You're interested in organising an event with us but unsure how to start? Here is all you need to know! The next Sustainability Week Zurich will happen in April but we are already collecting proposals for events. Any student/staff of any of the universities in Zurich can propose an event they would like to organise and we are here to help with the funding, marketing and planning. From workshops, lectures and panel discussions to gardening, cooking and excursions, we've had a huge variety of events in the past and are always open to new ideas. You don't have to provide a detailed and polished event proposal to be considered but there are some questions you should ask yourself before:
What is the goal of my event?
The goal of the Sustainability Week is to raise awareness about topics around sustainability and share how students in zurich can incorporate sustainable practices into their daily lives. Sustainability is a very broad subject so we always welcome event organisers to also come at it from different angles. The goal of an event can be to educate participants about specific topics such as climate impact of food, plastic waste, recycling or social inequality but it can also be about small things people can change in their own lives or mindsets to be more sustainable.
When and where would my event happen?
During the next Sustainability Week, we are planning to have our main tent where most of the action happens around Toni Areal at ZHdK. Therefore we would like to especially encourage event organisers to host their events there, either as longer drop-in workshops during the day or as part of bigger events during the evenings. Could your event be held there (the tent will include a stage with projector, tables and power outlets) or would another location be better suited? In the end, once we have received all event proposals, our lead team will try to fix a schedule to avoid timetabling conflicts as much as possible!
How much will my event cost?
As an association we receive money from the universities so we have a budget to spend on your proposed event. Things we can cover include for example costs for (vegan) aperos, material costs, travel and accommodation for external speakers or booking fees for venues. We cannot pay organisers or external speakers for their time as it would not be fair for all our lovely helpers who volunteer for free. In the past the majority of our events have had a budget below 50CHF while some larger events cost up to 800CHF. Of course, our funds are limited so we may need to reject events which we cannot fit in our budget but we will always try to find a way to organise them first.
Ok, I have an amazing idea, what do I do now?
To finally submit your event idea, you can fill out our event proposal form and our lead team will get in touch soon to discuss all the details. The deadline for submitting event ideas is end of February so don't wait too long! Even if you only have a very vague idea and are not sure how to make it work, you can submit a proposal and maybe we can even put you in touch with other people proposing similar events to work together! Still not sure about what event you would like to organise? Maybe you can find some inspiration browsing last year's program! If you still have more questions, please get in touch or check our upcoming events for our next kickoff meeting!