferences & Events in Grainger Hall

Grainger Hall Space Use Policy

Grainger Hall is the primary instructional space for the Wisconsin School of Business Undergraduate, Masters, MBA, Enterprise MBA and PhD courses.  In addition, the University of Wisconsin campus relies on Grainger Hall for instructional space.  These courses and related activities are given first priority over space in Grainger Hall. 

Space assignments will be assigned using the following criteria:

First priority – Undergraduate Business and PhD Courses and Course-Related Activities
Second priority – Undergraduate Business and PhD Events
Third priority – Wisconsin School of Business Department/Center and Student Organization events
Fourth priority – University of Wisconsin Department and Student Organization events
Fifth priority –Non-University events, with sponsorship by a campus department

The East Wing of Grainger Hall was made possible by the generous contributions from the Grainger Foundation, Jeffrey and Julie Diermeier and additional gift funds.  This space is designated for MBA programs and related activities.  Space in Grainger Hall’s new addition will be granted based on the following criteria:

First Priority - MBA Courses and Course-Related Activities
Second Priority – MBA Events – MBA Program/Centers/Specializations
Third Priority - Outreach – Wisconsin School of Business Non-MBA Departmental Board Meetings and Outreach Activities involving Alumni and Corporate Partners
Fourth Priority – University of Wisconsin Department Events with special approval from the Dean’s Office
Fifth Priority – Non-University events with sponsorship by a campus department and special approval from the Dean’s Office 

Room Reservations

University Departments, Registered Student Organizations and Governmental Agencies are eligible to reserve space in Grainger Hall.  Non-campus groups may become eligible with the sponsorship of a campus department.  Please click here for more information on sponsorship.

Please visit our online reservation page to request meeting space.  If it is your first time making a reservation with our new online system, please register for a user account via that website.  We ask that you submit your requests for space by 12:00 noon the business day prior to your event, to allow us time to process your request and prepare for your event. 

Meeting Spaces

Conference Services coordinates the reservations of Grainger Hall meeting spaces.  Details on space types are listed below.   Please also see the "Meeting Space" tab for photos and additional information.

Room Access

Meeting rooms are available 15 minutes prior to your event start time.  If you need early access to your meeting room, please include this request in your web reservation or contact us.  For assistance during your event, please call the Wisconsin School of Business Information Desk at (608) 263-WSOB (9762).

Room and Reservation Charges

Grainger Hall has transitioned to a new pricing structure, effective July 1.  Please click here for a complete price list or contact our office.  

Audio/Visual Equipment

Audio/Visual equipment should be requested one weeks (five business days) prior to your event. You will be responsible for payment of equipment ordered. Should you need to cancel equipment, please notify us in writing (confservices@bus.wisc.edu) no less than five (5) business days in advance of your event.  For more information on the types of A/V equipment Grainger Hall offers and the corresponding pricing, please click here.  All requests received the day of your event will incur a $25 late request fee, if we are able to accommodate your request.

Food & Beverage Service

All food and beverages served in Grainger Hall must be arranged through Union Catering and planned through Conference Services. Guests may also place orders through the Capital Cafe.  No outside food is allowed in Grainger Hall meeting spaces and classrooms.  The carry in of outside food will result in a minimum $50 fine and also limit reservation privileges. 

Deadlines:  All food and beverage orders are due at least two weeks (10 business days) in advance of your event.  Any orders placed under the two week deadline will be subject to acceptance by Catering and will incur a $25 late fee.  A limited menu is available for these last minute orders.  After the initial order is placed, customers have up until one week in advance of their event to finalize quantities.  Changes may not be possible after this point.

Service times:  Please note that for health and presentation concerns, Union Catering allows two continuous hours of food service, from the agreed upon food service start time.  On occasion, extended service time may be available for purchase at the rate of $15 per half-hour for up to three total hours of service.  Extended service times must be arranged for in advance of your event, and approved by Union Catering. Additional surcharges may be applicable if your event begins later than ½ hour from the agreed upon start time. Please consult you event planner with questions. 

As a standard, your food and beverage items will be set out and ready for your guests 15 minutes in advance of your scheduled food start time.  This is to allow for any early guests or other fluctuations in timing.  These 15 minutes do not subtract from your 90 minute food service maximum.

Guest Minimums:  
Buffet service is based on a minimum of 30 guests.
Plated meals are based on a minimum of 20 guests.
Business Luncheon buffets have a minimum of 10 guests.
**Plated meal service for groups of less than 20 people, or business luncheons under 10, would include an additional flat fee of $50.  Full buffets for groups under 30 people requires an additional flat fee of $100.

Early Set-Up Fee: There will be a $50 early set-up charge for any food service before 7:00 am.

