At a university open day, visitors need to find the people who can direct them to a talk, lead a campus tour or answer questions. Choose a T-shirt design that helps them recognise your ambassadors and event staff. Then work out the quantities by campus, get the artwork approved and plan when the shirts need to be ready to hand out.

Decide Who Needs a University Event T-Shirt

Start with your programme and team lists. At an open day, that might include student ambassadors, check-in staff and the people supporting talks or demonstrations. During welcome week, it might include campus guides, enrolment helpers and the team at the Freshers’ fair. Count each person’s clothing needs across the programme if they’re working on more than one day.

Agree what visitors need to recognise. For example, one shirt colour and a clear ambassador label can help people find the campus tour team. If several teams share the same shirt, a role badge or lanyard can help visitors tell who can answer their question. Tell visitors what colour or wording to look for in the event information.

If a students’ union or society is also ordering shirts to give away or sell, list that stock separately from the clothing the crew will wear. Our guide to planning event T-shirts covers how to plan quantities and distribution for each use.

Confirm Who Approves the Logo and Order

Ask for the approved university logo file and check who signs off its use on clothing. If a faculty, students’ union or sponsor needs its own mark on the garment, get the correct files and confirm which logos can appear together. List each version with its quantities, garment colour, print size and position so the supplier can quote accurately.

Check who can approve the spend, which department or cost centre will pay, and whether your university needs a purchase order before the supplier can start. If you need to register a new supplier, start that while you collect sizes. Agree who’ll approve the artwork and give them time to review a Free Digital Sample for logo size and placement. If the shirt will be used across the year, check whether the design can work for several event dates.

Choose a Shirt for the Roles on Campus

Think about how long people will wear the shirt and what they’ll wear with it. Campus guides may walk between buildings for most of the day. Check-in teams may work in a warm hall or next to an open entrance. Use our bulk custom T-shirt guide to compare garment weights, fits and colours, then check the available size range before you collect sizes.

Try the shirt with any lanyard, radio strap or outer layer the team normally uses. Check whether the logo and role wording will still be visible in the place people need to recognise the wearer. If guides spend part of the day outside, our outdoor event crew clothing guide covers how to keep teams recognisable when people add a jacket.

Calculate the Order From Sizes and Usable Stock

Collect sizes against the chart for the chosen shirt. Add any changes needed for consecutive shifts and agree a reserve by size for late sign-ups and swaps. Count existing shirts that match the design and garment you’ll issue. Check their condition and size before taking them off the new order. Our T-shirt quantity planning guide shows how to turn the team lists into a size split.

For example, a university is ordering the same shirt for two campuses and keeping a shared reserve for confirmed events later in the term. It needs 550 shirts in total. It has 50 usable shirts in the sizes the two campuses need.

AllocationShirts neededUsable stockNew shirts to order
Main campus26030230
Second campus23020210
Shared reserve60060
Total55050500

Use the totals to compare order options. Give the supplier the size split within each allocation and tell the team receiving the delivery how many shirts to set aside for each campus.

Compare Bundle Options Against the Artwork

Once the total and artwork are agreed, compare bulk printed T-shirt bundles by garment, quantity and included print. In the example, the bundle of 500 screen-printed T-shirts includes a one-colour screen print in one position. Check that the style and size range suit the wearers and that the approved artwork can be printed to that specification.

If the design needs several colours or a separate role label on the back, ask for the finished price with those requirements included. Our screen print and full-colour comparison explains how to compare the options. When campus or faculty names change the artwork, tell the supplier how many shirts need each design before you compare the total cost.

Set Dates for Approval, Delivery and Issue

Work back from the staff briefing or collection day. Allow time for artwork approval, any required purchase order, production, delivery and a check of the size split. If a central goods-in team receives the order, allow time to move it to the event office or the campuses that will issue it.

Give the supplier the garment style, quantities by size, artwork versions, print positions and required delivery date. Confirm the delivery point and ask for any labelling or packing requirements to be included in the quote. Use our guide to ordering custom T-shirts in bulk to check the order before sending it.

After the event, record what’s left by size and keep the approved artwork with the garment reference. Our staff T-shirt reorder guide explains how to use that record when you plan the next issue.

Send us your campus quantities, logo files, size split and required delivery date. We’ll help you check which T-shirt bundle fits the brief and quote for any separate artwork or print positions you need.

Need some advice?

Get In Touch - We're Here To Help

Call Us

We're here 9-5 Monday to Friday
0333 331 5461

Contact Us

Send us a message and we'll get back to you ASAP

Drop into the shop

Open 9:30-4 Weekdays
WF5 9SQ

Andy
Latest posts by Andy (see all)