How to Request a Room Reservation and Manage an Event

Questions

• How do I reserve a room on campus for my event using Campus Groups?
• How do I create an event in Campus Groups?
• How do I request an event space at Bowdoin?
• Where do I submit a room reservation request for a department or organization event?
• How do I add registration to my Campus Groups event?
• How do I publish my event on the Bowdoin College Calendar?
• How do I set up a virtual or hybrid event in Campus Groups?
• How do I request A/V support or room setup for my event?
• How do I create a recurring event in Campus Groups?
• What is the process for booking a room through Campus Groups at Bowdoin?

Environment

This article applies to Bowdoin College faculty, staff, and students who are officers of a group in Campus Groups. You must be an officer of a Campus Groups group to request a room reservation or create an event. For example, to reserve a room for an English Department event, you must be an officer of the English Department group.

If you need officer access, see Setting up a Group in CampusGroups in the Related Articles section for details on requesting a group and officer role.

Resolution

Video tutorial

The following video provides a walkthrough of the event creation form in Campus Groups.

Step 1: Navigate to the Events page and create an event

1. Log in to Campus Groups at https://bowdoin.campusgroups.com.
2. Go to the Events page using the navigation at the top of the screen.
   
   
    
3. Click the + Create Event button.
   
   
    
4. Select your group when prompted.
5. When asked to choose an Event Template, select the general Event Template.

The event creation form will open. There are 9 sections: What, Team, When, Where, Photo, More, Access & Display, Registration, and Advanced. Each is described below.

Step 2: What — Event details

• Event Name: Enter a brief but descriptive event name. This is what will appear on the calendar.
• Description: The visible description field is for a short description shown on the mobile app and registration page. For a fuller event page description, click Detailed description (HTML design) to reveal a rich text editor.
• Event Type: Select the most relevant event type from the dropdown. If multiple apply, choose the primary one.
• Event Tags: Select all applicable tags. To have your event appear on the College Calendar's public-facing view, you must add the Open to the Public tag and set visibility to Everyone (see Access & Display below).

Step 3: Team — Organizing team

• Event Coordinator: Defaults to you. You can select additional coordinators or create a custom contact from the dropdown.
• Team Members: Optionally add co-hosts or collaborators from other groups who are not officers of your own group.

Step 4: When — Date and time

• Enter the Start Date, Start Time, End Date, and End Time.
• Time Zone: Defaults to Eastern Time.
• Custom Time Instructions: Click this link to add a custom time note that will appear on your event listing.
• Recurring Event Settings: Click to configure additional dates if this is a recurring event.

Step 5: Where — Location

Select one of three location types:

• On-Campus Room Reservation: For rooms managed by the Office of Events and Summer Programs.
• Other Location: For off-campus or Bowdoin locations not using EMS for reservations.
• Online Only: For virtual events.

On-campus room reservation

1. Enter the expected number of attendees, setup time, and breakdown time.
2. If you are a faculty/staff department, select the CampusGroups Faculty/Staff template.
3. Click Book Rooms. A dialog will list available rooms with capacities and features. Use the filter dropdowns to narrow results.
4. Click Book next to your preferred room. A green checkmark will confirm the selection.
5. Close the dialog and continue with the form.

Other location

Enter a location name and street address or latitude/longitude coordinates for map display.

Online only

No additional location fields are needed. Add your meeting link in the Meeting section below, or click Create Video Conferencing Link to generate one via Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, or another supported platform.

Step 6: Photo & Flyer

Upload a featured image for your event. The image will be cropped to a 380x760 rectangle. Optimize the image for web (ideally under 2 MB). This image will also appear on the Bowdoin College Calendar and the bowdoin.edu website.

Step 7: More Details

• File attachments: Attach PDFs or other files for attendees to reference.
• Food Provided: If food will be served, expand this section, check the box, and describe what will be offered. This information appears in Campus Groups only.

Step 8: Access & Display Options

These settings control who can register and who can see your event. They also determine which Bowdoin channels (College Calendar, department websites) receive an event feed.

• Who is allowed to register? Select the audience allowed or required to register. If registration is not needed, turn it off in the Registration Options section.
• Who can see this event?
  • Everyone: Visible to the public; included in the College Calendar and eligible for department website feeds. For maximum promotion, use this option.
  • Logged on users only: Visible to Bowdoin faculty, staff, and students; included in the College Calendar only when users are logged in; not included in department website feeds.
  • Group members only: Visible only to your group members in Campus Groups; not included in the College Calendar feed.
  • Just the people who are allowed to register: Visible only to your registration audience in Campus Groups; not included in the College Calendar.
  • No one: Hidden from Campus Groups and the College Calendar. Use this when you want to reserve a room without publishing the event yet.

Step 9: Registration Options

If you plan to use Campus Groups registration, select Yes. A registration table will appear — click Edit to set RSVP details, caps, waitlist settings, and more. You can create multiple registration types (for example, separate caps for students and faculty/staff).

If you are not using Campus Groups registration (or are using a third-party tool such as Cvent or Handshake), select No and enter an external registration URL if applicable.

Step 10: Submit and handle room setup

1. When all sections are complete, click Create Event.
2. After submitting, you will be shown a Room Setup Request form. If you have facilities needs (such as a specific room layout), select Yes and enter your request. Do not include A/V requests here.
3. Both your room request and room setup request will be sent to the Office of Events and Summer Programs for review and approval.

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

• Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
• Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
• In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
• Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.