How to organise an event
Would you like to organise an event? Perhaps a reunion for all your old friends from Bristol? Or a networking event for alumni in your area? Here's a brief guide to help you on your way.
Getting started
The first thing to do is think about the following questions:
- Who you want to invite? Is it a particular year group, course, club, society or hall of residence?
- What sort of event do you want? A lunch, dinner, informal meeting in a pub?
- Do you want to include partners/families?
- Would you like to meet in Bristol or elsewhere?
- How are you going to fund the event?
Tip: If you're already in touch with some people from the group you would like to invite, sound out your ideas with them.
How we can help
- We can search our alumni database for the group you would like to invite (e.g. all alumni who graduated in 1976 and studied music).
- We can forward your letter/email of invitation to each person on your behalf.
- You will need to write this invite, send us a draft and once it is agreed - for postal invites - send us a copy for each person you wish to contact in its own stamped, open envelope.
- When we get the letters, we will forward them on and send you a list of names of everybody we have mailed so you will know who you might be hearing from.
Tip: Easier still, for those we hold email addresses for, we can email to on your behalf and forward a letter on to the rest.
Publicising your event
In order to maximise attendance we can publicise your event to all alumni in our Nonesuch publication, our Enewsletter and in our online events diary. To arrange this please complete the online event submission form with the details of your event. We also recommend that you manage the registration of guests for your event by using the Eventbrite site. You can read instructions for setting up an event on Eventbrite here.
Feedback
- It would be great to hear how the event went. If you send us a report and some photos we will try to feature it on our website or in our publications. Please make sure the alumni in your photographs are happy to be featured in this way.
- If you discover any graduates whose address details are incorrect/different (including email address) we would be very grateful if you could let us know. This information would be extremely useful as we are constantly trying to improve the alumni database. We do not disclose contact details to third parties.
Useful links
- Why not organise your event in Bristol? You might like to coincide it with a reunion that is already taking place or a local festival - have a look at Bristol tourist information to see what’s happening.
- The University can offer some accommodation. We also provide further accommodation information, including local hotel details, in the run up to the Alumni Reunion Weekend.
- The University has facilities for conferences. For further information visit the University Conference Office and the Kingsdown Conference Centre.
Finally, we wish you every success in your event and if you would like further information please contact Jo.Lippiatt@bristol.ac.uk on +44 (0)117 928 7938, Campaigns and Alumni Relations, University of Bristol, Senate House, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TH.