S-PAC PUBLICITY RESOURCE SHEET
Michael Van Chau

This resource sheet has been prepared to provide you with some bits of information that may be helpful in publicizing your S-PAC. Comments, additions, and suggestions are welcome.
 

Word of Mouth

Many small, local businesses will agree that their best form of advertisement is word of mouth. Publicizing an S-PAC is like trying to build up the clientele of a business. For this reason, every S-PAC committee member must talk about or announce the S-PAC to their individual organizations and associations, in addition to IEEE, so that as many people as possible can be reached.

It is also very important to approach new students, potential members, current members, and graduate students personally about attending the S-PAC. Students are greatly influenced by their peers. Freshmen or sophomores will be more inclined to attend an S-PAC if a junior or senior IEEE officer or member personally invites them than if they simply read a flyer.

Make a concerted effort to meet new people. The personal touch (one-on-one) is the most powerful form of communication. Speaking to someone individually also has a greater impact than speaking to a group. However, time is often short, so make as many announcements as you can.

You can usually make your announcements at meetings or in classes. Be sure to check with the professor in the latter case. Try visiting the freshman "Introduction to Engineering" classes to encourage the students to attend. Faculty can be of great help with announcements.

The engineering and computer science faculty also can give good incentives to students who are still just thinking about attending the conference. Professors can be influential by offering extra points in class or by allowing students to miss a class in order to attend the conference.

When one-on-one communication is not possible, phone calls offer another opportunity to invite students to the conference. Phone numbers of EE and CS students can usually be generated by their respective departments or by the records office. Try not to limit yourself to EE students. Every engineering discipline can be approached, especially if you need a bigger audience.

Flyers, Posters, and Banners

Posting bright, colorful flyers is a quick, easy way to publicize an event on campus. Just be sure to have the right information on the flyer (e.g., date, time, location, point of contact, etc.). Also, be sure to post flyers at locations frequented by all engineering and computer science students, and don’t forget to place them in the student center, library, cafeteria, and dorms.

Posters are more visible and more effective than flyers, and they can be placed on easels or poster stands in strategic locations where student traffic is heavy.

Finally, it is hard to miss a large banner. Although a banner can be expensive to purchase and time consuming to design, it will be usable over many years to come.

Check local print shops for prices on these options. Your S-PAC budget should include enough money to publicize the conference through one or more of these means.

Information Center

It is a good idea to have an Information Center with up-to-date S-PAC information. The person who staffs the center must be able to respond to student questions and receive paperwork or ticket payments from students. The Information Center may be at the EE department secretary’s desk or at one of the EE labs. Just be sure it’s in a convenient location.  Also, be sure to check with everyone involved in the Information Center before initiating any actions or announcements, and don’t forget to thank these people when the S-PAC is over.

E-mail

Fast becoming the most efficient communication path for professionals, e-mail can reach all student accounts on campus. Engineering and computer science students rarely are without some computer account. Find out who the system administrator is, and see if you can send out a message on e-mail. Also, S-PACs hosted by schools near other campuses should invite those Student Branches within driving distance to attend.

Newspaper

For those not yet in sync with the paperless society, articles or advertisements about the S-PAC can be placed in the university newspaper. Convince your student reporters and editors that the S-PAC is an important event that deserves media attention. If necessary, buy an advertisement. And don’t stop with the university. The local city newspaper may print your story. Finally, don’t forget your own IEEE newsletter, if you have one.
 

Mail-outs

You can focus your strongest advertisement campaign on a specific department or student classification through promotional mail or information/registration letters. Mailing addresses can be obtained from the department or from the records office after filling out a standard form (a faculty member may have to sign off on the form).

Mail-outs can become expensive, so target the audience with the highest potential, and give them as much information as possible. If there are pending or TBD issues concerning your S-PAC, do not plan a mail-out until most of them have been resolved. The timing for the mail-out is also important. It should be executed four to six weeks before the conference.  Timely planning is essential for this to be possible.

Think about including a registration form in the mail-out that can give you some demographics on the conference participants. Demographics of interest include student classification, major, telephone number, IEEE membership status, etc. You may also want to know if a student is a vegetarian so that special meals can be provided if you are planning a luncheon or banquet. If the conference facility is off campus, you could ask if students need transportation.
 

Radio

If your school has a radio station, ask it to announce the S-PAC date and other (contact) information. Local commercial radio stations may also be willing to make public service announcements about your S-PAC. Radio announcements work best when aired two or three weeks before the conference.
 

Television/Bulletin Boards

Your school’s public affairs office should have ties to local television stations that can make public service announcements, or it may be able to provide you with a screen on the public bulletin board for information concerning your S-PAC. Some schools have large electronic bulletin boards by their basketball or football stadiums and smaller electronic bulletin boards in the student center or cafeteria. Find out who is responsible for the messages on these bulletin boards and see if one can be added about your S-PAC.
 

T-shirts

You may want to consider designing a T-shirt for your S-PAC. Several Student Branches have designed their own S-PAC logos. The S-PAC committee members can have their T-shirts imprinted with the words "Steering Committee" or "S-PAC Committee." This is very helpful at the conference because students can quickly identify committee members for questions or emergencies. Most importantly, the committee members should wear the T-shirts a few days before the conference to increase awareness and promote ticket sales.