Take yourself back to your student days. What are the memorable moments you remember? More often than not, it’s one of the school events you’ve attended or participated in. Whether that’s the graduation ceremony, first-of-day class activities, an organization event, sporting competitions and events, or prom, school events are an important part of student life. If you’re looking for fun event ideas to engage students, then these ideas can help.
Importance of School Events
School events are important because it fosters community building, social skills, and leadership potential. Usually, events can be a fun way to achieve certain learning objectives for students in a fun way.
School events serve as dynamic platforms that go beyond traditional classroom settings, providing students with hands-on and experiential learning opportunities. Whether it’s organizing science fairs, cultural festivals, or interactive workshops, events offer a practical extension of classroom teachings.
However, students don’t just attend events for academic purposes. School events often carry expectations for students to enhance their socializing skills and build meaningful connections.
From a financial perspective, school events can also be a great avenue for profit given the already captured market in a school. Furthermore, promoting a school event can be easier given how fast word of mouth spreads in school.
Event ideas like these encourage students to participate and get involved in the school community. Check out these fun event ideas:
Traditional School Event Ideas
Pep Rally
A pep rally instantly lifts the spirits of the crowd with vibrant cheers. During the pep rally, the student body can learn how to do their school cheer. Decked in spirited colors and adorned with creative banners, students unite to unleash an unparalleled energy that sets the tone for the upcoming games and competitions. Furthermore, experiencing a united student body cheering together ignites one’s school spirit.
Basketball League
Hook the community with an exciting season of basketball games with the school’s team. Participants in the league can showcase their basketball skills and develop the valuable skills of teamwork.
Soccer or Football
For those who might not be interested in basketball, you can offer a soccer league and football tournament. These sports are crowd drawers and event planners can sell tickets to aspiring fans of the competing teams.
Talent Show
Whether it’s a talent to be presented in public or a talent for introverts, organizing a talent show can be an inclusive way to bring to light every student’s potential. A talent show school event can be popular among middle school students but it can be started as early as kindergarten.
Create multiple events that can cater to the different talents and interests of the students, from singing, dramatics, poetry writing, robotics, and more. Set up a registration process to keep things organized.
Graduation Ceremony
Graduation ceremonies are a momentous occasion that every student looks forward to. Keep the event organized and smooth to seal the end of a chapter. Set up an efficient website to sell graduation tickets to the student’s parents or loved ones.
Prom or Graduation Ball
Students go all-out to this end-of-the-school-year event. Once the school year is over, the students are ready to loosen up and enjoy themselves. When it comes to organizing the prom, it is best to consult with different members of the class to create an event program that can resonate with the students.
Creative School Event Ideas
Drama Play
Organize an event where students can create their play from their studied literature. Open the play to the public and sell tickets. Theatrical plays are an amazing way to communicate a message or leave an impact.
Choir or Musical Contest
Celebrate the beauty of music and creativity by organizing a choir or musical. Take inspiration from popular TV series like The Voice or American Idol to get the attention of the students.
DIY Mister or Miss [School Name] Pageant
Excite the class by announcing a pageant search for your university. Create a competition among college students from different programs. Use the competition to showcase the participant’s talents or important topics.
Each program can have a representative for the competition. The final round can be named the winner of your university. Pageantry can empower participants, enhance their confidence, and provide a channel to share their advocacies.
Media / Campus Journalism Day
Learn the skill of storytelling and marketing in a fun way. Transform your school into a hub of creativity and literary brilliance with a captivating event that combines writing, design, and teamwork—Media Day. This innovative gathering invites students to channel their inner journalists, authors, and graphic designers to collaboratively craft a feature of an event.
Be creative with the output. It can be in a Netflix-inspired documentary, a TikTok Video, a series of social media posts, etc. This type of event enhances student’s creativity and critical thinking skills.
Movie Inspired Games
Create an event inspired by a trending or classic movie students are familiar with. Check out what’s trending and brainstorm with your event planning team on how elements of the movie can be included in the games and activities.
Teacher-Student Themed Competition
Get students excited when their teachers join in the fun event. Involve the teachers in an event by hosting teacher-student-themed competitions. Some examples of this type of event are a Quiz Bowl competition, Escape room challenge, Debate Duels, Coding Competition, Cooking classes, etc.
Educational / Professional School Event
Tech Conference
Technology is ever changing and there is always something new to learn about. Choose a relevant topic and organize an inter-school or inter-university event to discuss significant developments in technology for that topic.
Coding Events
Basic coding is an important skill to develop in today’s age. Set up a fun and interactive coding event and make it inclusive for beginners who want to learn coding.
AI Themed Workshops
Artificial Intelligence is used in different fields and deserves to be given attention. Its presence has been widely talked about with differing opinions on its pros and cons. Nevertheless, learning artificial intelligence can help one develop their stand on the topic.
