Advertising Services History

Basic information about reserving advertising services:

  • The use of Diag boards, Diag banners, Table Tents, and the Michigan Union banner is determined by random draw. This happens three times per year:
    • Early August for Fall semester
    • Early December for Winter semester
    • Mid April for Summer 
  • For Diag boards and Diag banners, groups that apply are randomly assigned an appointment time during "Reservations Week."  A representative from the group must join SORC staff via video call on the designated date and time to reserve spaces.
  • For Table Tents, groups that apply will either win a space, or not. There are no appointments; winning groups simply need to complete a contract to claim their space. Table Tents are not available in the Summer.

Very important things to know:

  • If you enter the Table Tent drawing, there is no appointment. You will either win a space, or you won't. You'll be instructed how and when to accept the space and complete a contract to make it official.
  • If you enter both the Diag board and Diag Banner Pole lotteries, you will have two separate appointments. 
  • At your appointment, a SORC reservationist will guide you through the available spaces.  Please consult Diag board maps and Diag banner maps in advance and prepare a list of your preferred locations. It can be a struggle to fit over a hundred appointments into 1-2 days; if one appointment runs long, every appointment after that will be delayed. It helps us greatly if you make a list of preferred locations ahead of time.
  • Each group is granted a 10-minute grace period, after which the appointment is forfeited. Because of the tight timeline, SORC staff members enforce this grace period very strictly. If you join the video call 11 minutes late, do not assume that an exception will be made for you. You are not just 1 minute late; you are 21 minutes late. By then we will likely be assisting another client.
  • Reservation appointments happen during class hours. When you learn what your appointment time is, you must arrange for another group member to attend your appointment if it falls during your class.  Any member of your organization can reserve spaces for your group, but this must be done at your scheduled appointment time.
  • Availability of spaces after the appointments, especially for the Fall and Winter first-round reservations, is very limited. 
  • In other words...DON'T MISS YOUR APPOINTMENT!!
  • If you fail to finalize the contract before the deadline, the spaces you reserve will be canceled and later offered to groups who did not get spaces. SORC management will grant extensions to the deadline under extenuating circumstances, by request only. To request an extension, reacho out to us before the deadline. Finalizing a contract means:
    • An authorized signer acknowledges Content and Construction requirements (more below).
    • An authorized signer authorizes the charge to your shortcode.
    • Your group is financially obligated to the charges.
  • If your organization wins one of the four available Table Tent spaces each week, you must simply accept them and pay for the weekly space rental by emailing us during first-round reservations week, anytime before the deadline. Full instructionsi for Table Tent reservations here. 
  • Pro tip: if you reserve at least 3 SORC advertising services for the same reservation period, you are eligible for a 10% discount!
  • In order to speed up the process and provide the best possible service, the sale of materials and balloons, use of the fax machine, and reservation of other SORC services may be suspended during first-round appointments. We are not able to inflate or deliver balloons during reservations week. All of these services will resume after appointments are finished.
  • Your group is responsible for awareness of and adherence to SORC eligibility and content requirements and University of Michigan trademark and identity guidelines and construction requirements for each type of medium.

Preparing for the entire year:

  • Fall Reservations
    • If you want to advertise from late August through early January.
    • Fall applications are online and are typically open from May through late July.
    • Appointments typically take place the 2nd week of August.
    • Put a reminder in your calendar for mid-July, and you won't miss anything.
  • Winter Reservations
    • If you want to advertise from early January through late April.
    • Winter applications are online and are typically open from the first week of November through Thanksgiving week.
    • Appointments typically take place in early December.
    • Put a reminder in your calendar for the week before Thanksgiving, and you won't miss anything.
  • Summer Reservations
    • If you want to advertise from early May through late August.
    • Summer applications are online and are typically open from late March through the middle of April.
      • NOTE: if demand for Summer advertising is low, we will accept reservations on a first-come, first-serve basis.
    • Appointments take place in early May.
    • Put a reminder in your calendar for early April, and you won't miss anything.
  • An announcement of the exact dates each semester is sent several weeks in advance to the SORC e-mail list.  To subscribe to that list, click here.

Reservations in 3 steps

Step 1: Decide which services you want

  • There are separate applications for:
    • Diag Boards
    • Diag Banner Poles
    • Table Tents (not available in summer)
    • Michigan Union banner (under construction)

Step 2: Submit the online application(s)

  • The deadline for all applications is the week before the appointments. 
  • When you submit your application online, please be sure that after you click "Submit" you see a page that says "Thank you! Your input has been received!"
  • If you do not get directed to this page, it is possible that your application was not received.
  • We make extensive efforts to ensure that no applications are omitted, but the wonders of technology are not flawless.
  • To be absolutely certain, email SORC a day or two before the deadline to get indisputable verification (an e-mail from the clerk) that your application was received.

Step 3: Find out the appointment times and results on our website

  • Appointment times and Table Tent results will be posted online at least 48 hours before appointments begin. 
    • We send an e-mail announcement a couple days before the appointments, but the list of recipients is large, and spam filters sometimes block messages; you might not receive an e-mail.
    • You will not be notified by telephone. 
    • Ultimately, it is your responsibility to find out your appointment time.  This information is readily available via website, email, or phone, but you have to look.
  • Fall/Winter:
    • Diag board and banner reservations take several days. The exact schedule varies by semester and is contingent upon class schedules of SORC student employees.
      • Diag banner reservation appointments are scheduled between 10:30-4:30. These usually go quickly because there are only 9 locations to choose from.
      • Diag board reservation appointments are scheduled between 10:30-6:30. These take longer because there are over 75 locations to choose from.
    • For Table Tents, there's no appointment. Simply accept and pay for the space rental as instructed (there is a timeline).
  • Summer:
    • Diag Boards and Diag Banner Pole appointments are all on the same day, typically 10AM-5PM.
    • You can reserve both services (Diag Boards and Diag Banner Poles) at the same appointment.
    • If demand is low, we will accept reservations on a first-come, first-serve basis.
    • Table Tents are not available in the Summer.

Still have questions?