College welcome week is one of the best events of the year on college campuses. For college party planners, the key is to create events that will increase college student attendance and engagement with university life.
The first step is to create a plan that covers all the needed elements to manage any big event. That includes choosing the right location, pulling any permits (if required), getting proper insurance, and establishing rules for safety and inspections. Working with professional college event planners can help college party planners cover these important steps.
After that, it’s time to figure out the types of entertainment and events needed to make college welcome week a hit for students. Fortunately, party planner have plenty of options.
Great Ideas for College Welcome Week
It’s an exciting time for students to return to campus after a summer off. While they may not always say so, most college and university students want ways to connect with college life as well as the surrounding community. It’s up to college event planners to devise creative entertainment that encourages student participation.
How to bring college students together? The following eight ideas have proven time and time again to appeal to college students. These ideas give students a chance to connect with other students and improve their overall college experience.
Live Music
Having a live music act perform at a college event has been a winner since college events first started. That’s because dancing, singing along and having fun with fellow students is always a recipe for event success. The key is finding music acts that will appeal to the widest range of students.
Campus Carnivals
Carnivals have become a popular party theme for any type of event, including campus carnivals for college students. It’s more convenient than ever to rent midway games, thrill rides and all the booths needed to create a fun carnival atmosphere on campus.
Food Festival
A great way to introduce students to the food choices in the local community is to hold a food fest where local food trucks and restaurants are invited to a festival, giving students a chance to sample their food. This not only helps students learn about the community, but also supports local businesses.
Campus Scavenger Hunts
Scavenger hunts are perfect for introducing new students to the different areas of the campus. It also is an icebreaker that allows students to get to know other students. Students can make new friends while learning about campus history and the location of the most-frequented buildings.
Host Local Tours
For many students, attending college involves living in a city they have never lived before. Hosting walking tours or bike tours of the town around the campus, including local parks, historical buildings and popular shopping areas, allows students to learn about the local community. It’s especially good for freshmen and transfer students.
Movie Night
Another college campus classic. Holding a movie night once a week allows students to come together in a shared experience. It’s also another icebreaker that can get students talking about their love (or disdain) of the movie being shown. Prefer having the screening outside? That’s not a problem.
Q&A With College Administrators
Holding a “town hall” type meeting with the college president and school deans gives students the chance to ask any questions they might have about issues such as safety on campus and the resources available to students. This is an important part of any college welcome week because it provides students practical knowledge that improves their experience.
Open Mic Night
Open mic nights allow students to showcase their talents. One approach is to have a different type of open mic night on several nights during college welcome week, focusing each night on a single area such as music, comedy or holding a poetry slam. It’s also another way for students to meet others with similar interests and talents.
These ideas can give college event planners a good start on planning their next college welcome week. They create an opportunity for colleges to showcase the campus and surrounding town, as well as give students a great way to start engaging with campus life.
