International accolade for UEA gig history project
By: News Archive
The University of East Anglia’s (UEA) gig history project has scooped an international award for its use of social media in connecting alumni across the world.
The UEA gig history project has received the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Europe’s silver Circle of Excellence award for engaging with alumni, who have been touched by the music gigs they attended while studying at UEA.
The project was launched in 2016, to mark 40 years to the day that UEA cancelled the first date of the Sex Pistols Anarchy in the UK tour on safety grounds, with other venues later following suit.
The team wanted to turn a negative into a positive and celebrate the unique gig history at UEA from 1963, when the University was first built, through to present day.
Luckily an archive of listings, posters and photos had been safely stored by Gavin Hudson, part of UEA’s Student Union entertainments team. Gavin had also compiled a list detailing performers, dates and prices in homage to his deceased colleague Nick Rayns. Nick Rayns was widely credited as having enhanced the calibre of performers booking into UEA’s famous Nick Rayns LCR venue.
The archive and list were shared publicly and the team received an overwhelming response. Unique memorabilia, photos and personal memories were sent in to the team from gig-goers from the last five decades.
The content was used in press, social media, website and a gig list publication was produced. Contributions from guest bloggers were also popular and included writers from The NME, Electronic Sound, Huffington Post and Outline Magazine.
UEA Vice-Chancellor, Prof David Richardson was a punk fan in his youth and was keen to support the project with his personal take on the music genre. He said: “We are delighted to have received recognition on this scale and it is testament to the hard work of the team.
“UEA gigs have always been open to the public and the concerts form an important part of the wider cultural contribution the university makes to the city of Norwich and region.”
The Circle of Excellence awards programme honours outstanding work in advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising and marketing at CASE member institutions worldwide.
The awards were judged by peer professionals at schools, colleges and universities as well as by professionals from outside education. Winners were selected based on overall quality, innovation, use of resources and the impact on the institution or its external and internal communities, such as alumni, parents, students and faculty and staff.
Ruth Selwyn-Crome, Content Manager, from UEA’s Alumni Conferences and Events team, said: “I’m so pleased the project has been recognised in this way. What started as a brave gesture and celebration has evolved into an ongoing collection which I hope will become a useable new archive for students, gig-goers and music lovers alike.”
The project’s Twitter channel, @ueagighistory, was also named in the top ten tweeters new year lists by the Eastern Daily Press (EDP) in 2016 and 2017, with EDP Editor David Powles and local author Richard Balls contributing content.
Project organisers Ruth Selwyn-Crome and Maresa Padmore will present at the Winners’ Circle session on Thursday 30 August at the Annual CASE Europe Conference in Edinburgh.
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