The IEOR Grad Gala is our biggest single event of the year. It is an event for all our graduating students (BS, MS, and PhD). It's a very celebratory event, and the students have a lot of fun celebrating their time at Columbia.
Historically, we rented out the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, and bused students to the event.
A note on guest lists:
Traditionally, we look ahead on the guest list. For example, this means that for the Spring 2024 event, the first wave of invitations will for the Spring 2024 event will go to May 2024 grads and December 2024 grads. December 2023 grads will be invited in the second round of invitations (they should have been invited to the previous year's gala.)
VENDORS (2023-2024)
| Category | Vendor | Contact | Contact Information | Booking Method | Payment Method | Contract Example | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Museum of the Moving Image | BG Hacker | 718-777-6800 | Email him with the desired date | Invoice | 2023 | Cannot accommodate events on Fridays |
| Transportation | Columbia Transportation | Alicia Hernandez | Fill out CU Transport Charter Request | Chartstring | 2023 | ||
| Catering | KG Fare Catering | Peter Killy | peter@kgfare.com 917-270-4227 | Email him with the desired date | Invoice | 2023 | |
| Cake | Morton Williams | Angelo Puelo | angelo@mortonwilliams.com | Email them with the request | Invoice | ||
| DJ | Claude Zoghzoghi | Claude Zoghzoghi | Petty Cash/Gifts | Claude is an alumnus of the program | |||
| Photography | Tony Ning | Tony Ning | Email him with the desired date | Invoice | 2023 | ||
| Swag | North Jersey Promos / Graphically Speaking | Howard Post | Email him | PO & Invoice | Typically, leftover orientation swag. Remember you have to carry it all there and then leftovers back home |
Picking the Date:
- Set Set a date as early as possible, by December if possible. Make sure to notify staff and faculty as soon as the date is cleared, preferrable preferably by the first faculty meeting of the Spring semester.
- Thursday has generally been the best day for this event. The only major conflict on Thursdays is Professor Kachani's Operations Consulting class, but he typically has an earlier final.
- Jeana found that the Thursday of finals week is generally a good day for this event.
-MoMI is not open for private events on Friday, but if using another venue, Friday is typically the best day for events.
Order of Operations:
| When | Task | Participants | Notes/Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| December | |||
| Pick a date | FinOp/ASA | ||
| Confirm venue availability | EP (Event Planner) | ||
| Set a calendar hold for staff | EP | ieor-staff@columbia.edu | |
| January | |||
| Inform faculty of the date at first faculty meeting of the semester | Shi Yee (EP remind) | ||
| Send calendar invites | EP | ieorfacultycal@columbia.edu | |
| Send inquiries to CU Transportation, Photographer, and Caterer, and DJ (as needed) | EP | ||
| February & March | |||
| Receive and finalize contracts for Buses, Photos, Caterer, DJ | EP | ||
| Design Flyer Invite, Slide, and Flipbook Cover for event | EP | ||
| Submit Catering Contract, Photo, and Venue contract for signature | EP | ||
| Submit Catering & Venue contract for payment | EP | ||
| Prompt ASA for guest list (Students & Adjunct Profs) | EP | ||
| April | |||
| Order Cake for event | EP | 2 Sheet Cakes | |
| Month Out | Send out glue-up page for students | EP | |
| Monitor registrations and update vendors as needed | EP | ||
| Send out a staffing sheet to assign staff jobs on the day (tab 2) | All | Staff & interns for buses, 2-3 people to help load in, | |
| Send RSVP form to Staff, Faculty, Adjuncts, etc. | allow space to fill in plus ones. | ||
| May | |||
Create run-of show for the event, send to the venue, caterer, and DJ | EP | ||
| Week Out | Confirm with all vendors. Send final reg. numbers. | EP | |
| Day Before | Prep bag / supplies for the next day | EP | iPad, charger, drink tix + extra, wristbands + extra , nametag, coat check tags, blue tape |
| Confirm staff jobs | EP | ||
| Receive bus driver phone numbers | EP | ||
| Confirm Cake delivery time | EP | ||
| Day Of | (See Run of Show) | EP |
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