LASE Fest 2026 took place on Friday 11 September and it was the first event of it’s kind. Employers from both the University of Kent and University of Greenwich, came together for the first time as the London and South East University Group for a day of networking, collaboration and learning.
The event started with networking and opening remarks from Professor Jane Harrington, founding Vice-Chancellor and CEO of LASE. Staff were then able to pick from a wide range of engagement sessions, whether that was a tour of our Community Oasis Garden (COG) and crime house or hearing about Continuous Improvement and particular showcases from across the two universities. Each attendee also received a LASE themed goodie bag for attending on the day, which included branded merch.
Our catering team provided delicious lunch options to cater for all attendees with choices like burrito bowls, right to food venison stew, jacket potatoes, mac & cheese, burgers and more. The variety of options available was complimented by many of the staff in attendance.
Attendees came together at the end of the day for a Q&A panel session with the new Senior Leadership Team for LASE Group, getting to hear their answers to key questions submitted through the app ahead of the event. Prosecco, no-secco and cupcakes were provided afterwards with more networking opportunities before our Greenwich colleagues headed for their coaches.
Our event coordinator Lara, organised, managed and coordinated the logistics on the day with support from Caroline, Katherine and Emma during the event. Whilst the main parts of the event took part in our Kent Indoor Tennis and Events Arena, the engagement sessions took place across campus in Sibson, Chipperfield, Pears and further afield. The team worked with multiple departments across the university including the Transport, Security, Catering teams as well as external suppliers to bring everything together on the day for over 1,000 delegates.
We are looking forward to running more events like this as part of the LASE University Group in the future.