Career Fairs
Gather prospective employers and hopeful fresh graduates. Create an event like a career fair that will be a win-win situation for both parties. Open up registrations or set up multiple events depending on the employers and their specific recruitment needs.
You can also set up career talks and ask speakers from different industries to share real-life experiences and insights.
Program Switch Day
Allow students to experience the life of taking a different program by organizing a Program Switch event/day. Students can get a glimpse of the different classes other programs are taking and gain awareness of the different fields.
Science Fair
Bring science concepts and lessons to life by organizing a science fair. Science fairs can be an avenue for students to develop their love for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Students can demonstrate their critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills as they prepare for their exhibits.
Hackathons
Hone the skill of pitching and the development of innovative ideas. Participants will learn valuable life skills through this experience. They are not merely writing lines of code; they are architecting solutions, brainstorming ideas, and pushing the boundaries of their technical skills.
Leadership Training Retreats
Training events and retreats create a conducive environment for the student’s development and growth. The retreat’s agenda often encompasses leadership theories, team-building exercises, and real-world simulations, allowing participants to apply newfound knowledge in practical scenarios.
Community-centered School Events
Bake Sale
Sell homemade pastries or baked goods for a cause. Gather students with a united desire for baking to sell and give them the privilege to donate to a cause close to their hearts.
Garage Sale
Imagine the amount of unused and pre-loved items from the whole school community. Rent a small venue or your school gym and start selling the items donated by the school community.
The raised amount can also be donated to a cause or local organization. Alternatively, it can be used as a fund to create more school events.
Community Service
Partner with the local community and offer specific services that can serve the community. Promote it as a fulfilling event and experience for the students. Furthermore, it can also be an opportunity for students to add their contributions to their resumes.
Walking or Running Marathons
Running or walking brings therapeutic benefits to one’s body and mind. The school community can organize the event and open it to the school community like alumni, parents, etc.
Take sponsorships and offer brand exposure like printing of sponsor’s logos to the jerseys, refreshments, and more.
Volunteer expo
Organize an event where students can engage in volunteer opportunities like helping out in a homeless shelter. There is always a great need for different types of volunteers.
Whether that is in planning, serving, cooking, promoting, you name it. Students can find a nonprofit organization they are interested in and provide their expertise.
Tutoring Events
Offer tutoring services to your partner organizations. Schedule multiple event types for different subjects that can serve your community.
Recreational School Event Ideas
Local Museum Visits
Promote arts and cultures through events like museum tours and visits. As an event organizer, you can also create your own art exhibits featuring the creations of your students.
Tourists spot field trips
Promote tourism by creating a tour group to visit your local tourist attractions. This type of event is logistics-heavy and would need extensive coordination and preparation to ensure a smooth and safe trip.
Film Showing
Choose a film that is appropriate for your group and your event’s purpose. Research and obtain the necessary permission from the film producer for public viewing or performance. Once that is settled, you can start selling tickets to those who are interested in participating.
Bonfire or Camping
There’s just something about gathering together with the warmth of a bonfire. A bonfire event offers an ideal setting for storytelling, laughter, and building lasting memories. Some also use it as a celebratory event over a collected victory.
Camping takes it a notch further. Achieve specific objectives and strengthen camaraderie with activities in the camp.
Board Games
Prepare exciting board games for the students to look forward to. Select board games that achieve certain objectives like strategy building, enhanced communication, or simply for stress relief.
Festival or Concert
Good music can hit on one’s emotions and boosts one’s energy and mood. To put it simply, Music can greatly elevate an event experience.
Make school festivals or concerts a yearly event and school tradition that the whole student body can look forward to. Easily sell tickets with platforms like Event Smart and Event Espresso for maximum profit.
Book Fairs
Encourage the students’ love of reading by organizing a book fair. Each book transports readers to different places and opens their minds to new perspectives. Reading workshops or book clubs are some of the possible activities that can be added to a reading-related school event.
Themed Celebrations (Valentines, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc)
Finally, creating a school event for major occasions and celebrations can’t be missed. Depending on the occasion, organizers can prepare an event program and games tailored to the specific theme or celebration. It is easier to invite students to events like this because it is widely celebrated already.
How to Organize Your Next School Event
Organizing events in school can be fun yet overwhelming at the same time. However, seeing the impact of your school event like stronger bonds and unforgettable memories after the event is worth it.
Here are the steps you can start with as you do your school event planning:
Setting Objectives and Goals
The first step to organizing your school event is to set objectives and goals. Some examples of school event objectives are to impart a specific lesson or concept. Another example of an objective is to raise funds for a specific project.
Whatever the goal is, write the statement down in a SMART way. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound.
During your brainstorming session, ask yourself if the goals align with your values and overall vision and mission.
Consulting with Parents, Teachers, Stakeholders
Gain diverse perspectives when you consult with stakeholders for your school event. When each one is involved, it will make promotions and planning easier with less resistance. Listening and understanding the different people involved also helps you know your audience and how to serve them better through your events.
