Visit the Campus Digest main web page

 

See awards to and presentations by your peers
Click here to create an e-mail from your default e-mail program
See previous issues of Campus Digest
Go to the Research, Grants and Contracts website
See when Campus Digest will be published and the deadlines for submitting items
Learn how to subscribe to the biweekly Campus Digest e-mail newsletter
Find out how to remove yourself from the Campus Digest e-mail newsletter mailing list
See what other departmental newsletters are available at NKU
Visit the Midweek website
View Midweek archives
  

Getting bodies into the seats
 

What you need to know about publicizing an event to the campus or the community

Events on a university campus are an everyday occurrence. But how do you get bodies to fill the seats? Here are some tips (along with some timelines) so you get the most exposure for your event, whether it’s a one-time event or an annual one. Information about whom to contact on campus for various publicity services and guidelines for submission are included in this article.

OK, now that you know whom to contact and when you should do it, is there anything else you should include in your advertising? Yes! University events need to be accessible to anyone who wants to attend, so consider adding the following content to all of the advertising you do for your event:

Northern Kentucky University is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation for this event, please contact our office at least ten days in advance at _____________.

What avenues are available for publicizing events?

There are many ways you can publicize your event. No-cost options include:

  • As soon as you know specifics about your event, you should submit the details to http://nkuconnections.nku.edu if the event is open to the general public (http://nkuconnections.nku.edu/pubevent.asp). By submitting your event to http://nkuconnections.nku.edu it will also appear on the university’s master calendar so anyone visiting the NKU website or the on-campus Welcome Center has access to the information. If you need to change the specifics about an event you’ve already submitted to http://nkuconnections.nku.edu, contact connect@nku.edu. For inclusion in the NKU Connections print edition, submit events early. Visit http://communityconnections.nku.edu/event_submission.htm for submission deadlines, and look for the call for submissions in Midweek. Even if you miss the deadline, it’s a great idea to submit it anyway – your event will get lots of exposure on the website as well.
  • If the event is not open to the general public, as soon as you know specifics about your event, put it on the master calendar yourself (http://www.nku.edu/calendar_request.php). If the details change after you’ve submitted directly to the master calendar, contact steinbrunnea@nku.edu. It is important that every event that takes place on campus, regardless of whether it is open to the public or not, appears on the master calendar. Many others on campus need to be aware of events that will have people on campus. For example, the Welcome Center and University Center help desk need to know so they can direct lost people. University Police and Facilities Management need to know so they can anticipate traffic and parking problems. Any other department on campus that is holding an event when yours is occurring needs to know about your event so invitations and maps direct people to park/drive in areas away from your event. Also, any event that is going to reroute traffic or close parking lots (for example, the annual automobile tent sale or a construction project) needs to be on the calendar so visitors and campus citizens can be aware.
  • You should also submit the event to Midweek (the twice-a-week faculty/staff e-newsletter) about 28 days before the event and then again about seven days before the event. Midweek guidelines are available at http://www.nku.edu/~midweek/guidelines.htm. Submit items to the Midweek website at http://www.nku.edu/~midweek/submissions.htm (or directly to midweek@nku.edu if the website is unavailable).
  • Submit the item to Campus Digest (the every-other-week faculty/staff e-newsletter) at campusdigest@nku.edu about a month before the event (check the publication schedule at http://campusdigest.nku.edu/pubdates.php to be sure you submit before the deadline of the Campus Digest closest to your event’s date). Campus Digest has no submission restrictions but encourages photos, charts and other visual items that make your announcement more appealing.
  • If your event will appeal to students, submit the event to the Office of Student Life at studentlife@nku.edu so it can be included in N3 (Norse News Network, the weekly student e-mail newsletter).
  • If you want media coverage of your event, send a press release or all of the pertinent information (who?, what?, when?, where?, why?) about the event to Chris Cole at colec@nku.edu. Media coverage is more likely if information is submitted at least one week prior to the event.
  • Consider having the information scroll on the electronic sign at the corner of Nunn Drive and U.S. 27 (http://www.nku.edu/~conference/nku/esign_form.htm) or on the electronic sign outside the University Center facing the plaza (bridewellt@nku.edu, 12 words or fewer, runs for up to two weeks).

If you’ve got some extra money in your budget, you can try some of these suggestions:

  • If you want to buy advertising for your event, contact Rick Meyers at meyersr@nku.edu.
  • If you want to create printed publications to mail to alumni, students or faculty/staff, contact Michael Frazier at fraziermi@nku.edu or Jo Ann Fincken at fincken@nku.edu to arrange design services.
  • If you want to send a mailing (postcard, invitation, letter etc.) to alumni, contact Deidra Fajack at fajackd@nku.edu.
  • If you want to send interoffice mail to faculty and staff, contact Jo Ann Fincken at fincken@nku.edu.
  • If you want to send a mailing (postcard, invitation, letter etc.) to current students, contact studentlife@nku.edu.

Now that you know what avenues are available to you, when should you submit notices to them? How far in advance do you need to plan to get the right exposure for your event? Click here for a printable timeline that includes all of the avenues listed above. You can use the timeline as a checklist when planning publicity for your event.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Advertising: meyersr@nku.edu
Alumni: fajackd@nku.edu
Electronic signage: http://www.nku.edu/~conference/nku/esign_form.htm or bridewellt@nku.edu.
Mailing printed materials:

Master calendar: steinbrunnea@nku.edu
Media relations: colec@nku.edu
Midweek and Campus Digest: rogersti@nku.edu, http://www.nku.edu/~midweek/submissions.htm or campusdigest@nku.edu
NKU Connections: http://communityconnections.nku.edu/event_submission.htm, connect@nku.edu, spongm1@nku.edu or nesbitt@nku.edu
Norse News Network (N3): studentlife@nku.edu
Printed publications: fraziermi@nku.edu or fincken@nku.edu

Last modified: May 15 2008 09:37 EDT