How to Level up your Engagement at your In-Person Event?

Activity Description
Effectively train mentors Train your mentors before the event to ensure they know how to engage with students effectively and what their expectations and outcomes of the event are. It is also best practice to ensure your mentors feel comfortable with recognising, responding and referring students to other support services when it's out of their support offerings.
Games Set up a booth with interactive games that encourage students to engage and have fun. This could include spinner wheels, board games, trivia, puzzles, or even video games related to your program goals.
Prizes Offer prizes to students who participate in your booth activities. This could include free swag, coffee vouchers, gift cards, or event tickets.
Event golden raffle ticket

Create a fun raffle prize that will be announced at the end of your event. Announcing at the end of your event builds hype and ensures the students stay around to experience all your event has to offer.

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Raffle prize examples: Institution swag, vouchers, and institution memberships such as the gym. If you acquire enough prizes, you can select a winner and two runners-up. Ensure that you align the raffle prizes with what your target audience would be interested in, create buy-in and align the prizes with your values and purpose.


Raffle ticket distribution examples: Every student that enters the event receives one raffle ticket. Every student that takes action at a stall (such as joining the program and connecting with support) receives a raffle ticket. Every student that attends a mini workshop or tutorial receives two raffle tickets. Every student that posts a social media post about the event receives a raffle ticket.

Social media
  • Encourage students to follow your institution on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or Tik Tok. Is there any competitions that you can facilitate on social media?
  • Create social media campaigns that offer incentives such as free coffee vouchers when mentors and mentees meet up for a mentoring session.
  • Ask students to actively post about the support services and upcoming events on their social media pages.
  • Ask high performing mentors to run a 'instagram' take over during your event.
  • Create a catchy Tik Tok and instagram reel before and after the event.
Marketing
  • Create appealing digital and hard copy posters and plaster them around campus on walls and TV screens.
  • Create a video of mentors/mentees and outline the value -add and share this on your socials.
  • Update your website with event information
  • Embed event information into lectures and tutorials
Interactive demonstrations Provide interactive demonstrations of the Vygo platform or your services. This could include ‘on the couch chats with a mentor’, virtual reality experiences, debating society, technology demos, or interactive exhibits.
Group activities Organise group activities that relate to your program value propositions, such as team-building exercises (human knot, two truths and one lie, and engineering egg drop) that encourage students to work together and learn about your programs.
Photo/polaroids Set up a photo booth or photo wall with fun props that relate to your program, and encourage students to take pictures and share them on social media. To enhance this activity even more, you can add your institution logo as props or embed it into the photo printout if you are utilising a photo booth.
Wall of words

Set up a large blank paper/canvas wall where students can write messages or reply to a message that relates to your event's value propositions,

e.g. What support programs are you interested in and why? What are you looking forward to most this university year? What are your goals this university year?

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At the end of the day, take a photo of the wall and post this on your socials.

Food and drink Offer free food (BBQ, pizza or cupcakes are a hit) and drinks for your programs or event. This could include food samples or themed drinks that attract students. You could also ask suppliers to donate food/drink for their own advertisement.
Music and entertainment Set up a stage or area for live music or entertainment related to your institution to provide ambient noise and vibes. This could include performances by university student artists or even a DJ.
Interactive displays Create interactive displays that allow students to learn more about your institution, your support programs and its products or services. Visuals are appealing.
Host interactive workshops and training Offer mini workshops or training sessions (20 minutes) related to your institution and support services. This could include tutorials on how to use your products or services or even training on specific skills that are relevant to your industry, e.g. how to get the most out of your institution support services, time management, goal setting, well-being and resilience etc.