Introduction
The Public Lecture Programme (PLP) is a series of lectures that usually take place on Monday – Thursday evenings in term time in the LSE’s largest venues (Old Theatre, Sheikh Zayed Theatre, Hong Kong Theatre)
They are advertised through the event leaflet, posters around LSE campus, LSE events website, via email to our large subscription list, as well as via Facebook and Twitter.
The majority of events consist of a talk given by a main speaker (introduced by a chairperson), followed by a question and answer session involving questions from the audience. Although this has been the general format for lectures, there are alternative formats and variations can be considered. All LSE public events must, however, include a Q&A session with the audience- this is integral to the public events programme.
The stage set up is flexible according to the specific requirements of the event and will include a covered table for the speaker/s and chairperson, with microphones, lectern with microphone, and any AV equipment (eg PowerPoint) that may be required by the speaker.
Stewards are provided to help seat the guests, control the doors and provide general customer service on the night and most importantly ensure the health and safety of those attending the event. They also hand round the radio mics when questions are taken from the audience.
If the audience is expected to exceed the venue capacity then the Events Office can advise on the option of ticketing an event and/or availability of a videolink.
LSE’s public events are by definition open to all, including to the media whose attendance is important to the School's objective of raising its profile externally. Q&A sessions between the speaker and audience are a key part of public events. By default, media representatives are not only welcomed at events but allowed to take part in the Q&A. The LSE Press Office handle media registration and those who register are allocated specific seats. The Press Office can also deal with media queries and liaise with the speaker’s media team, if applicable. Your speaker should be made aware of these arrangements. If there are any queries about this, please get in touch with us at the earliest opportunity.
Please note that regardless of media attendance or whether an event is made available as a podcast or video after the event, with mobile phones and other recording devices in such common use, and given the popularity of Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites, events can never be considered ‘off the record’ as it is likely they will be recorded or reported in some way by the audience and end up in the public domain. Your speaker, or their office, should be made aware of this right at the start of the planning process.
Purpose of PLP
The PLP is a key part of the ‘public face’ of LSE. The purpose is to position LSE at the centre of debate in all areas of the social sciences. LSE research is relevant to the real world, rather than an ‘’ivory tower’’ and these lectures aim to enhance the School’s reputation for intellectual, challenging ideas and discussion with a broader public audience.
Factors to be taken into account when assessing an event for inclusion in the programme:
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Potential PR benefit to the School (eg articles in national press, prestige connections with speakers, event for ‘hosting’ of particular guests)
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Would the event help to develop the brand of the School Public Lecture Programme?
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Who would attend and the popularity of the event
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Cost
Impact at LSE
The School strongly encourages departments and research centres to think about ways in which to fully exploit the opportunities which public events offer to promote LSE academics and their research.
Please consider
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Inviting an LSE academic to act as a respondent at events with external speakers.
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Briefing the chair to mention relevant LSE academic research in his introduction to the event or the Q&A session (without turning the introduction into a mini lecture).
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When putting together panel discussions ensuring than an LSE academic is included on the panel.
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When tweeting about upcoming events, refer and link to relevant LSE research.
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Consider using the opportunity to brief external speakers (particularly for example policy makers) on relevant LSE research and think about who else within the School it would be useful for them to meet, for example in the green room before the event or at a dinner/reception following the event.
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Ensure you invite academics from other LSE departments to the event, whose research and expertise would be relevant.
We would be happy to discuss this further with departments, please contact Knowledge Transfer & Events Executive Sooraya Mohabeer at comms.events@lse.ac.uk
Equality and Diversity in the PLP
LSE's Strategic Plan sets out the School’s key values. Equality and Diversity are among these values, along with intellectual freedom, participation and engagement, and excellence in education.
LSE's intention is to move beyond compliance towards establishing a culture that allows us to:
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Gain access to a more culturally diverse pool of talent among staff and students
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Enhance the School’s engagement with new audiences and stakeholders, both in the UK and internationally
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Expand the diversity of the governing body.
Speakers of world standing from the realms of politics, finance, business and current affairs as well as academic life visit LSE to deliver lectures and seminars on subjects of wide current interest. Many occasions in the resulting rich programme of events are open to LSE students, staff and alumni, as well as to the thousands of visitors who attend from outside LSE each year. This programme of events is something which adds great value to the LSE staff and student experience and helps LSE to engage with the outside world.
As a global educational institution which encourages people to “Join the Global Debate” it is appropriate the School actively addresses the issue of equality and diversity with regards to events.
While it is clear that there are fewer women and other under-represented groups in top positions to choose from – this cannot be an excuse to exclude women and other under-represented groups, including ethnic minorities and those with disabilities, from public debates altogether. If organisations in politics, media, business and civil society aim to contribute to the public debate, we have a duty to think first about whether they are including a properly mixed range of voices in discussions.
With a view to, over a period of time, increasing awareness and hosting a more diverse events programme, LSE has:
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A goal of a minimum 40% of speakers from either gender at School events to be achieved by the start of the 2016-17 academic year.
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A formal monitoring system managed by the LSE events office starting in 2013-14. This will monitor events which are part of the School’s public events programme.
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A requirement that academic departments and research centres discuss equality and diversity in regards to events & speakers at departmental meetings on a regular basis- at the discretion of the department, but we would suggest at all meetings when forthcoming events are to be discussed.
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A requirement to ensure that chairs for lectures which are part of the public events programme are briefed to take questions (and proactively encourage questions) from a balance of those in the audience, including women and minority groups, and encourage academic departments and research centres to do the same in their own events.
