by Neon Entertainment
The Holiday break is right around the corner, but all student programmers know that these last 3 weeks are jam packed with planning, office hours, attending Ugly Sweater get togethers and putting on your yearly holiday events for students – all while trying to study for finals and prepare last minute presentations. It’s the end of the semester and you have to penny pitch your programming budget, but you want to make sure the attendance for your annual holiday event is high! Here are three cheap but creative tips that won’t take up much time, to market for your holiday event:
1: Host a Free Sugar Cookie decorating event: Ask your food service on campus to either donate or meet your budget for 50-100 sugar cookies, 3-5 icing bags and other cookie decorations if available. Set up a table in your student Union during a busy afternoon a day before your Holiday event. Use word of mouth, social media and hand out flyers to attend your event “tomorrow!” This creates fresh awareness and last minute schedulers to hop on board! If you can’t host an event, give away sugar cookies wrapped in plastic wrap with a label that contains the Holiday event’s important details (date, location, time and the event’s hashtag)
2: Get Social on Social Media: Create a hashtag by using the holiday event’s name or something short and catchy, for example “#HappyHolidays2016” as your event’s hashtag. Start using this hashtag 1.5 to 2 weeks prior to the event to create awareness on social media. Ask your marketing chair or a student in a graphic’s design major to design your event a Snap Chat Geo filter. The dimensions can be found HERE. Last but not least, schedule posts on Facebook with general information you won’t want to miss posting.
3: It Twas’ The Night Before Your Holiday Event: Gather 3-5 programming board members. Wrap large objects in your union with gift wrap. First and most importantly; ask for permission to wrap 5-10 items with gift wrap for 24 hours. Start with your programming adviser, they’ll either direct you to the correct person or ask themselves. Wrap 2-3 entire tables in your cafeteria with a fun, noticeable pattern gift wrap. Place a holiday poem, story (Twas the night before Christmas) or song with your event details on the table. Next, wrap a garbage can, railing, chair, tv, picture frame and napkin dispenser. These are extremely noticeable and students won’t be able to NOT stop what they’re doing and check out your event details! You will need: 3-5 rolls of gift wrap, 3-5 rolls of scotch tape, scissors and someone to take a Snap Chat story!
