The words ‘now so-and-so has some notices’ are a well-known sedative and given the importance of the houseparty it is vital that you make a special effort to ensure that the purpose and arrangements for the weekend do not get lost in a sea of other news. Try and be creative in drawing attention to the houseparty. One way to do so (though this has been overworked in some quarters) would be to have two people ‘running’ across the front of the hall in slow motion. As they near the far side somebody interrupts them. ‘What’s the hurry?’ they ask. The runner pulls a booking form from their back pocket and replies, ‘I’m getting my place on the houseparty’. Having got people’s attention you could then give a quick talk about the weekend. Alternatively, you could put up photos from the previous year’s houseparty on a piece of hardboard or you could invite students who went to say why it was a significant time (make sure you have some idea what they are going to say before they say it!). Encourage people to book as early as possible, as this will make the life of the co-ordinator so much easier.

If your CU produces a fresher’s handbook, make sure that the houseparty is given a good plug. If you are able to includ3e a copy of the full programme in your publicity for the weekend people will have a better idea of what they are letting themselves in for. If you do distribute a programme card in this way make sure that the booking form is not on the back of the programme or people will lose the details of what’s happening when they sign up. This can most easily be avoided by having the booking form as an insert in the programme. Also remember to include advice on what to bring (Bible, notebook, pen, sleeping bag, tea towel, warm clothes, money to buy books, cheque books to cover the balance owning on the weekend itself, musical instruments, etc..). Include on the booking form a prompt for people to state any dietary needs (expect people to write ‘lots of nice food’, has, ha), a place for people to state their choice of seminar (if appropriate) and whether they are paying the deposit of the full amount. Taking a deposit helps to counter last-minute drop-outs, since most conference centres will still require that person’s place to be paid for.