Forming an Event Planning Committee
The event planning committee is in charge of bringing the school event to life. The common department in a planning committee includes logistics, program, food and beverage, entertainment, marketing and promotions, sponsorships, guests, decorations, and post-event.
Creating a Detailed Event Timeline
An event timeline is used to outline the list of tasks and activities needed leading to the event and up to the post-event. Use a spreadsheet to list the tasks and responsibilities. Identify what needs to be done and when then work backward towards the deadline. There are sample event timeline templates you can use as a starting point.
Booking vendors
Choose the right vendors that can deliver the requirements you need. Clearly outline the list of tasks and requirements to manage your expectations. In choosing your vendors, shortlist and research their expertise, credibility, and experience. Furthermore, learn proper vendor negotiation techniques and strategies to get a win-win deal.
Writing the Event Program
Engaging events are influenced by the event program. The event program contains information on everything that is expected to happen in the event. Participants refer to the event program as a guide to know when and where each segment of the event will take place.
Event planners use the event program as a central tool for communicating with vendors, coordinating activities, and managing timelines. Additionally, it also highlights the integration of sponsors or event partners.
Promoting the Event
Every school event has different strategies for promoting its event. The most common way is to use social media strategies to attract and reach your target audience. Stand out from the marketing noise by utilizing event storytelling techniques and highlighting the benefits the event can deliver to your participants.
Accept Registrations or Sell Tickets
Events in school usually involve a lot of people and can be a challenge logistically. One important aspect of school events is the registration and ticketing system. We suggest that you set up a reliable ticket-selling and registration system for convenience. With a system in place, you can take registrations and ticket sale payments without a hassle.
Furthermore, having your own school event page gives a professional and credible experience for all your attendees. Also, imagine having the convenience of being able to promote your event and get payments 24/7.
Event Smart is a recommended option for school events because of its affordability and flexibility. Starting at only $50, you can enjoy features like selling unlimited tickets at $0 commission fees, customizing your event page, asking registration questions, and more.
Engaging Participants
Event engagement deserves an entirely different article because of how important it is. Remember that people’s attention span is shorter these days. Structure your event program in a way that there are brain breaks or spaces for interaction or networking. Include interactive elements, personalizations, and games to keep your audience hooked.
Post-event Evaluations
Finally, implement a post-event evaluation to measure the success of your school event. This is the time to go back to your set KPIs for your event and check if these have been met.
Send out surveys and conduct interviews if possible to get feedback. If you sold items for the event, collect the data on sales, revenue, and profit. All this information will be needed for your post-event report.
Tips for Promoting Your School Event
Use storytelling to hook your audience
Take your target audience into a story and get their attention. Storytelling can evoke emotions and humanize your marketing strategies.
Incorporate your story into your school event’s website. This should be the base of all your event’s information and the point of conversion like selling your event tickets.
Involve your audience in the story and make them connect with the main character of your story. Some examples of how to do this are creating a story out of a problem or need they encounter and sharing how your event can provide solutions.
Utilize multiple channels
Know where your audience is congregating and be present in that channel. Adapt your content to what works best for that channel. For example, TikTok has a culture and its way of creating content. You can adapt in a way that speaks to your audience.
Whatever social media channel you choose to focus on, it is important to include email marketing strategies to nurture your audience. Using email is the best way to send reminders and give important announcements about your event.
Leverage on partnerships or influencers
School events can leverage partnerships like local businesses or influencers to increase awareness and exposure for their event. Brands can benefit from a successful partnership with a school because of their captured network of students. When done well, students can spark word of mouth for the partnered brand or sponsor.
On the other hand, school events can use the help of the resources of partner brands. Whether it is through financial partnership, media partnership, or in-kind sponsorship, a partnership can help elevate the success of the event.
Encourage Peer to Peer Promotions
The school is a tight-knit community. When organizing a school event, create a promotion strategy that will spark word-of-mouth discussion among students. Appeal to the students’ emotions and desires. If possible, be mindful of the branding of your event so students will be proud to share about it.
Make Memorable School Events with Event Smart
Successful events, especially school events, have a powerful and effective website where all the event information is stored. When launching your event, selling tickets and setting up your website are two of the most important things to consider. Maximize your event’s revenue by choosing a ticketing platform that does not take any commission on an unlimited number of tickets sold like Event Smart.
Event Smart is an easy-to-use and affordable solution for every event organizer’s ticketing needs. Complete with features that a school event usually needs, Event Smart can manage multiple events, set recurring events, manage ticket types, collect payments from ticket sales securely, and more.
The reason why Event Smart is such a good idea for school events is that, unlike other platforms, they don’t take any commissions or additional fees for using their platform. Choose a ticketing system that gives space for higher profit margins but without letting attendees shoulder the ticketing fees – especially for events that serve budget-conscious students.
Start planning for your school event now. Check out the 14-day free trial now.
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