EMS Room Scheduling: FAQs

What is EMS? 

EMS (Event Management Systems) is an event management software our campus uses for room, space, and resource scheduling and event coordination. To request or reserve space please go to https://rooms.duke.edu. All Duke University faculty, staff, and students have access to the reservation system. Students or staff can log in with their Duke University netID and university password.  

What other features does EMS provide? 

This software also provides a platform for event communications, billing, reporting, and resource management. The online platform is used by the campus community to submit space requests, explore availability, and browse existing events. 

EMS can also integrate with many other applications through APIs. This would include Office 365, Zoom, Teams, Visix, and many others.  

If I am a space manager or an event coordinator, how can I request the use of EMS for our operation? 

OIT strives to provide campus schedulers with the tools, resources, and support to promote successful scheduling and event experiences. If you would like a consultation with our office to optimize the tools within EMS or to explore how EMS can further support your scheduling operation, please contact us. To learn a little bit more about EMS please go to Duke OIT What We Do: EMS Space Management and Room Scheduling 

What if I cannot find the space I am looking for? 

Currently, not all spaces can be found in EMS. There are several scheduling applications still in use on campus. There are only a handful of departments that are using EMS which include Fuqua, Athletics, Recreation, School of Nursing, and several others. Once you have signed into the web application, you must click on ‘Create Reservation’, then your view of available web process templates will appear. Within that process template(s), you will have access to specific rooms or spaces. Some rooms and spaces may appear in more than one template. Some may not appear given the room type or other booking rules for that specific template.  

What does it mean by… 

Web Process Template (WPT): These templates are the different selections at the beginning of the reservation process that help you find the best space for your event. WPT are defined by booking rules and parameters in which each department determines. Some templates do require approval from a space manager.  

Set-up Type: Set-up types are the different room configuration options available for that room. Most spaces only have one set-up type.  

Event Time vs. Reserve Time: Event time is the actual time of the event. Reserve time is the overall time needed for the space. This time would include set up and teardown of the space. It also includes the event time.  

Reservation vs. Booking: A Reservation in EMS is the who and the what of an event. For example, Group A (the who) can reserve some space for an Event Y (the what). A Reservation contains one or more bookings. A Booking is the where and when of an event. For example, Group A can schedule the large auditorium (the where) for a staff meeting on the second Monday in January (the when). There are one or more Bookings in a Reservation. A Booking might be assigned Details, which are the resources or services that are needed for an event, the setup notes for the event, the room charges for the event, or any combination of these. 

Is it possible to make same-day reservations? 

This is determined by the booking rules of each template. Some spaces do allow for same-day booking and some do not. Most spaces that do not allow same-day booking require someone to approve the request. Most hoteling/cubicle spaces at this time do allow for same-day booking.  

Can I edit my reservation that I have already submitted? 

Yes! Just click on the ‘My Events’ button after logging in and select the reservation you would like to update. From there, you can edit your reservation details. This process may require reapproval of the event.  

How do I know if my request or reservation is approved? 

Based on the parameters of the web process template (WPT), if the room is automatically confirmed with no need for administrator approval, you will receive a notification email from EMS indicating the approval. This is shown through the ‘status state’ which is usually a ‘Confirmed’ status. If the reservation requires administrator approval, you will receive a confirmation email from that administrator indicating the approval of your reservation. The confirmation email from the administrator normally contains pertinent or additional information you may need to know about the space, how to access the space, etc. Additional message or alerts can be shown on the Web App (rooms.duke.edu) once you click ‘Create Reservation’. 

If I have a question about my reservation or have an issue with the system, who do I contact? 

The first step is to contact the EMS administrator(s) within the department you work for. Your EMS administrator is likely the department event coordinator or facility manager. Here is a contact list of those individuals. If the EMS administrator cannot find a solution to your problem or there is a system issue in which you would like to report, please contact the OIT EMS Administrator at emsinfo@duke.edu.