Running a Taster Session

Taster sessions gives students the opportunity to try something new, and societies to build their membership, during key moments in Students' Union UCL's calendar.  It appeals to and attracts students who do not currently engage with UCL Societies, therefore giving you a new audience to publicise your society to - great if you’re worried about recruiting members. 

You might be wondering what the benefits are to running a Taster Session. There are lots!

• Reaching a wider audience and raise the profile of your society.
• Recruiting and interesting prospective new members.
• Benefiting from the marketing of key moments in the Union's calendar (e.g. Welcome Week, January Welcome and International Festival)
• The chance to do something new and different.
• Receive support covering costs of activity for non-members (dependent on funding opportunities at the time of your session)
• Further support in finding and booking space
• No need to submit an Activity Registration Form for a Taster Session, as long as it does not include charity fundraising and costs under £350

To put on a Taster Session just follow the steps below.

Step 1

Keep an eye on the Clubs and Societies Newsletter where we will let you know if we are accepting applications for Taster Sessions. 

Key moments in the year we will likely be accepting submissions for Taster Sessions includes:

• September Welcome
• International Festival
• January Welcome

Dependant on what the Student's Union is offering during the academic year, we may also ask relevant societies to consider holding taster sessions at other points in the year, specifically culturally significant periods such as Lunar New Year. 

Please don't hesitate to contact us if there is a key moment in the year you would like to offer a taster session to new members and we can best advise you on whether to run such an activity as a taster session or a one-off society event. 

If you would like any advise, or have any questions, please contact us via [email protected]. 

Step 2

If you decide you would like to hold a Taster Session for a specific calendar moment, please submit your suggested activity via our Run A Taster Session Webform.

When submitting this, you will be asked to specify what programme of events you would like your Taster Session to be a part of. Once you have selected the option that is relevant to you, more specific details (including submission deadlines) will appear on the form. Please make sure to read this carefully before proceeding.

If you have any questions or require specific support, you may include this under the 'Please provide any further information below' section, and we will let you know what we can do to help. If we think you need to discuss your proposal in more detail we will invite you for a chat to go through the support we can give you.

Step 3

Once approved, you can begin to plan and arrange your event. Check out the How To Guides for details on how to run events within our procedures, and let us know if you need any further assistance.

Step 4

Ensure you have added your event to our What's On Calendar, including any tags relevant to your activity. This is how new students will be able to see the Taster Sessions that are on offer.

Step 5

You are encouraged to promote your event, so please feel free to do this by including it on your social media and any promotional material you send to your society members.

Dependent on the period of events the Taster Session is a part of, the SU's marketing team may also share details of your event in their newsletter and on our website. Making sure you have created a Whats On Event is vital in this case, as this is where the marketing team will pull information from.

Step 6

Running your Taster Session!

Objectives and Terms and Conditions

Taster Session Objectives are to expand horizons and enhance the student experience at UCL by:

• Encouraging more UCL students to take part in extra-curricular activities through society involvement.
• Running exciting and innovative taster events throughout the year.
• Creating inclusive and unique one off activities that do not require society membership to get involved.
• Encouraging cross society joint events which provide innovative experiences for UCL students.
• Encouraging cross cultural experiences through societies events and activities.

All Activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Terms and Conditions of Taster Sessions include:

• All Taster Sessions must be free or at a reduced cost for non-society-member participants.
• All activities are to be aimed at UCL students who are not currently members of the society (although society members can come along).
• All events should be aimed at students with low/no experience of the proposed activity.
• Where relevant, additional risk Assessments must be completed and sent to the Union at least 10 working days before the event takes place.
• All event information must be submitted via the Taster Session Webform at least 10 working days before your event takes place.

If you are still not sure if your activity should be a Taster Session, please contact us via email.