Have you ever stopped to think about how many students take part in your institution’s university events every year?
That can be an interesting figure for gauging your university’s standing in the academic community!
What’s more, university events can attract more students and researchers, generate networking, and bring authority to your campus.
So you know those moments when students seem disengaged, or the periods of the year that historically see lower turnout? University events can be the solution to boost engagement!
I’ll give you important tips for organizing them and grabbing even more student attention. Learn more about:
- The benefits of university events
- The main types of university events
- 8 simple steps to organize a university event
Benefits of university events
- Builds authority for the institution
- Encourages student participation
- Promotes networking
- Showcases the university’s scientific output
- Enables university outreach, that is, interaction between the university and society
The 5 main types of university events
Before you start organizing university events, you need to know that there are different types.
That way, each event format will help you reach specific goals.
So, to start, how about getting to know the 5 most popular ones among students?
1. Congress
The congress is one of the most popular events at universities.
That’s because it tends to be large in scale and bring together different researchers to present studies, new findings, and promote debates on a shared topic.
It also gives students the chance to publish and present their first papers.
That’s why they usually generate a lot of enthusiasm and engagement, especially when encouraged by the organizing committee itself.
A good example of how to do this is by involving the students themselves in organizing the congress and building the schedule.
Another point is that national congresses tend to be well received by students, since they promote broader networking.
That’s what happened with the Ouro Preto School of Nutrition when organizing the 5th CONAN, which ended up betting on an online event to bring together students from all over Brazil.
Main characteristics:
- It’s a large-scale event, usually formal
- It’s held periodically
- It’s highly complex, combining several activities in its schedule
- It includes activities such as round tables, lectures, panels, workshops, and more
- It can be regional, national, or international
- It has its own rules and regulations
- It allows for the submission and publication of papers
- It usually publishes the proceedings of the papers presented at the event
Goals:
- Promote scientific dissemination
- Generate exchange between regional, national, and/or international students
- Showcase the main and most current research carried out in the field
- Bring researchers together and create dialogue between their work
- Draw conclusions about the central theme
2. Seminar
Similarly, seminars are quite common university events. Sometimes they’re even held as activities within courses.
Basically, they involve presenting a topic with a moderator present to guide the discussion.
So the seminar works like a debate covering different aspects and variables of a central subject.
That’s why it’s also held at universities so students can present the research or projects they’re developing.
In that case, besides the seminar itself, it can be interesting to promote a networking environment, like a coffee break.
That way, students can interact with one another and discuss the research among peers.
Over time, your event can become established as a networking environment and be quite sought after because of that.
Main characteristics:
- Presence of a moderator
- Oral presentation by two or more speakers
- Sometimes supported by a slide presentation
- Different points of view or approaches to the topic are presented
- Attendees already have prior knowledge of the subject
- The discussion is divided into three parts: presentation, discussion, and conclusion
Goals:
- Cover as many aspects and variables of the topic as possible
- Promote discussion without necessarily reaching a single conclusion
- Encourage participation and knowledge sharing among everyone present
3. Round table
As mentioned, round tables tend to be part of larger event programs, such as congresses.
But they can also be held with renowned researchers visiting the university.
That’s because this type of event raises questions about a topic, and the subject discussed tends to be controversial and of public interest.
Main characteristics:
- Active audience participation, defending viewpoints and asking questions
- Presence of a coordinator or chair
- Debate on a controversial and thought-provoking topic
Goals:
- Raise questions about the topic and examine it based on the audience’s questions
4. Workshop
Among the types of university events, the workshop is definitely one of the most attended.
It works like a class, but with a more hands-on approach. That’s why it tends to attract a lot of interest, even from the community outside the university.
That makes it a great way to promote university outreach, bringing knowledge produced in academia to society at large.
Since it’s quite hands-on and popular, the workshop tends to generate a lot of engagement on its own.
So it can also be a great option for boosting student engagement during quieter periods at the university, like the start of the semester.
Main characteristics:
- Covers specific subjects in a hands-on way
- Can also be called a “hands-on session”
- Dynamic
- Usually lasts about 8 hours
- Led by an instructor
Goals:
- Teach step by step, train, and practice the technique
- Pass on knowledge through shared experience
5. Lecture
Finally, another type of event that has been gaining a lot of space at universities is the lecture.
Unlike round tables, lectures don’t have a moderator. They’re much more focused on the speaker, who tends to be someone well known and experienced.
In fact, with the rise of online events, the remote presence of leading researchers has become increasingly common and has attracted many students.
A great example is what the Festival do Conhecimento did at UFRJ. By hosting lectures with artists, influencers, and researchers, the event reached 17,000 people online.
Main characteristics:
- More theoretical in nature
- Only one speaker delivers the information to the audience
- May include a Q&A moment, but it’s not the main focus beyond presenting the topic
- Usually lasts 1 to 2 hours
- Dynamic and simple to organize
Goals:
- Can serve different purposes, such as motivating, informing, educating, and selling
8 steps to organize a university event
Now that you know some types of university events, it’s time to organize them!
But keep in mind that each type of event will require specific planning.
For example, congresses usually receive papers, so they need to include the organization of submissions, reviews, and presentations.
Even so, there are points that will be essential in organizing any type of university event. They are:
1. Define your target audience
Building a profile of your event’s audience is essential for knowing how to offer them the best experience and how to attract them.
2. Choose the topic, date, and time
Knowing your audience, set the most attractive topic, along with the ideal date and time.
3. Map out the equipment you’ll need
Build your event’s structure and define which equipment will be needed.
4. Define your finances
Estimate costs, revenue, profits, and even sponsorship packages.
5. Invite speakers/moderators
Send invitations to your ideal speakers with the event’s goals, budget, date, time, and talk format.
6. Start promoting your event
Create a marketing plan to act on social media, email, and/or online ads.
7. Pay attention to the post-event phase
Plan your event even after it ends! Get ready to send certificates and run the event evaluation.
8. Rely on an event platform
Automate the main event organization tasks and bring everything you need together in one place.
This is the ideal solution for anyone still unsure how to organize a university event.
With the help of an event platform like Even3, you’ll find all the essential steps for your event in one place.
