Event Planning & Outreach
Top Golf Recruitment Events
It was anything but your typical college visit! In March 2022, I collaborated with the marketing team to plan exclusive undergraduate recruitment events at two prestigious Top Golf locations in the Chicago area. These events were tailored for prospective students and applicants residing within a 20-mile radius of each event venue. Notably, participation was exclusively extended to students exhibiting a keen interest in three of the university's most sought-after degree programs.
To elevate these events, we extended invitations to esteemed faculty members from the degree programs. In addition, we were honored to have select alumni from the degree programs being showcased who called the Chicago area home. Alumni joined the faculty to engage in meaningful conversations with both students and parents.
As part of my role, I took charge of crafting compelling copy and designing the invitations that captured the essence of these unique occasions. Furthermore, we treated these events as invaluable case studies, intending to track the journeys of the students who applied and ultimately chose to enroll at WIU.
The impact that these events had, when compared to the run-of-the-mill admissions recruitment gatherings, transcended expectations. It was truly a spectacle to witness relationships forming and insightful conversations being had with the backdrop of Top Golf's dynamic environment. Students, alumni, and faculty were able to come together in an engaging and unique event. These events marked a turn in strategy and innovative recruitment approaches for WIU.
Event mailer cover design
Business professor with potential students
Top Golf Recruiting Event in Naperville
Criminal Justice alumni talking with potential students.
Community Relations
In June of 2021, I set up a large tent and created WIU's inaugural presence at Macomb's three-day summer festival. My goal was to enhance "town and gown" relations between WIU and Macomb and positively influence the community's perception of the institution. Our presence included a popular coloring area for kids, an information booth equipped with videos and branded giveaways and booklets, details about summer offerings available to the community, a selfie station featuring the live bulldog mascot and football and basketball athletes, and even a pop-up bookstore with merchandise available for sale. In 2022 I hired a face-painting artist to join the setup, which was an extremely popular draw.
This not only fostered a sense of community but also contributed to a boost in morale among the volunteers. Upon the festival's conclusion, I took the initiative to laminate all the colored photos created by children and distributed them to local businesses, encouraging them to display the artwork in their windows through Homecoming weekend. The event was an unquestionable success, generating significant positive buzz within both the Macomb and campus communities. It was a memorable milestone in our efforts to strengthen WIU's ties with the local community.
The community presence in Macomb extended to the Quad Cities region, where the marketing team connected with WIU alumni and donors at the John Deere Classic. Collaborating with Western's digital marketing firm, I implemented mobile location targeting at various QC summer events. This allowed WIU to serve digital ads to event attendees for 60-90 days post-event. We also participated in other Quad Cities summer events like the Bix 7, Mercado on Fifth, Moline Sunday Night Summer Series, Firecracker 5K, and the QC Marathon, further expanding our reach and community engagement.
