Our annual Welcome Fair is taking place at Old Billingsgate on the 22 and 23 of September. This is your chance to meet many of our over 300 societies and sports clubs, learn more about our venues, and snag some great student deals (as well as get lots of freebies along the way). Here’s your ultimate guide to making the most of the Welcome Fair!
Get your ticket (and arrive early if you can!)
Thousands of students attend our Welcome Fair, so you’ll want to get your free ticket early. Get yours on our website, and have it ready to show when you arrive. There may be queues, so arrive early if possible.
Check out all the student groups
There are so many different student groups represented at our Welcome Fair. It’s a good idea to check out our list of groups beforehand and get a sense of which ones you’d definitely like to meet, but you could also spend hours wandering the venue meeting and chatting with student groups you may not have considered otherwise. There will be representatives for all types of groups, from the academic to the niche hobbies and everything in between. Go in with an open mind and speak to as many people as possible!
Don’t worry if you’re on your own
Many of you will come with your housemates or friends you’ve already made in Welcome Week, but don’t worry at all if you’re coming on your own or if you end up wanting to go around the fair without your friends. It’ll give you more of a chance to check out everything that interests you, and you may well end up making some friends along the way, too.
Ask questions and sign up
Our student groups are there to chat with you, so feel free to go up to them and ask any questions you might have about joining and getting involved. Many of them will be taking sign-ups for mailing lists—this is a low-commitment way of finding out more and staying in the loop. You don’t have to become a member immediately, and many groups will have free taster sessions early on in the term to help you figure out if it’s something you’d be interested in doing. Lots of students sign up for numerous groups at the Welcome Fair and only end up actually attending a few, and that’s okay! It’s a great way to get a better sense of all the activities on offer and give yourself lots of options.
Get some freebies
You’ll be handed a KCLSU tote bag on arrival, and by the time you leave it will be full with free pens, sweets, badges, and more. There are also giveaways and prizes to be won, so you definitely won’t be leaving empty-handed!
Find out more about our Welcome Fair here.