Guidelines to conduct events in an apartment association

Be it a festival, a reunion or any other celebration, there is nothing better than organising an event in an apartment society to get all the members under one roof to foster bonding. Mr. Ritesh, a resident and a former President of the association from Sobha Chrysanthemum feels that an event should be organised in a housing society based on a chief principle, that it should have collective effort and not just an individual’s responsibility. Every apartment association has a set of bylaws stating the celebration of  events in a certain manner. The events in most apartments can be divided into;

Association related events

Sponsored events

General events

How to organise an event in an apartment?

Planning the event:

The association members can plan the event and its celebration. Each member should share their ideas and concerns regarding the event. Ways to celebrate and promote the event should also be thought of.

Allotment of responsibilities:

Since an event involves an array of activities, responsibilities should be shared among committee members by the association. functioning smoothly.

Promoting the event:

Make sure the apartment association promote the event among residents by putting up pamphlets on the notice boards/bulletin stating the occasion, date, time and venue.

Opinion regarding the event celebration:

Since the celebration of the event involves all the apartment residents, the association should make sure that all residents are comfortable with the event organisation. As Mr. Ritesh told, that it is always better to take the consent of residents especially senior citizens and as they might not get accustomed to the noisy celebrations. None of the residents will be compelled to join the events if they don’t want to.

Celebration as per the by-law:

The by-laws of every apartment decides the rules and regulations of the celebration and an apartment association should adhere the by-laws at the time of the celebration. The rules and regulations concerning the timing, the location and other aspects which should be followed at the time of the event.

Appropriate locations:

An event should be celebrated depending on its type, for eg: a media related event should be held in an auditorium or a closed place, where in an exhibition or a craft event should be held in a chosen location.

Types of events:

An apartment can hold any event as far as there are guidelines mentioned in the by-laws regarding it. Commercial events or fundraising events can be organised in an apartment for the welfare of the society.

By-laws for noise and other conditions:

As per Mr. Ritesh, an event shouldn’t be held in an apartment in harsh climatic conditions and the noise shouldn’t exceed beyond the given limit. This rule is also implied by the Karnataka Pollution Commission that the events should be held with minimum noise and should be finished by 10:30 in the evening unless required. It is also advisable that the events are held during the weekends unless a festival occurs on a weekday.

Kid’s safety:

Every apartment association should ensure safety for kids and are well equipped with first aid. Other facilities like fire equipments, security measures, electrical safety, etc should be in control.

Sponsored events:

A sponsored event can be held in selected places unless if it is an important business partner. None of the sponsored event members can force the apartment residents to neither participate in the event nor to enter the common areas.

Event costs:

The apartment owners association is responsible to incur the event celebration costs unless there is a fund shortage. In the wake of a fund shortage, the apartment residents can contribute an amount they wish.

Taxation for events:

According to Mr. Ritesh, not all events are taxed and only events which make a large amount of money will come under income tax.

Precautionary measures:

There are certain precautionary measures which should be taken before, during and after the event. The association should ensure that the police is informed about the event celebration and that the association has taken legal permissions.