How to set dates

When setting dates, consider the following:

• Uni semester/exam dates (semesters and trimesters)

  • We want to run during the term but avoid the exam periods

  • Remember to look up the dates for all the major universities that your volunteers might be going to (not just the host)

• School term dates (public and private schools)

• Public Holidays and long weekends

  • These are different in every state, so remember to look it up

• Cultural and local days, e.g.

  • Ramadan

  • Mothers/Fathers day

  • Local events (sports, conflicting conferences)

    • Public transport/road closures

• University open days - these make accessing the venue very hard (sometimes impossible)

• Availability of university staff

• Availability of key volunteers (e.g. Node Leads) 

Example: Term dates Sydney 2024

Common mistakes

• Too early in the term

  • When are you emails going out

• Too late in the year

• Confirming dates are locked in with the uni prior to event marketing

  • Some university dates like Open day may not be locked in early in the year, so watch out for this

• Not spreading events out - (no breaks leads to committee burnout)