Late Start Fees: Catered meals beginning later than 1/2 hour past the scheduled time, at no fault of Conference Services or Union Catering, may result in a surcharge of 5% of the final bill. 1 hour past the scheduled time may result in a surcharge of 10% of the final bill. Additional late starts will result in additional 5% (non-cumulative) charges per half hour. A catering manager will contact your designated group coordinator if your event is nearing the occurrence of this fee. You will be contacted PRIOR to it being incurred and given the opportunity to start the event within the appropriate timeframe.
**Please note: (Starting the event significantly later may not always be possible depending on room bookings.)

Weekend Food Events:   Weekend events have a $400 minimum order (total food, beverage and AV) per three hours of service.

Menu Pricing Time Frames:  The luncheon menu prices and quantities are valid from 11am until 3pm. Exceptions will be subject to re-pricing. 

Moved Service/ Service in More Than One Location: Having your food delivery moved during your service time frame OR having service for the same event in more than one location (this includes breaking out a portion of your event to another room, or several rooms) may merit extra fees. You will be informed of these fees before your move is completed.  Please note: You will not be charged a late change fee in addition to this fee should the move be approved.

Split Pricing: If you would like to order 2 different buffets for your event, there will be an additional flat fee of $100.00. Additionally, splitting trays or other items below their set structure (for instance—breaking a tray of 25 into 10 and 15) will result in a $10.00 fee per split.

Guarantee Numbers:  The final guarantee number is due by 4:00 pm one full week prior to your event. Changes after this time may be charged late change fees. Events held on a Saturday, Sunday or Monday require a final attendance guarantee on the Monday prior to the event.  If no guaranteed guest count is received by this deadline, the estimated attendance will be ordered and charged to the event.

Additional Entrée Fee: All plated catered lunches and dinners include one entree selection. A vegetarian entrée option, as well as a children’s meal (under 12), may also be ordered in advance. Additional entree selections will be charged a $1.00 per person plate fee, multiplied by the entire guest count.

Special Dietary Designations:  We strive to do our best to take care of your guests that have special needs. Our catering staff will gladly work with you to ensure their safety and comfort.  The most important aspect of this is working with your event planner to determine a system by which our servers can identify your guest. A special place card is often the best option for form and function. When creating place cards that serve as indicators of their meal, please use the following guidelines:

Red Card = Beef or Pork
Yellow Card = Poultry
Blue Card = Fish
Green Card = Vegetarian
Orange Card = Kids’ Meal

Specialty Menus (Ethnic, Vegetarian, Organic, etc.): Our catering department would be pleased to work with you to create a special menu if you cannot find something on our regular menu that suits your tastes. Please contact our office to arrange for a special menu. 

Additionally, we have resources available if you would like to customize a menu with sustainable growth, local or organic ingredients. Prices will fluctuate with market price and availability of items.

Special Dietary Requirements (Vegetarian, Diabetic, etc.) and Food Allergies (Gluten Free, Lactose Intolerance, Shellfish Allergies): We strive to do our best to take care of your guests that have special needs and our catering staff will gladly work with you to ensure their safety and comfort.

The most important aspect of this is working with your reservations agent to determine a system by which our servers can identify your guest. Often times, a special place card is the best option for form and function.  Additionally, it has become commonplace to add a 'special dietary requirement' line to invites and RSVP's. If you are able to make it easy for your guest to convey their situation, you often get a more complete picture of special needs.

Alcohol Service:  We strictly adhere to the University of Wisconsin-Madison policies concerning alcohol service. All alcohol will be served by our staff and will be approved for service by the Director of Conference Services. Beverage sales of less than $75.00 per hour and per bartender of alcohol service will require the difference added to the total food charges of the event.

Alcoholic bars may be closed early at the discretion of Grainger Conference Services due to unbecoming behavior. Additionally, the University of Wisconsin requires that non-alcoholic beverages be served whenever alcoholic beverages are present. If you are offering complementary alcoholic beverages to your guests, you are required by the University of Wisconsin to offer non-alcoholic alternatives. These can be purchased through Union Catering on a pay-per-use basis.

Surplus Bar Guarantees: Excess or surplus bar guarantees created by purchase of alcohol do not constitute currency and may not be applied as payment to the event charges.

Cancellations and Late Cancellations

The cancellation deadline for any event is five (5) business days prior to the scheduled event date.  We ask that you submit your cancellation via email (confservices@bus.wisc.edu).  Please include your booking number and event date.  We will confirm your cancellation via email; please note that your event is not considered cancelled until you receive an email confirmation of your cancellation from Conference Services.

Cancellations received less than five (5) business days prior to the event date will incur a late cancellation fee of $25 per booking; additionally, you may be required to pay up to 100% of the event charges. 

 

Payment

Payment method must be established no later than five (5) business days prior to your event. Invoices will be sent within 14 days of your event; payment is due within four weeks of the invoice date. Late payments may be subject to additional fees.

Pricing

Conference Services reserves the right to change pricing at any time, but will honor your pricing for 60 days prior to your event.