Putting it together - behind the scenes at the Postgraduate Awards Ceremonies

A look at who is involved in the organisation and planning of one of the biggest events of the year - News

Thursday 10 May 2007
By Naomi Weston

Events Office

Postgraduate Awards Ceremonies day is one of the biggest milestones in the Events Office's calendar, with the duties of the three-strong team ranging from coordinating invitations, catering, music, robing and order of ceremony months in advance to taking care of guests and stewarding on the day.

Early tasks include arranging multiple venues, from the Royal Albert Hall to the marquee on the Queen's Lawn, to ensure that the 5,000 guests enjoy the day in impressive surroundings. The first contact with the graduating students comes via email to request their up-to-date home addresses, to which postcard invitations to attend are sent. Those able to make it can then book places for themselves and their guests online, though the team also takes many calls from people who need extra help.

Since the establishment of a separate postgraduate ceremony in 1996, the day has grown in popularity to such an extent that a single event is now impossible and the day is split into morning and afternoon ceremonies. This year a total of 1,400 postgraduates crossed the stage of the Royal Albert Hall.

The graduates and their families are joined each year in the Royal Albert Hall by special guests of the College, including those receiving honorary degrees or being admitted to the Fellowship of Imperial. These guests are invited to a special dinner on the evening before the ceremonies and also to lunch on the day, adding to the number of functions to be organised.

The day itself is frantic, according to Ceremonies and Events Officer Louisa Spittles, with many last minute panics and hitches to contend with, including eleventh hour sartorial queries from graduates such as "What shoes should I wear?" However she adds that the hard work is worth it, with all members of the College enjoying the excitement and ceremony of the day.

"We have people coming from all around the world to attend the ceremonies so it obviously means a lot to people," she says. "Although we're all shattered by the end of it, it gives a real sense of achievement to see so many people coming back to Imperial to celebrate with their friends and families."

Media Services

The Royal Albert Hall's principal dressing room, usually inhabited by notables such as Michael Bolton or Russell Watson, hosted a different kind of gathering yesterday when it provided the base for Imperial's Media Services team.

Led by Colin Grimshaw and Martin Sayers, the team's mission was to capture the morning and afternoon Postgraduate Awards Ceremonies for DVD, while at the same time providing a live broadcast of the events which was beamed onto a huge screen above the stage.

Three cameras placed around the Royal Albert Hall ensured comprehensive coverage, but also gave the team the nail-biting challenge of cutting live between them to provide the 2,500-strong audience with the best view. Coordinating the coverage from backstage, Colin and Martin watched different TV screens simultaneously, quickly switching between the different views of events on stage. At they same time, they were in constant communication with the three cameramen, plus lighting, sound and engineering technicians.

"It's like controlling a two-hour-plus live outside broadcast for TV," comments Colin. "It's a great thing to do because everyone can see what's happening very clearly - you often see graduates waiting at the side of the stage pointing at themselves. But it's also pretty daunting since if we make a mistake everyone will see."

After the day itself, the next stage is to produce a DVD of the ceremonies so that graduates and their families have the opportunity to buy a lasting memento. The Media Services team edits the footage to fit onto a four-hour disc, then encodes the clips and designs the menu so that viewers can click through to see the parts they are most interested in.

"It's very complex, like putting together a jigsaw puzzle," says Martin, who designs and programmes the disc each year. "There are many ways of designing it, with multiple menus, buttons and tracks. I have to put together the most logical routes so it's easy for everyone to navigate and find their way around."

The DVDs are sent to Imperial alumni all over the world and are also stored in the College archives. "It's a great living record for the College," adds Colin. "Not only do we have a log of who was here, what was done and what was said, but future generations will be able to watch it happening, which brings it to life in a way that a list of names on paper just can't do."

DVDs of the 2007 Postgraduate Awards Ceremonies will be available for £15 from July - to order a copy email graduation@imperial.ac.uk

Catering Services

Graduation is one of the biggest events of the year for the College’s catering team and this May was no exception with around 5,000 people on the South Kensington Campus.

Over the day, with two ceremonies and six different venues, the catering team served:

• 1,152 litres of water
• 828 litres of orange juice
• 1,212 bottles of champagne
• 336 bottles of sparkling date juice
• 28,377 canapés

Michael St Clair Laing, Event Duty Manager for the College’s Catering Services, is in charge of all the catering across the different venues. With a team of 60 staff and four months advance planning, he was happy with the smooth running of the day.

Because the day held two ceremonies, the catering team had the challenge of setting up for the morning event, clearing up and then re-setting for the afternoon ceremony.

"The hardest part of the day was getting all the food and drink to the varying venues across the campus. Timing is everything and as we hear the bells of the Queen’s Tower, everyone knows the students and guests are on their way. With all the food being plated up in the kitchens, it needs to be taken to the venues as soon as possible," explains Michael.

He adds: "It is a long day with a 7am start but it is good fun. I have a great team and we all pulled together. I love working with the public and meeting so many different people from different countries. It is a really happy occasion and this year we had the biggest marquee ever with room for 2,000 people!"

The College Catering Services, part of Commercial Services, deals with all events held on campus. The next big catered event is the staff party, being held in July, in celebration of the Centenary.