This event took place at the University of London in the summer as part of the AHEP Regional Networks summer calendar
In April this year I contacted AHEP to enquire if it would be possible for me to organise an event at my place of work, Senate House, in London. Senate House is a striking art deco building and was purpose built as the administrative headquarters for the University of London (UoL). It is also used as an impressive back drop by the TV and film industry. Many of you reading this article will no doubt have watched films and dramas whereby scenes have taken place in the wood-panelled rooms and marble halls of Senate House. My idea, therefore, was to conduct a private tour of the building for AHEP members followed by a drinks reception, a format which worked well at another London institution I visited in 2024.
The concept of the tour came about when a fellow AHEP member mentioned to me that he thought members would be interested in a tour of Senate House – if I felt this was something I would like to explore. This is not something I had previously considered, I think we get so used to travelling into the ‘office’ that we forget how interesting our places of work really are. For me, Senate House represents my employer, yet it is also a building of unique interest, especially when seeing it for the first time. I’m very fortunate to work at such an iconic building, which although less than 100 years old has a huge amount of history and interest. When I viewed it in this way I agreed that arranging an event for AHEP members would be worth investigating.
The building warrants a visit just to see the architecture alone, not to mention the surrounding area of Bloomsbury which can boast an impressive and active hub of Higher Education Institutions. The fact that Senate House is located in a very accessible area in central London, and with excellent transport links, really helped when promoting the event. I felt also that organising an event over the summer months would draw more interest as people are more likely to travel to another location after work when the weather is better.
I have not previously been involved in events management so organising the tour was completely outside of my everyday remit – I work in Assessments so this was very different! However, taking on this project gave me a new insight into how external events are organised and managed, plus I was able to connect with colleagues outside of my department. I certainly learnt a lot about what is involved, from ordering the catering – which included working with the Finance team and our Internal Events team – to ensuring the rooms we wanted to access were available and not booked out by another event, a point I had not considered when I first pitched the idea to my Director. I was surprised how busy the building was actually going to be on a Thursday evening in July outside of office hours.
On the tour delegates were able to access rooms which are normally closed to the public, it was very much a ‘behind the scenes’ event. My Director, who is extremely passionate and knowledgeable of Senate House conducted the tour and really brought the building to life with notable points of interest as well as anecdotal pieces. We also went outside to look at the external decoration and construction of the building – there is a lot of beautiful artwork very easily missed when dashing through the cloisters to get from Malet Street to Russell Square.
Although I have worked at UoL for many years I did learn new things about our building, for example the tiny spider and mouse incorporated into one of the stained-glass windows, so easily missed if you don’t know they exist. It was also the first time I had actually been inside the Vice-Chancellor’s office. The tour took about an hour and was followed by a drinks reception which was located in a private wood-panelled room. It was an excellent way to round off the evening and it was great to connect with AHEP members from the London area on a social level.
Organising an event such as this was a little daunting at first, but I had a lot of support from the AHEP team and our Regional Network co-ordinator. This made all the difference, especially as AHEP were able to promote the event and collate delegate bookings on their side. All I had to do was provide some promotional text (including photos) and location details. However, I also had support from my Director (from my department) who was very supportive and gave me the initial ‘green light’ when I proposed the idea to him. I was therefore able to approach AHEP with a certain level of confidence because I felt that I already had good support at my end.
I would really encourage anyone who is considering hosting a similar event to get something arranged, there is definitely an interest amongst AHEP members to visit other institutions within their local area. I appreciate that online events have their place and I certainly would not dismiss online activities, but I think it’s really important to retain in-person events – nothing is the same as connecting with colleagues in the same room. Organising the tour was an excellent opportunity for me to get involved in an activity outside of my every day work schedule, and the evening itself was a lot of fun. I received very positive feedback from attendees which made all my hard work well worth the effort.
📩 If this event has sparked ideas for how you might bring colleagues together in your own institution, why not start planning something similar? Whether it’s a workshop, away day, or larger conference, the AHEP team can support you in creating an engaging and impactful experience. To explore how we can help, drop us a line at hello@ahep.ac.uk – we’d love to hear from you.
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