From athletics centre to graduation venue for Brunel University
Brunel University is a public research university in Uxbridge, West London, founded in 1966, and known for its strong industry connections. We've partnered the university for over 14 years to ensure its graduation events run smoothly and cater to the needs of its students and their families in creative and innovative ways.
The challenge
Brunel University has traditionally hosted its summer graduation ceremonies on campus, as a way of celebrating its students’ achievements in the environment where they excelled. However, with approximately 1,500 students and guests expected to attend the ceremonies daily, there is only one location big enough to accommodate the sessions onsite: the university’s Indoor Athletics Centre. The Centre is regularly used by the University’s athletes for training, and includes a running track, gym equipment and pole vaulting assets. These facilities are used daily, so any downtime must be minimised to allow athletes to continue their training. It’s also paramount that all facilities, including the running track, are kept in pristine condition. With little time and high stakes for the project’s completion, our task each year is to quickly transform the space while ensuring disruption is minimised.
The solution
Our team takes care of everything from equipment set up to onsite management and support. We use an hour-by-hour schedule covering the build phase, event days and weekend de-rig. The build set up includes a registration desk, furniture and decor, with an on-brand creative theme. Accessibility considerations are paramount - including a ramp to access the stage, fully movable chairs, dedicated spaces for wheelchair users, and audio loops for the hearing impaired. We provide a live camera relay of each session, with the ceremony being broadcast live and a video recording available on demand.
Throughout the ceremony, our Production Manager Stu calls the order of the event, with ten other members of our technical production team supporting. As many assets as possible are reused each year, to minimise both the cost and the environmental footprint of these events.
The result
Thanks to careful planning, our team’s accumulated expertise, and the right technical equipment and know-how, we enable Brunel University deliver graduations to remember to their students and guests.
After each graduation ceremony we hold a thorough debrief with Brunel to assess the event’s success and consider feedback from the audience and stakeholders, cost-saving strategies to implement next time, challenges addressed and how to prevent them, technological advances, and more. This allows us to continuously improve the graduation ceremonies year after year, and to nurture our long-standing partnership with Brunel University.