Dublin University Business and Economics Society (DUBES) intends on doubling the number of events it is putting on this year, as part of the shift towards online events.
The society will be hosting speakers from a range of companies such as LinkedIn, Ernest and Young, Revolut, Salesforce and BP, and will also host a range of educational and professional networking events throughout the year.
In a press statement, DUBES Treasurer Raphi Patterson and Speakers Convenor Ana Bellew said that the society is taking a “glass-half-full view of our enforced reality”.
They added that “the ability to offer guest speakers online access to our membership has allowed us to attract an unprecedented world-class line-up this year”.
The two also said that the DUBES Ball and Mystery Tour are currently “on hold”, but that if coronavirus regulations are relaxed in the future, the society will host on-campus and social events.
“We are looking forward to engaging with our new members with a sense of hope and optimism. We remain upbeat. We are resilient”, the pair said.
“This year, Freshers Week will not have the same frenetic buzz that many of us were lucky enough to experience in the past but Trinity Societies still have plenty to offer.”
“We will continue to innovate and excite. We will continue to provide the kind of opportunities that have enriched college life for so many students for so many years.”
The University Times this week reported that society activities will be subject to two-metre social distancing restrictions, even though higher education institutions are permitted to relax this rule to one metre during classes and lectures.
This newspaper also reported that freshers’ fair – a staple of society life in Trinity – will be cancelled this year amid concerns about the feasibility of social distancing. Instead, societies are being encouraged to shift events online.
DUBES was one of the first societies to announce a move towards online events. In June, the society announced that all speakers’ events would be moved online for the first term.
In a press statement, Conor Murdoch, the auditor and chair of the DUBES committee, said: “At DUBES, the health and safety of our members and guest speakers is our number 1 priority, and we believe that by hosting our events online we will best be able to ensure that safety while still providing our members with the engaging and educational content that they have come to expect from our society.”
