Give it a Go Guide

Give it a Go Pack 2016/17

Give it a Go Guide

1

CONTENTS Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3 Training......................................................................................................................................... 4 How to set up a Give it a Go event ............................................................................................... 4 How to maximise your event ......................................................................................................... 4 Logistics........................................................................................................................................ 5 Health and Safety ......................................................................................................................... 5 After the event .............................................................................................................................. 6 Who to contact .............................................................................................................................. 7

2

Give it a Go Pack 2016/17

INTRODUCING GIVE IT A GO Give it a Go is the platform for you to promote your event to allow new or interested members to try before they buy. It’s a great way to gain more members, promote what you do and showcase your activity to the Imperial community.

To make it easier for people to find what they like, Give it a Go is split into four main categories: Give it a Go Variety GIAG Variety is all about giving that thing a go you’ve always wanted to but never had the chance.

With the largest and most diverse range of clubs and societies in the UK, Imperial is the perfect place to dive into the world of the unknown and discover something new!

Give it a Go Create From A.Capella to Calligraphy, and from Sinfonietta to Comedy Society, we have such a huge range of creative societies here at Imperial. GIAG Create shows that Imperial isn’t just all about being in the lab, we’re a creative bunch too! GIAG Create is also home to events ran by the Activities team and the International Student Support office running events such as British Afternoon Tea making and craft sessions.

Give it a Go Explore It’s very easy to get stuck in the Imperial bubble. Here you’ll find a vast range of opportunities to explore some beautiful parts of the UK and beyond. Trips and activities ran by our Recreational Clubs Committee such as Mountaineering and Caving feature here, and you’ll also find the International Student Support Office trips to some of the UK’s most treasured locations.

Give it a Go Active Keeping active is not only good for the body but it is extremely good for the mind. Here you’ll find all of the one-off and continuous opportunities delivered by our ACC groups and Sport Imperial for you to take a break, relax and Get Active!

Give it a Go Pack 2016/17

3

TRAINING Throughout term we will be running training workshops to help you maximise your event, learn about the best ways to promote, and give you tips and tricks to help with membership retention and maintaining interest.

The workshops are also a great way to meet fellow committee members to share ideas and help promote your club or society too!

These sessions are: How to Plan and Run Successful Events How to Get Noticed – Marketing and Publicity Training How to Get Funded How to do Finances How to do Room Bookings To sign up to the any of these sessions and more (including the Give it a Go workshops), just check the What’s On calendar and use the filter tab to select ‘Training’

HOW TO SET UP A GIVE IT A GO EVENT Head to www.imperialcollegeunion.org/activities/giveitago Click ‘Submit your Give it a Go Event’ button Fill in the information requested on the webform You will then receive an automated email from the Activities team with confirmation of submission The Student Activities Team will then upload your event to the What’s On calendar and Give it a Go page – you will have access to this too so you can both edit the event page Keep a track of sign up’s by using eActivities sign up reports Download the register ahead of the event and remember to bring it with you

What we will do We will promote all of you events via the What’s On calendar and Give it a Go section of our website.

Your events will feature in our GIAG programmes at the beginning of term and the event will feature in all of our social media promotions (both by Imperial College Union and ICU Activities Twitter and Facebook accounts). By being a part of the Give it a Go brand, your event will have the most success and reach, alongside support from the Activities team.

HOW TO MAXIMISE YOUR EVENT Utilise the Union! We have several media outlets for you to make the most of. Make sure you check out Felix, IC TV, IC Radio and the Union Newsletters for ways to promote your activity and check out the dedicated Give it a Go sections.

Utilise Social Media! Do you have a club Twitter or Facebook account? We’d recommend creating event Facebook pages and including them in the online form when you submit your event. Be sure to tag @icunion and @icuactivities in your tweets too so we can retweet them.

The Activities Team are always around to help if you want any further support and promotion with your event, just contact activities@imperial.ac.uk to arrange a meeting.

4

Give it a Go Pack 2016/17

EVENT LOGISTICS Event Signup and Register All Give it a Go events must have a sign up register on the What’s On calendar. This is so you can keep track of numbers and also build a mailing list for future communication with the attendees.

You can download your event register by going to eActivities / Administration / Clubs, Societies and Projects / What’s On / Event Sign up Reports - then find your event from the list.

Where to meet For a lot of people, this will be their first time attending an event you have run. For events that will be based in or around South Kensington, we recommend meeting in Beit Quad, or a well-known central location around the College.

If you are meeting around Charing Cross campus, we recommend meeting around Reynolds.

Outside of any Imperial College campuses, we recommend any central locations such as Westfield’s Shopping Centre and tube stations. Ensure that someone is there from your committee in plenty of time and make sure that you are visible for the new attendees

What to charge We strongly advise that your Give it a Go events are free of charge (or, if it is unavoidable, as cheap as possible). Sessions that are free of charge have a higher possibility of better attendance and fit with the try before you buy ethos of Give it a Go. Any events that cost more than £5 will not be classified as Give it a Go without permission from the Student Activities Coordinator.

HEALTH AND SAFETY Risk Assessments If your Give it a Go event is a regular activity, ensure that you have mentioned non-members in your risk assessment. If it is a one-off event, you will need to write a new risk assessment for it. Consider the following when writing your risk assessment: Taking registers Briefing new members on the activity and being aware of competence and experience levels Ensure you have communicated any equipment or access requirements beforehand Ensure you have committee members present to help with the running of the event

Accident Reporting If an incident does unfortunately happen, please ensure it has been reported via http://www.imperial.ac.uk/safety. If necessary, we also recommend contacting activities@imperial.ac.uk. Finally, please ensure you have updated your risk assessment following the incident.

Give it a Go Pack 2016/17

5

AFTER THE EVENT So you’ve ran a great first Give it a Go event, woo! But what now?

Run some more Give it a Go sessions!

Give it a Go will be running throughout the year, so we highly recommend running some more! We’ve found that students don’t just want to join clubs and societies at the beginning of term but feel that it might be too late to do so once term is in full swing. Running Give it a Go sessions throughout term takes away this worry and ensures that your club or society is always up for meeting new members!

Using Give it a Go throughout the year is also a great way to receive extra promotion of your events through the Union, especially during quieter periods.

Maintaining Interest Make sure you keep in touch with the people who attended your GIAG event; you’ll have their details via the event register. Planning in advance helps, so make sure you have another event planned to maintain interest and contact them shortly after with the details.

If you don’t have an event planned, we would still recommend contacting them with your club or society details, social media links and any photos from the event (if you have any)

Feedback forms In your contact with the attendees after the event, please send them a link to the contact form provided. Respondents will be entered into a monthly prize draw to win some Union vouchers!

We are committed to improving our Give it a Go scheme so your feedback is always appreciated

6

Give it a Go Pack 2016/17

WHO TO CONTACT General Queries Union Reception, union@imperial.ac.uk, 020 7594 8060

Give it a Go queries The Activities Team, activities@imperial.ac.uk

Finance queries Rachel Blythe, Deputy President (Finance & Services), dpfs@imperial.ac.uk

Minibus & Room Bookings Slavina Georgieva, Student Activities Administrator, activities@imperial.ac.uk

Insurance, Health and Safety James Lindsay, Student Activities Manager, j.lindsay@imperial.ac.uk

Give it a Go Pack 2016/17

7