Organising university events for your students

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!