Conference Services

Do you rent your facilities for meetings, conferences, and graduation ceremonies?
Yes, we offer a variety of classrooms, meeting rooms, and auditoriums for an affordable rental fee.

What are the largest meeting facilities that St. John’s has to offer?
Our largest facility in the Manhattan campus, the Saval Auditorium, seats 129 people. The campus has classrooms that range in capacity from 15 - 72 seats.  Carnesecca Arena, on our Queens campus, can accommodate up to 5,500 people.  Our Staten Island campus has the ability to accommodate 125 people in its largest facility. 

Will the Office of Conference Services assist me with providing the proper setup for my event?
Yes, we will work hand-in-hand with each of our clients to facilitate your event setup.  In addition, a member of our team will be on the premises on the day of your event to ensure its success.

What are your AV/IT capabilities?
Microphones, projectors, laptops, TV/DVD/VCR, and flip charts are available for daily rentals and overnight groups. 

Overnight Accommodations

Do you offer overnight accommodations?
Yes, St. John’s offers overnight accommodations from June 1 through mid-August to include single, double, triple, quad, apartment, or townhouse occupancy.  Linens are available upon request. 

Queens campus – All residence halls, with one exception, have either three or four bedrooms per suite as well as two bathrooms and a common area.  Donovan Hall suites have two large bedrooms that share a common bathroom.  Our townhouses offer double and triple occupancy rooms with a common area, two bathrooms, and a full-service kitchen.

What forms of dining do you have on campus?
The Queens and Staten Island campuses have menus that range from simple coffee breaks and box lunches to buffets, formal receptions, and dinners.  The Queens campus also offers an all-you-can-eat Meal Plan during the summer months.  

Are there restaurants and stores in close proximity to the University?
The area around the Queens campus is primarily residential; however, there are many restaurants and stores along Union Turnpike adjacent to the Queens campus. 

Is parking available?
Free parking for guests is available at the Queens and Staten Island campuses and requires a parking pass provided by the Office of Conference Services.

Do you have access to the Internet, telephones, and ATM machines in the residence halls?
Internet and telephone services can be provided upon request to the Office of Conference Services.  There are ATM machines located on each campus. 

Is transportation available near the campus?
All of our NYC campuses are located within close proximity to trains, buses, subways, and JFK and LaGuardia airports.

Richard Wolcott

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 718-990-6241

On behalf of St. John’s University, I welcome you and thank you for your interest in considering us as a venue for your event. With campuses located in Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, and Long Island, we are confident you will find St. John’s University the ideal location for your program.

St. John’s University provides the perfect setting to make any size event a success. We are truly a blend of the benefits of New York City and the peacefulness of a rural campus. Meeting rooms and overnight accommodations are available.  All campuses are located within one hour of both LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International airports. The campuses are easily accessible by public transportation including trains, buses, ferry, and car services. The University lies within easy reach of Manhattan, allowing your guests access to the vast cultural, educational, religious, and com­mercial resources this magnificent city has to offer.

St. John’s University offers you a full range of services including logistics plan­ning,  audio & visual support, dining & catering options, and summer youth camp program. Our facilities include high-tech meeting rooms, athletic stadiums, arenas, outdoor spaces, and theaters. Our Conference Services staff take pride in working closely with you to ensure your event, overnight conference, sporting event, or business meeting are spe­cially tailored to your needs. We are confident that our facilities can complement your program and inspire your guests.

We invite you to visit our campuses, and we look forward to meeting you to discuss the partnership for your event. Welcome to St. John’s University!

Erin McDonnell

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 718-990-2953

Erin is responsible for developing policies, and processes, and for implementing strategies that enhance operational efficiencies and services for the Office of Conference Services. She manages the day-to-day operations and oversees the teams responsible for room reservations and providing furniture set-ups and cleaning for events.  Erin supports departmental initiatives and executes services associated with hosting outside groups' use of campus facilities for meetings, conferences, special events, athletic competitions, summer overnight programs, and camps. 

  Cheryl O’Hara ‘01G

  Email: [email protected]
  Phone: 718-990-2027

Cheryl started at St. John’s University in 1997 and began working in the Office of Conference Services in 2016. Cheryl works closely with area schools to plan their graduation ceremonies on-campus as well as these other groups: nonprofits, location scouts, social events, and fundraisers. In addition, she handles all external events at our Long Island Graduate Center in Hauppauge Long Island.

 Laura J. Bruckner

 Email: [email protected]
 Phone: 718-990-2615

Laura started at St. John’s Office of Conference Services in 2010. Laura works closely with religious organizations to host their conferences on-campus as well as these other groups: corporate events, test preparation & exam groups, recitals, and ESL programs.  In addition, she handles all external events at our Manhattan campus.

 Candice Lackwood

 Email: [email protected]
 Phone: 718-990-5620

Candice started working at St. John’s University in 2013 and joined the Office of Conference Services in 2015. She works closely with local athletic organizations to host their on-campus games, practices, and summer youth camps.  In addition to managing all Staten Island external events, she works with administrators and St. John’s University affiliated organizations to facilitate conferences, training, and workshops.

 Wanda Gibson

Email: [email protected] 
Phone: 718-990-1359

Wanda is responsible for managing Queens Campus internal department space reservation requests. She ensures that setup logistics are communicated to the Event Setup Team in an expeditious manner. Wanda and her student reservation team are available to assist with logistics planning along with diagram execution when requested.