This handbook is to help provide assistances and ideas surrounding events which your society can host and run.
Introduction
This handbook is to help provide assistances and ideas surrounding events which your society can host and run.
Planning an event can be a large task and below are some key considerations which you will have to help you plan each event.
Time
Give yourself plenty of time to plan and prepare for the event. Remember the SU will also need time to prepare and larger events will need more time.
Who is your audience?
It is important to identify who your audience. What sort of event is your society members interested in or want?
Assess your resources
How much time is going to take to plan? How much time will it take to complete the event? How much is going to cost including venue hire, resources, prizes? Do you need people to help out? Which venue are you going to use?
Set a realistic target
When making an event set a realistic target whether this be in terms of funds to be raised or amount of people attending. Although we want you to be ambitious it is important to be realistic especially when it comes to booking venue space.
Allocate the tasks
No matter how big or small your event is, make sure you share out the workload. Involving your members will help people feel more involved and lessen the amount of stress and load on one people and allow for a smoother event planning process.
Book the venue/room
Make sure you are booking your venue with lots of time. University space or The Hive we require at least 2 weeks’ notice and if you are looking for a Christmas venue you may need to book as early as September to avoid disappointment.
Complete a Trip Registration Form
If you are planning a society trip outside of Leeds, even if it’s just for an afternoon, please complete the Trip Registration form you can find in the Society Toolbox.
Complete a Risk Assessment
You may be required to complete a risk assessment to ensure that your participants will be safe during your activity. You complete this online.
Don’t worry if you have never completed one. There is a handy step-by-step guide to assist you on the form!
Promote the event
Promotion is one of the biggest and most important aspect of your event. Without no one will know what is going on.
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SU Website – With every event you host be sure to place in on the SU website. Without that no one will be able to join or see that it is going on.
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Social Media – Make sure you post on your social media channels. You can use sites like canva.com to help you make graphics to give a more professional feel to your events.
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Internally – Word of mouth is one of the most effective means of promotion so, why not tell your members? Tell your friends! Consider sending a message to all your members telling them about the event.
Attend the event
Since you’ve done all that hard work don’t forget to attend the event! Also take photos and continue to push it on your social media channels. Showcase your hard work and what your society gets up to.
Review your event
Reviewing your event is highly important. Think about what went well, what could be improved on, what did people enjoy, what was not so popular. It is important to learn from mistakes.
Final Words
Remember that event to event your membership can change so what worked one year may not be as successful the following. Make sure you listen to your society and put on regular events to engage your audience and create a fantastic experience for all your members.
Ideas
It can be difficult to think of events that your society wants to or need to run. Below is a some ideas of events your society may want to host for your members.
Also check out Events Ideas for more ideas of online and in-person events to host.
Welcome Meeting/Event
After Freshers or Re-Freshers it is important to welcome your new members into your society. We suggest within a month of these events you have a welcome meeting or event that can get your new members involved.
Meetings/Get Togethers
It may seem like a boring activity; however, regular meetings are invaluable. These give a more casual chance to catch up with members. It also gives a chance to have conversation about the direction of the society and plan for any upcoming or future plans or events.
If you do host a meeting don’t forget to take minute (notes of the meeting) and share these with your members.
Club Specific Events
Don’t forget why your society was made. Remember to do events around what your society is about. Whether that is trips to museums, going to concerts, attending conferences or watching a film.
Cross Societal Events
Have you tried running an event with a different society? Have you reached out to a different society and cooperated together on an event for both your societies members? It can be great way to make new friends and also share the workload for an even bigger event.
AGM – Annual General Meeting
An AGM is an important meeting for you as a society to host. It is a meeting that is held once a year, normally towards the end of the academic year. This is a chance to confirm committee members for the following year, create focus for the next semester and also review accounts to see how much money you have to spend.
Event can be a whole lot of fun and highly rewarding. They are a huge part of societies and can be a great way to make friends, change the world you live in or make a difference in the community.
Events can bring in new members and make societies grow and help everyone have a great time at University.
Remember to remain realistic when planning an event to avoid disappointment or overexert yourselves.