How To Organise a Freshers Week Event

Look beyond the bar

While student club nights are still hugely popular among undergraduates in the UK, habits are slowly but surely changing, and with those changes comes an evolution of social life on campus.

Nights of trundling across sticky dance floors, amped up on shots, giving it your all in front of ear-rattling sound systems are always going to be hard to replace. But nowadays, growing numbers of students are looking to drink and behave more mindfully. And when they aren’t drinking or out raving, they’re turning to other ways to unwind and connect.

Recent research reveals that 37% of Gen Z – the generation currently representing the largest population of university students in the UK – view exercise as a way to socialise, while 42% have made friendships through fitness. At the same time, more are opting for alcohol-free events and shared experiences like escape rooms, quizzes, movie nights, or digital hangouts over the traditional clubbing experience.

Does this mean the end for event promoters? Not at all. In fact, it opens up a world of possibilities.

Why not host your own standup comedy showcase or provoke discussion by organising an immersive or interactive, monthly film screening? You could even gamify your occasion, running quizzes or competitions with prizes, which is proven to boost attendance and engagement at events.

Organise the logistics

So, you’ve got an idea. Now it’s time to dive into the logistics that will take your vision from dream to reality. 

First up? A venue. For any event, you’ll need somewhere that can accommodate the crowd you’re expecting. Top tip – use our Remind Me feature when initially listing your event and in the lead-up to when your event goes on sale. This will provide you with a rough estimate of expected interest, helping you choose an appropriately sized venue.

Then, you’re going to need to consider the acoustics, sound quality and whether the venue has enough space to fit the equipment needed for your event, depending on the type of event you’re planning. A small, 100 capacity basement venue could be great for film and comedy events. If you can secure a specialised comedy or cinema space, even better. For a raucous student club event, you might need something a little bit bigger. 

You’ll also need equipment. Can you club together and fund several titles and consoles for your games night? Hire a projector screen to show films? Buy multiple board games? 

If you’re showing films, you’ll need to give consideration to the specific licensing you’ll need to screen them. Our article below has all the information you’ll need when hosting a screening event.  

Use the Skiddle Promotion Centre to list your event

You’ve nailed the concept of your event and landed the perfect venue. All you need now is a reputable platform to list and sell tickets to your event. 

The Skiddle Promotion Centre has entered the chat. 

Signing up for your free Promotion Centre account takes less than 2 minutes and once you’re in, you benefit from access to a catalogue of market-leading tools and services – from Discount Codes, used to create incentives for students to attend your events, to Skiddle Reps, built to help you harness the power of students to sell tickets, and Event Series, which makes listing reoccurring events, such as student club nights, a breeze. 

Our platform has been designed by those who know the events industry inside and out, and with the promoter in mind, delivering an intuitive interface that will guide you along every step of the listing process. There’s also access to real time data and analytics to help you gain insights into sales and trends, to assist you in targeting your ideal audience at the right time and place. 

If you need support along your listing journey, we’ll be there to help you out. We’ve got a comprehensive database of FAQ articles that should provide answers to even the most niche of questions. Need to speak to a human? We’ve got some of those, too. Our dedicated Account Support team are on hand six days a week to assist you with your queries. And don’t forget our growing playlist of detailed how-to video tutorials on YouTube.

Event organisers have used the Promotion Centre to list everything from gaming tournaments, quiz nights, film screenings and food and drink events. So, no matter what type of event you’re planning, the Skiddle Promotion Centre is equipped for your needs. 

Did we mention it’s 100% FREE to use? Tap the button below and get started today.

Take advantage of the numbers

Every year across the UK, millions of young people move to their chosen university town or city. These students are eager to explore their new surroundings, discover the best parties, and find the most exciting mix of entertainment and activities. Your event could be the one that delivers.

But how do you get your event in front of them?

More than just a place to list your Freshers Week events, the Skiddle Promotion Centre offers powerful tools to help you reach a wider audience. One of the most effective? Skiddle Reps.

With Skiddle Reps, you can recruit eventgoers – people outside of your immediate team – to sell tickets to your events to their peers in exchange for cash or rewards you set. The benefits are clear. You expand the number of people promoting your event (and let’s face it, word of mouth is still one of the most powerful marketing tools out there), giving you access to audiences you might not reach through other channels.

You’ll boost ticket sales, only pay out commissions or rewards when tickets are sold, and build lasting loyalty among your reps – many of whom will not only attend your events but likely promote future ones too.

Plus, it opens the door to multiple markets. If your city has more than one university, recruit reps from each. They’ll sell directly to their own campus networks, potentially doubling or even tripling your reach.

Watch members of the Skiddle team providing an interesting visual interpretation of how Skiddle Reps works in the video below.

Get Promoting

As well as using Skiddle Reps to attract attendees, think about other ways you can entice students to your event.

Of course, the usual channels still apply: build a strong social media presence with engaging content, run targeted paid ads, put up flyers and posters, and send email campaigns to your mailing list – if you have one.

The experts recommend going where your target audience is. If you’re planning to create and publish short organic video content and use paid media to promote you event, TikTok is the platform to be on. Gen Z users spend an average of 49.5 hours per month on TikTok, over 2.5 times more time than on YouTube or Facebook.

YouTube is still hugely popular with Gen Z, but is better utilised for event highlights, once your event has taken place, whereas Instagram is better for sharing content live from your events, to stories and reels.

But don’t forget the more traditional avenues. Why not place an ad in a student newspaper or speak to universities local to you about getting your events including in student mailers? You could throw in a Discount Code (you can use The Skiddle Promotion Centre to generate one – see the video below) and you’ll be set.

Consider cross-promotion, too. Lots of businesses in big cities like Manchester, Birmingham and London create social content based on culture, food and drink and events. Some even have their own student-specific pages. Most have reputable followings, so a boost from them could swing the balance in your favour.

And then there’s Skiddle’s own curated content. By ensuring your Freshers Week or student event listings are optimised – inclusive of high quality images and videos, a killer event description, tagged artists, venues, etc – there’s a good chance your listings will get featured in our search optimised blogs and articles, our email and ad campaigns, and our dedicated Inspire Me pages.

You can find more information on optimising your event listings at the following link.

key Takeaways

Student preferences are changing – Although traditional nightclub scenes are still sought-after, many are seeking more wholesome and less-alcohol-orientated occasions to attend. They’re interested in diverse activities such as comedy nights, film screenings, board games, and social events that include mindful drinking or none at all.

Event organisation – Successful Freshers Week events require careful planning of logistics, including selecting a suitable venue, arranging necessary equipment, and handling licensing issues, especially for film screenings.

Use The Skiddle Promotion Centre – The Skiddle Promotion Centre is a comprehensive tool for event promoters looking to organise Freshers Week events, providing free tools like Discount Codes and an intuitive interface to list, promote, and analyse events. It also offers free support and resources to help with the process.

Leverage Student Numbers – With millions of new students arriving each year, using the Skiddle Reps feature can be effective for selling tickets to Freshers Week and/or student-specific events. Recruit student reps from local universities to promote your event and increase attendance.

Effective Promotion Strategies – Boost your Freshers Week event’s visibility through strong social media presence, engaging content, and targeted advertising. Consider placing ads in student newspapers or speak to universities about getting events in student mailers, and seek cross-promotion opportunities with city based social media accounts to reach a larger audience.