FAQs

Each year we survey UEA students, and receive questions about all of the aspects of what we do at the Union of UEA Students. This is great for us to know what students are thinking, and we aim to answer as many of these queries as possible, so if you have a further question, just shout!

LIVE MUSIC

1.    Why can’t you book a certain band?

There are two main ways that bands get booked into our venues, the LCR or the Waterfront. The first is being a venue that promoters choose as part of a tour, for which UEA is popular with the three major promoters. Otherwise we go direct to agents. Generally speaking if a band is on tour, it is far easier to get them to play a gig at UEA, especially as one of the premier venues in East Anglia. However the ever increasing cost of putting on a gig makes those that are not on tour difficult to attract. This means that generally speaking, bands which are on tour are likely to be at UEA, and we try to get others as often as possible!

2.    Can we have more input on the Union’s Entertainments programme?

We will be setting up regular focus groups to assess the major events on our entertainments calendar. To have more input, email me at union.finance@uea.ac.uk to register your interest for these focus groups!

 3.    We need more gigs

The Union already has an entertainments line-up of around 60 gigs and shows set up for the 2010-11 year. This is one of the best line ups provided by any University or Students Union in the country, although we are still always trying to be better. It must be remembered that there are also about 100 bands which play the Waterfront each year.

4.    Can we have live music in the bar after 11pm?

We will test a live music event for viability in the blue bar after 11pm in the autumn semester, and if this is successful look to roll it out as a larger programme. Keep an eye out for information!

5.    It seems that the quality of the bands in the programme has decreased, why?

The quality of the bands in the programme simply hasn’t decreased, the Entertainments department works to ensure this on a yearly basis.

6.   There is a limited appeal to the gigs that are put on, can we have something else?

The sales on the Union events are still strong, which suggests that the gigs are appealing to a large amount of people, however to feedback and have your say, see point two for what we are putting together!

BARS

1.    Why are bar prices so high?

Compared to the Norwich market, the Union’s bar prices are very competitive, with only JD Weatherspoon’s providing cheaper drinks. The bar prices are set in order to maintain the Union’s activities alongside other commercial services. Remember that this pays for everything the Union does, like funding events, Sports Clubs and Societies. Every Pound spent at the Union comes back to students.

2.    Why don’t we stock other products or brands?

We get the majority of our products through NUSSL (NUS Services Limited) which is the bulk buying commercial arm of the NUS. This means we are slightly limited by what they are providing. However if there is something most students want, then we will try to bring them in.

3.    Why are the Bar staff paid so much?

Our pay in the Union is tied to University pay scales for similar levels of work. This means that our rates of pay are largely beyond our control, however the Union giving a good wage for student staff is still a positive step towards benefitting students.

4.    Why don’t we open later?

The Union has to abide by laws which state how long our licenses run into the night. Within this there are some exceptions which mean that the LCR can open later for special events, a limited number of times in the year, which are usually reserved for special nights such as the grad ball.