Imperial College London partners with ayda to bring students a hybrid Freshers Week post pandemic

Imperial College London (@imperialcollege) and fourteen other universities and Students’ Union’s, including those at University of Birmingham (@unibirmingham), University of Sussex (@SussexUni) and University of Glasgow (@UofGlasgow), have introduced a hybrid Freshers Week to help students feel “Covid Safe ” as they return to campus. 

Following 18-months of uncertainty, they have partnered with hybrid campus events platform, ayda, to bring online and offline events to students in September as 57% of prospective and first year students have voiced their anxiety about attending in-person events following the pandemic. 

ayda allows any student, be it vulnerable, anxious or even international students, the opportunity to engage with student events no matter their circumstance, providing them access to content that would otherwise be limited to the in-person event. 

The platform also provides personalised recommendations for every student, showcasing the best the university has to offer them, from advice to student deals through to societies and clubs, allowing students to connect with like-minded freshers. ayda has a distinct design language which features 3D models of iconic landmarks from in and around campuses that truly bring campus to life.  

Glen Whitcroft, Sales & Sponsorship Manager at Imperial College London said:

“Moving student events online where socialisation is at their core was daunting. But with ayda creating a digital solution based on the in-person event, the process was seamless and we were able to feature hundreds of societies, multiple students’ union departments, university services, charities and external partners so no Imperial College student missed out.”

Alice Paines, Events and Sponsorship Manager at University of Sussex Students’ Union said:

“Throughout the pandemic, it was amazing to work with Raptor on a completely virtual solution to still show off the amazing work our clubs and societies were still doing. Now, in an era where event planning includes contingency plans and more accessible ways of audiences engaging from all over the world – it is a great comfort to have a solution like ayda to support us. It will mean that we can confidently say to all students that if they’re unable to come to our in person events, they can still find their communities and the best offers at Sussex- which is what Freshers’ Week is all about!”

Dave Burgman, CEO of ayda added:

“Student events are the cornerstone of the university experience and it is really important that new students get to understand what their universities offer outside of just their courses. Freshers’ week is an incredible moment in time for those in higher education and, whilst we don’t want to take away from the benefits of in-person events now that they are possible, we want to ensure that all students still have access to the same student experience no matter where they are and allow universities to showcase the best they have to offer.”