Public Lecture Programme (PLP) - Important Information

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:

• Potential PR benefit to the School (eg articles in national press, prestige connections with speakers, event for ‘hosting’ of particular guests)
• Would the event help to develop the brand of the School Public Lecture Programme?
• Does the event relate to LSE research and expertise?
• Who would attend and the popularity of the event
• Cost

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 

• When putting together panel discussions ensuring that an LSE academic is included.  Alternately you could invite an LSE academic to act as a respondent at events with external speakers.
• 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).
• When tweeting about upcoming events, refer and link to relevant LSE research.
• 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.
• Ensure you invite academics from other LSE departments to attend the event, whose research and expertise would be relevant.

As part of the School’s commitment to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion, and in the context of our contributions to the public debate, we have a duty to proactively consider how our events can include a genuinely diverse range of voices in discussions. The full policy statement is available here: Equity and diversity in the public lecture programme.

Please consider the diversity of your panel when putting together any event. 

If you are considering approaching a high profile speaker, please contact the events office as soon as possible. Please bear in mind security costs should be covered by the hosting department so this should be a consideration before inviting such speakers.  Anyone involved in event planning should familiarise themselves with the LSE Code of Practice on Free Speech.  

Visits to LSE by high-profile political figures can require a lot of preparation, to ensure appropriate arrangements for reception, security and so on – especially if the visitor is to make a public appearance. Also, the Director will wish to know about them, for example in cases in which she will try, as a courtesy, to be available to greet the visitor.

Staff or students planning to invite anyone in the following categories should inform the Directorate (directorate@lse.ac.uk), at least 15 working days before the proposed visit:

• current or former Heads of State- current or former Heads of Government (such as Prime Ministers)
• current UK government ministers (including the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales)
• any high-profile political figure whose presence on campus can be expected to arouse strong feelings and responses among the LSE community or the public.

This will enable the relevant staff in the Directorate, LSE Security, Communications Division and the events “risk spotters” network to be informed.

Before you confirm a chair for your event, please ensure you have read LSE’s Code of Practice on Free Speech, specifically 6.15-6.20 on who is permitted to chair a public event. This guidance was updated in 2024. The key point as outlined in the code is that 'Events that are open to others than current LSE staff or students should always be chaired by a suitable and experienced figure who is fully familiar with the School, meaning in principle an established (not visiting) or emeritus member of the LSE academic staff. Any exceptions to this should be approved by one of the Vice President & Pro-Vice Chancellors. This may be requested even for a limited access event if appropriate'.

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 Prevent at LSE.

As of of 21 April 2022, we will be charging departments the following fees for those who are successful in their application for hybrid events:

• Hybrid Tier A (ticketed) event departmental charge for Sheikh Zayed Theatre and Old Theatre: £695
• Hybrid Tier A (ticketed) event departmental charge for Auditorium or Hong Kong Theatre: £495
• Hybrid Tier B (non-ticketed) event departmental charge for Sheikh Zayed Theatre and Old Theatre: £385
• Hybrid Tier B (non-ticketed) event departmental charge for Auditorium or Hong Kong Theatre: £275

The above listed departmental charges represent a 65% contribution towards the full costs of running an event.  Please note that this does not include security costs; any security costs incurred, due to the high profile/controversial nature of a speaker/event, will be passed in full to the department organising the event. 

If any access requests are made for your event which incur a cost these would also be split with the department. For example, a departmental contribution towards British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation would be around £200.

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.

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 organisation 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 registration opens for both online and in-person/hybrid events, or 20% if cancelled after this point (less than 3 weeks before the event).

Should the event be cancelled later than 10am on the working day prior to the event date, a 50% charge will apply.

Events which are taken on as part of the PLP are branded using specially designed posters and backdrop slides along with LSE pull up and pop up banners, an events lectern logo and a LSE tablecloth (if stage set up requires one). There is scope of course for the hosting academic unit/s to be recognised at the event as part of this branding. 

