NACA was such an amazing weekend. I had the privilege of attending two days of the conference, and I could not be more grateful. Meeting college students from across the country was incredible, and sharing ideas with them was a lot of fun. Everyone had something unique and fun to contribute to the group during the educational sessions. It was also comforting to be in a room filled with people who were not afraid to speak up, share their ideas, and be a part of something bigger. Each person there belonged to an organization that worked hard to put on enjoyable events for their campus, and I really took pleasure in being a part of that.
Day 1 Ed Session: “Walking the Tightrope”
This situation was super interesting because it actually tied in a lot with my public relations class. It focused on how to plan desirable, successful events. Using the “SMART technique” is a great way to ensure that. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Focusing on these aspects are important for the success of the event. Having the necessary resources, budget, and target audience are essential. They also mentioned “promoting” events rather than advertising for them. Thinking of one out-of-the box idea for each event is a great way to promote events. There are many cheap, easy ways to promote events.
Day 2 Ed Session: “Change the Lyrics to your Tradition”
Unfortunately, my “Positive Relations” ed session was cancelled, so I accompanied Bethany to the traditions ed session and to my surprise, ended up learning a few great things. Traditions like homecoming and springfest happen at BSU every year and I always look forward to them. However, it is tough to always keep people interested. There are several typed of traditions, ours usually being event based. This ed session really spoke to me because advertising is what truly keeps the traditions alive. Without advertising, nobody would show up to event-based traditions. The ed session focused on advertising through videos. They are a great source of recruitment too. YouTube videos can go viral with many views and can the word quickly.
Day 2 Ed Session: Removing the “Box”: Advertising Just Won’t Fit
This was my favorite ed session because it applied specifically to my position. I actually get really excited about marketing, and this session was super awesome! We discussed several different ideas for all types of schools with different budgets as well. We already use a lot of these ideas. I was able to share a lot of ideas with other schools as well. Social media is a huge part of marketing and can be really successful in promoting events and increasing attendance. There are certain times where social media is most popular and it is a great idea to post then. I learned how to spice up the posters a bit too. The most interesting thing I learned was to treat marketing in three mediums. Print, social media, and other ideas, all distributed at different times keep the awareness of events up.
I could not be happier with my NACA experience. I met so many awesome people who were not afraid to share their ideas. The performances during the showcases were all great and a lot of fun to watch. The lecture series were all also very interesting. YAY NACA!
Bridgewater State University goes to NACA 