A successfully organised event can greatly support the achievement of the Gatsby Benchmarks and ignite that lightbulb moment for your students. Planning an impactful event can seem daunting, no matter whether it's your first event or your hundredth. Rest assured, you’re certainly not alone. As higher education institutions, we’re here to help you.
Face-to-face events are often the preferred choice.
The value of interpreting non-verbal cues
and engaging in a more meaningful career
conversation is high on the list of reasons why.
However, it’s still worth considering whether an
online event could better serve your students. Going digital allows you to
broaden your reach to institutions
from further afield and really get
your students thinking.
Logistically, it could be easier to beam
representatives in, with resources sent
beforehand, to create the same impact. For
example, parents and carers could meet universities from the comfort of their own home,
which may support attendance if they have other
responsibilities and commitments.
That being said, many universities now have
regional contacts, so you may discover a
university from afar is actually closer to home
than you expect.
Above all else, make sure students feel
connected to the session by being interactive.
Slido and Mentimeter are two platforms that work
great on mobile and are worth incorporating. It’s
also an easy way to gain some instant evaluation
data to show off to senior management!
Universities receive multiple requests to attend events, so we suggest you carefully
research your intended date. Check whether it
conflicts with local or national career exhibitions.
You could also consider linking up with another
school within your trust, or another local school, to
boost pupil numbers and encourage a larger
variety of universities to attend.
Alternatively, if the time of year is unavoidable,
then you could reap some benefits by scheduling
your event either side of a large exhibition.
This will allow universities to reduce their carbon footprint and
resourcing. In return, you will secure a wider pool of
universities and further broaden the horizons of your students. It’s a win-win!
If this works for you, be sure to invite university representatives in good
time, so they can factor in your event before
booking their travel. The more detail, the better.
I suggest including the following details in
your first invitation to university staff, and also in a confirmation
email two weeks before the event:
• date, times, location
• the schedule of the day
• safeguarding information
• the main organiser’s contact details
• expected size of audience - this helps universities adequately staff the event and bring the correct quantity of literature
• refreshment details, including requests for dietary
requirements
• car parking, including alternatives if the car park is likely
to be busy
• directions - What3Words is a great tool to use when you have multiple entrances!
• accessibility requirements – for the
university staff and your students if appropriate
• the talks you are requesting for the university staff to deliver – include the key learning
outcomes of each session. This will
ensure the content delivered is what your
pupils require
• anything that may impact the day, such
as construction work or the weather. For instance, are
warm clothes needed if exhibitors are
going to be in a draughty school hall?
We appreciate that audience size can
fluctuate, so approximate numbers are fine.
It just helps universities bring the correct
quantity of literature.
Avoid booking multiple institutions to deliver
the same talk to a handful of students.
Universities have a finite amount of resources,
and we try to cover as many events as
possible to support knowledge gaps.
Consolidate classes to increase the likelihood
of a university staff member being able to support for half a day,
rather than a full day. Speakers may begin to
forget what they have and haven’t said by the
seventh talk of the day!
We realise this will always be budget-dependent!
As a
general rule, tea, coffee and water goes a long
way, particularly for those colleagues who may
have left at sunrise.
Food is always welcome, but if this can’t be provided, let exhibitors know in advance to bring their own lunch or evening snack.
On occasion, instead of hosting a university event at your school, you might decide to attend an event organised by a university on their very own campus. Regardless, much of the above advice still applies when visiting a university.
However, my most
important piece of advice is to communicate
regularly with your lead contact. Keep in touch in case your plans
change last minute and you need to shorten the
day, or you need to ensure accessibility needs
are best met on your trip. We want
your visit to be tailored so we can maximise
positive impact.
Don’t be afraid to ask for
feedback on your events from both your pupils
and the university staff who attend them. You'll gain valuable insights to help you improve them for future years.
I hope you have found these tips useful. I wish
you the best of luck in organising a successful university event!
This free newsletter will include information on university events added to UniTasterDays, as well as details about new webinars and blog releases for you and your students.