The Prevent Duty: events and speakers
The Prevent statutory duty, which came into force for universities on 18 September 2015, does not in itself change the definition of legal free speech. However, it imposes on the School some important requirements in relation to events and speakers. The duty covers not only events and activities on campus, but also those run off-campus – in the UK or overseas – under LSE branding. LSE branding in this context should be taken to mean any branding which closely associates the School with the event.
Further information can be found at Events and Speakers and Off Campus events.
Departmental Contribution
There has been a substantial increase in the number of events that are taken on as part of the PLP. The Events Office wish to assist as many departments as possible with their public events and therefore departments are asked to contribute towards the overall costs. The amount will vary depending on venue, ticketing arrangements and any other factors, and is approximately 65% of the actual costs incurred by our office. To give you an idea of the kind of costs involved, an unticketed event in the Hong Kong Theatre would cost around £240, whereas a ticketed event in the Old Theatre would cost around £630.
Please note that any security costs incurred, due to the high profile/controversial nature of a speaker/event, will be passed in full to the department organizing the event. For all events we are required to discuss with you the security risks, and to advise whether a security presence will be required.
Inaugural Lectures
The School will cover the logistical costs of inaugural lectures, but this is on the condition that they are promoted (including in the event banner) as inaugural lectures. The School will not cover the cost of videos, receptions, dinners or security for these events. Inaugural lectures, as with all events in the PLP, must include Q&A sessions.
Cancellation of Events
Once accepted onto the PLP programme, any events which are cancelled would be subject to a cancellation charge. This is to cover the costs already incurred by our office in the organization of the event, and also to cover the cost of a steward on the night to inform any audience members who do turn up.
The charge would be 10% of the full costs for events cancelled after having been advertised in the Events Leaflet and before the Departmental Checklist is sent (2 weeks before the event), or 20% if cancelled after this point (less than 2 weeks before the event).
Benefits to the department
Benefits include use of the brand; administrative support in advance of the event; on the day support; and maximising publicity and advertising.
Administrative Support
The Events Office will provide guidance for organization of the event and communication with speaker’s office. We will liaise with the AV team and organise correct AV equipment for the event, as well as the stage set up and Green Room catering. We will produce and distribute tickets if the event is ticketed.
On the Day Support
On the day of the event the Events Office will provide stewards; provide LSE branding in the form of LSE pop up stands, LSE tablecloth, lectern logo and PowerPoint slides which can include departmental logos (and any outside organizations involved in the event); organize stage set up including water, pad and pen for the speaker and chair & AV equipment; arrange any reserved seating for any special invited guests; and a member of events team will be present to briefs stewards and remain on campus until the end of the event.
Publicity/Advertising
LSE Events Website
Lectures in the PLP are listed on the events website, our prime vehicle for events promotion and information. The LSE events web page can have as many as 270,000 hits a month. If your event is taken on as part of the PLP then we will automatically put it on the website. However anyone can advertise any event onto the website by simply filling out the form on the following web page: Send us details of your forthcoming LSE events
Listing in LSE Events Programme
Each term we produce 34,000 event programmes. We send these out prior to the start of each term. Approximately 9,000 go to people on the events mailing list; 14 000 are distributed through ''London Calling'' to display points in corporate institutions, embassies, think tanks and banks all over the capital; and the remaining 12 000 are distributed on the LSE campus.
You can request your event to be listed in the printed events programme, as well as apply for the PLP, by completing the combined events application form.
Email subscription
Regular email updates about forthcoming events are sent out to our email subscription list of over 60,000 contacts.
Facebook and Twitter
Events are advertised via Facebook and Twitter. We have over 290,000 ‘likes’ on LSE’s facebook page, and @lsepublicevents has over 46,000 followers on Twitter. All events as part of the PLP will be allocated a Twitter hashtag. If you have a preference for the hashtag please include in the application form below. We also include the speakers’ twitter handles on the event weblistings, so you will be asked to provide this information in your application.
Phone line
During office hours phone calls with enquiries are dealt with by the Events Office. Outside of office hours there is the opportunity to leave a message. Messages are checked daily.
Other
Posters of all PLP events are produced and displayed around LSE
Events are advertised on the plasma screens in all the main LSE buildings (please note LSE Security manage the plasma screens).
How do I apply?
Please complete the combined application form (editable pdf) and return to Hayley Reed (H.Reed@lse.ac.uk) and the LSE Events office (comms.events@lse.ac.uk) by the deadline.
Deadline for PLP & Events Leaflet Applications
With the combined events application form, the deadline for submiting your application to the PLP and to the events leaflet are now the same.
Michaelmas Term 2016 - Tuesday 26 July 2016
Lent Term 2016 - Tuesday 1 November 2016
Once you have submitted your form – what happens next?
The Events Office will confirm receipt of your form and will normally advise you if your application has been successful around 10 working days following the deadline date.
If your application has been successful we will ask for a contribution towards the overall costs of your event. This allows our office to assist as many departments as possible.
If accepted, the next step is to arrange a meeting to discuss the details of your event.
If we are unable to include your event in the PLP then the event can still take place as a departmental event. The Events Office can assist with certain aspects such as organising stewards etc. at cost, see Event Organisation Advice.
Please note, due to the numbers of events now organized at LSE and due to limited staff and resources, we are unlikely to take on event in venues for less than 200 and we are also now unlikely to take on more than 5 events per department per term, so please ensure you submit only the most high profile.
Please also note, due to the number of events taking place during the week and due to limitations of staff we are unlikely to take on events taking place on Friday evenings or at weekends.
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