Good examples of different Evening Events:
- One CU held events in the main university canteen. This meant that they had to budget to use the official caterers but this was worth it — to have such a convenient and well known venue. They started with drinks and then an interview. This was followed by the main course… and then the talk. Dessert was then served, before the Q&A and the evening finished with hot drinks, which encouraged people to stay and chat. By spacing things out, people got to digest the gospel, as well as the food and also had lots of opportunities to chat.
- The CU had created a menu card for each night that not only told people what they were going to eat, but also included discussion questions.
- Another CU held events in a local church close to where the students lived. They decorated the main hall, improved the lighting and set out chairs around tables. The talk was preceded by a meal and each night the food was provided by a different local church — reducing their costs and involving local Christians. Each evening there was a different cuisine (Chinese, Indian, Italian, etc).
- In Belgrade they were able to book a well-known cafe in the centre of the city. The cafe was normally closed in the evenings but they were willing to stay open if the CU agreed to buy a certain number of drinks. Free coffee and live music created a great atmosphere for the talk.
- A number of CUs have discovered the benefit of interspersing the talk with discussion times around tables. This helps people engage with what they are hearing and with those around them. Experience has shown it builds a bridge between the Events Week and the follow-up that happens afterwards. The key for success is making sure that, where possible, tables have a mixture of CU members and guests. It's also vital that the questions are well thought through and worded clearly.
And… an example to avoid…
- One CU held a cocktail party on their final evening, complete with free alcoholic cocktails. Unfortunately, because this appeared to be a more attractive event than the other evenings, most CU members only invited their friends to this event. The other problem was that, although the event was well attended, most guests had drunk too much to be able to really engage with the talk once it had started!