Students talks with a vendor while browsing their table at a tabling fair.

RSO Resource Open House

Attendees to this event who are scanned in with their Wisccard will be entered to win a door prize of a free mass email for their organization (up to 4 entries per organization). The free mass email must be used by the end of the 2023-2024 academic year.

The Registered Student Organization (RSO) Resource Open House is an annual event in October held in the Wisconsin Union that is free and open to the public. Established in 2020, the Resource Open House intends to connect RSO leaders with benefit providers from across campus and throughout the community. More than 20 providers participate in this event each year to bring a wide range of resources, services, and opportunities for RSOs. Students can expect to learn about space reservations, catering services, campus funding sources, professional development opportunities, and so much more!

Please be aware that most of the resources and benefits at the Resource Open House are only available to RSOs who have completed the annual re-registration process. For more information about the annual re-registration process, click here.

2023 RSO Resource Open House

Date: Monday, October 2nd, 2023

Time: 6:00pm – 7:30pm

Location: Tripp Commons, Memorial Union (2nd Floor)

RSVP: Add and share the event on the Wisconsin Involvement Network (WIN) by clicking here!

For directions to the Memorial Union, please see the map at the bottom of this page.

Event Map & Directory

Please click HERE to see the event map and directory!

RSO Resource Open House Policies

  1. Check-in & set-up. Vendors must arrive between 5:00pm-5:30pm to check in and set up their table. There will be a check-in table just outside of the event space. Please have your Wiscard ready if you have one. If you are running late for check-in, please send an email to jay.king@wisc.edu as soon as possible or we may reassign your table to another vendor!

  2. Parking & transportation. While there is no admission fee, vendors are expected to cover their parking and transportation fees. Below are parking and bus stop options near Memorial Union:

    1. Lot 7 (Grainger Hall) and Lot 46 (Lake & Johnson Ramp).
    2. 2-hour meter parking may be available on Langdon St.
    3. Langdon & N. Park WB and EB are the nearest bus stops.
    4. Use this interactive campus map for real-time parking information the day of the event: https://map.wisc.edu/s/xxrqq02x.
  3. Representatives. Each vendor is allowed a maximum of 2 representatives to work the table at any point during the event. At least one representative must be present at the table throughout the entire event (6:00pm-7:30pm).

  4. Cancellation. The cancellation date is September 25th, 2023 at 11:59pm. Please send an email to jay.king@wisc.edu if you can no longer attend the event as soon as possible. Vendors that do not cancel by the deadline or “no show” on the day of the event without prior notification may be omitted from next year’s vendor list!
  5. Tabling.
    1. Vendors are responsible for bringing any materials for your table (decorations, pamphlets, print outs, free items, etc.) and cleaning up the table after the fair.
    2. Tables come with a black tablecloth, two chairs, and a small stick sign. We strongly recommend bringing a tablecloth, table sign, or poster with your organization’s name/logo that is easily visible.
    3. Tables must remain set in place and should not be moved from the original set-up location.
    4. Displays must NOT obstruct walkways. If you have large displays like floor posters, signs, or other props, please ensure they are within two feet (24″) of your table to provide ample walking space.
    5. Food and drink are NOT provided at this year’s event and personal meals are NOT allowed in the event space, so please take this into consideration for your plans for the evening.
    6. The following items are NOT allowed: food (including candy, prepackaged food, and beverages), alcohol, coupons or discount codes, candles, incense, confetti, balloons, weapons or weapon-like items, vehicles or drones, wheeled riding objects (skateboards, roller blades, bikes, etc.), amplified music, and live animals/organisms (with the exception of service animals).
  6. Clean-up. At the conclusion of the RSO Resource Open House, please remember to take your table displays with you and pick up any trash in your area. Event staff will take care of tables and chairs.

If any of these rules are violated, CfLI reserves the right to remove your organization from the event and bar participation at future open houses. 

Waitlist & Open Tables

In the case of a vendor cancelling before the event or not showing up on the day of the event, their table may be reassigned to another vendor from a waitlist. Please note that being added to the waitlist is an opt-in choice as part of the application for table sign-ups; if you do not check this option in your application, you will NOT be automatically added to the waitlist!

For cancellations made before the event, vendors on the waitlist will be contacted via email. For “no-shows” on the day of the event, vendors on the waitlist will be contacted via phone if there is an open table available after 5:30pm. Priority will be given to vendors that are on-campus. If you are not contacted, there is not an available open table.

Vendors who receive an open table assignment are expected to follow all RSO Resource Open House Policies listed above, including participation for the full event until 7:30pm.

Become a Vendor

We are fortunate to have so many vendors interested in this event, however, this makes space limited! We reach out to a list of potential vendors and assign tables over the summer for the event in fall.

If you are interested in potentially being a vendor at the next RSO Resource Open House, please reach out to Jay King at jay.king@wisc.edu with the name of your organization and what benefits your organization provides to RSOs. Thank you for your interest!

The RSO Resource Open House, along with UW-Madison, is committed to ensuring equal access to all the University’s programs.

If you need an accommodation to attend this event, please contact Jay King, Student Organization Advising Specialist, at jay.king@wisc.edu. All accommodation requests should be made no less one week before the event. We will attempt to fulfill requests made after this date, but cannot guarantee they will be met.

Feedback on accessibility is always welcomed and encouraged. If you have ideas on how we can make this event more accessible, please share your feedback via the post-event survey that will be sent to your email after the RSO Resource Open House.

Please direct any questions about the RSO Resource Open House to Jay King:

Student Organization Advising Specialist
Jay King (he/him)
333 East Campus Mall (3rd Floor)
3165 Student Activity Center (SAC)
Email Address: jay.king@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 263-4597