All events in the PLP receive the following publicity:

LSE Events Website
Lectures in the PLP are listed on the events website, our prime vehicle for events promotion and information. The LSE events webpage 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 following the process as outlined on the Digital Knowledge Base.

Listing in LSE Events Programme
Each term we produce an events leaflet. We send these out prior to the start of each term. Around 14 000 are distributed through London Calling' to display points all over the capital with a further 10 000 distributed on the LSE campus.

Email Subscription
Regular email updates about forthcoming events are sent out to our email subscription list of over 70,000 contacts.

Facebook and Twitter
Events are advertised via Facebook and Twitter/X. We have over 600,000 followers on LSE’s facebook page, and @lsepublicevents has over 55.500 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.

Other
Posters of all PLP events are produced and displayed around LSE. 

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. By default, media representatives are not only welcomed at events but allowed to take part in the Q&A. The LSE Media Relations Office handle media registration for Tier A events only and those who register are allocated specific seats. They can also deal with media queries and liaise with the speaker’s media team, if applicable. Your speaker should be made aware that these events are open to press and are therefore 'on the record'. If there are any queries about this, please get in touch with us at the earliest opportunity.  With regards to Hybrid Tier B events, any press enquiries will be forwarded to the departmental contact organising the event.  With regards to online events, members of the press will register and join via the same route as everyone else and have an equal oportunity to ask a question using the Q&A function.

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.

• Meeting with Events Office to discuss event logistics after event has been accepted onto PLP. Meeting also set up with LSE Security if applicable.
• Events Office manages online registration for LSE Live and e-ticketing of event for those requesting a ticket to attend in-person – it is possible for the Department to have an allocation of reserved tickets set aside for guests to attend in-person.
• Events Office will set up and manage the LSE Live aspect of the event
• Events Office arranges stewarding, AV, Green Room and catering as well as podcast.
• On the day the Events Office will provide LSE branding in the form of LSE pop up banners, LSE tablecloth, lectern logo and PowerPoint slides if apropriate; manage and oversee the LSE Live aspect of the event, organise 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 brief stewards and remain on campus until the end of the event.

For Tier B events there is a greater emphasis on the role of the departmental event organiser, but with help and guidance from the Events Office. 

The Events Office will either put in place or point people in right direction for essential logistical arrangements.

• Events Office sends a comprehensive checklist to the Departmental event organisers once accepted as a Tier B event in the PLP. This will list exactly what needs to be done and when, as well as including essential information (Chairperson’s guidelines, Prevent duty), draft schedule, speaker notes, suggestion of which rooms to book in for Green Room and link to catering site.
• The event will be added to a stewarding and AV schedule with standard set up requested unless otherwise specified. The event will also be added to a podcast schedule and Department will be required to confirm permission in order for the podcast to be put online. The event will also be added to a booksales schedule and confirmed with Gilded Acorn, if related to a new title.
• An email will then be sent 3 weeks before event confirming which stewards are working and reminding the departmental event organiser about steward checklist and other arrangements they should be making before the event (i.e. speaker presentations, reserved seating lists). Events Office will print out steward checklists if returned to us by 10am on the morning of the event.  If we do not receive this, you will be required to print your own checklists for the stewards.
• On the day the Events Office will ensure stewards take the following items to the event: LSE branding in the form of LSE pop up banners, LSE tablecloth (if required) and lectern logo; items for stage set up including water, pad and pen for the speaker/s and chair. Event stewards will bring books over from Events Office to the venue, if applicable.

Department event organiser would need to supervise event (and provide name and mobile number of person supervising for the stewards after the event begins), arrange any reserved seating and provide stewards with a detailed briefing, including reserved seating list.

LSE Events staff will run the LSE Live aspect of the event and provide all logistical support for this throughout, but once the event is up and running, it will be down to the department to oversee the stewards for the rest of the event.

The Department is fully responsible for meeting speaker and ensuring they arrive at the green room/on stage at the agreed time, as well as overseeing book signings if applicable. A member of department must stay for full event.

Please read through the following information and complete the PLP application form at the event of the page: How to apply for the PLP.