Promoting your event
So you want to promote your UVic event or opportunity but aren't sure where to start?
Define your audience
Who do you want attending your event? "Everyone" is a popular response, but not very helpful. If you aren't sure who the event is for, other people won't know if they should attend either!
Here are a few examples:
- First-year undergraduate students
- Faculty members and graduate students interested in a specific research topic
- Prospective students who are thinking about a career in health care
Once you know your audience, you can tailor your messaging and choose your networks and channels appropriately.
Prepare your materials
You will need a brief description of your event that includes:
- Who is hosting the event
- Who is welcome and why they should attend
- Location, date, time and cost
We strongly recommend you prepare:
- Two or three photos. Ideas include similar past events, photos of speakers, research or topics. Do not make collages or add text.
- A URL (a web page or Facebook event page) with the details about the event.
What about a poster?
- You only need a poster if you plan on printing and distributing them.
- If you are focusing on digital promotions, please see below for better formats.
Spread the word
Here are some things you can do on your own:
The UVic Events Calendar is for events that are sponsored or associated with the University of Victoria, by a specific department or faculty or being held in one of our larger venues such as the stadium or Farquhar Auditorium.
Sumbit your event.
If you have a UVic website:
Utilize your email contacts and mailing lists:
Don't underestimate the value of word of mouth.
For example, say you are promoting a lecture about nature kindergartens. You may want to contact local parenting groups or outdoor clubs, as well as all of your friends and colleagues who are parents of young children. Also consider other groups on campus that might be able to help spread the word, such as the Family Centre.
Use your department's social media accounts to post regularly about the event or opportunity.
Ask for those involved to share it with their personal accounts or their department's accounts.
If you're trying to reach a wide audience, consider using UVic's social media mailing list to encourage other units to post on their accounts. This will also notify the administrators of UVic's main social media networks.
Here are some things we can help you with:
Digital signage refers to the public-area flat-panel displays on campus used specifically for the distribution of information and strategic messaging to the on-campus community.
Submit a slide to to get your message distributed across the entire digital signage network on campus for free!
Save time by using a UVic poster template.
All posters and notices on campus community notice boards must be approved for posting. Bring posters and banners to the ONECard Office in the University Centre or the UVSS Information Booth in the Student Union Building for approval.
The ONECard Office will hang posters on bulletin boards for you across campus for a $25 fee. This is only available to UVic departments.
Send a personally addressed message through campus mail by using Print Services' variable data printing.
Bring your design for a poster/card to Printing Services. Tell them which group people at UVic you'd like to reach (department, full-time staff, CUPE, etc). Printing Services will get that list of names and then print them to your artwork. Your target audience will receive a personal print delivered to their office with their name on it.
Announcements display when you log in to My Page and in a various pages of UVic's central websites.
Please include your suggested content exactly as you'd like it to be posted.
We post many submissions for My Page announcements, but they do go through an editorial approval process.
Email your event to announce@uvic.ca
Social media ads are an inexpensive way to reach people that are interested in your event, scholarship, course, survey or other opportunities.
More information.
The Campus Checklist biweekly newsletter provides valuable information about our campus community to all UVic faculty and staff.
Suggested content goes through a rigorous approval process and only a few messages are selected.
Email your event to checklist@uvic.ca
Some events of a strategic importance are shared on on homepage. We typically share this content in our storygrid -- ten squares near the bottom of the page.
Suggested content goes through a rigorous approval process. An event has to be high profile and of significance to the entire UVic community and beyond to be featured.
To suggest your event for the home page, please contact your department's communications officer. If you do not have one, please contact the relevant communications officer in UC+M.
If this is a major event that has significant strategic value to the university community, please contact
Communications and Marketing.
