Alcohol

Many of our exclusive catering partners can provide alcohol service for you under their catering license. This option is always the most straightforward and less time-consuming option for you. However, we do allow our clients to bring in their own alcohol under the following guidelines:

1. You must have written approval from your venue contact.
   – This can be done via email.
   – We do not approve student groups that are not sponsored by their Dean, Faculty or Department.
   – You agree to follow all BC liquor laws and regulations.
2. You understand that a per person galley fee will be applied to your final bill. This is $3 per person for a standard event and $2 per person for a non profit event.
3. You, or a member of your event team,  or other responsible family or friend obtains a Special Event Permit for the event. We recommend starting this process a minimum one month prior to your event. Note that UBC RCMP won’t approve any permits within 14 days of the event.
4.  Your caterer or professional bartending vendor manages the service of the alcohol during the event. These vendors can also help you with glassware, mix and additional bar rentals that may be needed.
5. All bottles and cans are taken off site after your event.  Check with your caterer if they can take your recyclables.

Special Event Permit Information

Apply for your permit through this link. There are several important things to note when applying for this:

1. You will need a BCeID or a BC Service Card App to apply.
2. The cost is $25 for a private event and $100 for a public. It is non-refundable.
3. For all events under 500 guests, you will need a Special Event Server License (SES). The cost is $25 and it takes approximately one hour to complete the test.
4. You will need to set up a My LDB Account to apply for your permit. In this account, you can find a checklist and some other handy tools, including a plan for your drink calculator. When using this calculator, enter the hours of food and beverage service, not the hours of your event (e.g., don’t include load-in times or ceremony times) to plan for your drinks. Your application will get flagged if you submit too high of an product amount to purchase.
5. When applying for a license on UBC Campus, the application will automatically be flagged for our local RCMP to review. They won’t approve any applications under 14 business days for your event.

Information you need when applying for your Special Event Permit

1. When applying you must select Vancouver (UBC). If you select Vancouver, it will be automatically approved and then cancelled a few days later by UBC RCMP — you will then have to start the process all over again at your own cost.
2. Location name: Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre.
3. Venue type: Banquet Hall.
4. Service area: the rooms that you are serving alcohol in and/or licensing. Write down the names for the rooms you have rented on your contract that you intend to serve the product in.
5. Maximum number of guests in service area at any given time will be your guest count. You cannot exceed 300 people. If you have a guest count greater than 300, then speak with your venue contact before applying.