The average price of a college Freshers Week ticket has risen dramatically this year, with some colleges charging nearly twice as much as they did 12 months ago. The average college ticket this year cost over £31, with Halifax College charging a whopping £40 for their Freshers Fortnight wristband. The equivalent ticket last year cost only £21.
Many of the price increases are over and above the rate of inflation. The Vanbrugh College ticket costs £35 this year, compared to £9 in 2008, nearly a 400% increase in three years. Tickets from Derwent College have also been increased to £25, having cost only £17 for the past three years.
Speaking to Vision, Halifax President Davedass Mootanah explained that the price increase reflected the fact that there were more events than in previous years: “In comparison to last year, we are holding 13 or 14 big events this year – more than twice the number of big events held last year. Simply put, more events mean higher costs.
“The overall cost of all of our Freshers Fortnight events have come to over £20,000, even with our efforts to drive costs down. Following what the committee was taught at YUSU’s [event] training, it is recommended that ticket prices should be charged at a price at which the college breaks even with a 66% sale rate.”
Speaking of why Halifax’s ticket cost a lot more than other college’s, Mootanah added, “We have the biggest acts thus highest costing performers. On top of this we have not one, but two big acts – so twice the cost. Some colleges haven’t booked any performers.”
Vanbrugh Chair Kallum Taylor echoed the sentiment that higher prices were a result of more ambitious event planning compared to previous years: “Without putting previous programmes down, we wanted to do more than just the standard bar crawls, campus events and club nights – this time around we’re using the city much more. With the Boat Parties, Cinema Trips, City Tours, Live Gig nights and the outdoor Jekyll and Hyde play, the price was always going to rise.” Vanbrugh’s Freshers Fortnight ticket for last year cost £26.
Derwent Chair Matt Jenkins justified the £8 rise in his college’s wristband, telling Vision: “The reason for this is really simple – we have far more events than before. When I was running for Chair I made a promise that we would have many more alternative events in Freshers Week than before, as this was the one weakness of Derwent’s previous Freshers Fortnights. Therefore this year we have music nights, multiple BBQs, a Ghost Walk, a night hosted by The Body Shop and Gamestation, as well as our expenditure in buying a Nintendo Wii, a new television and Giant Board games.
“Compared to last year, when the alternative fresher events consisted of just movie nights and a BBQ, we’ve made a huge step in providing a Freshers Week for everyone.”
Alcuin, Langwith, James and Goodricke colleges are this year charging £25, £26, £30 and £35 respectively for their Freshers events. Up until this year, the James College freshers wristband has historically cost the most, selling for £25 back in 2008