On this page, you’ll find a list of tools and support resources available for promoting different events at VIU’s Nanaimo campus. The tools that you choose to use will depend on who your event is for (students, staff, alumni, media, the general public). Please note: this guide is limited to free (or close to free) event promotion options.
VIU audiences (employees and students)
When promoting an event for an internal audience, we recommend the following tools:
Events calendar
Be sure to submit your event info to VIU Campus Events. This ensures it gets on the viu.ca homepage. It also means it is automatically included in the VIU Events email that goes out to all employees.
TV screen promotions
Run a digital ad on the TV screens around campus. Access templates, guidelines and steps to submit on the Digital Signage homepage. For those with access to a VIU institutional Canva account, TV screen ad templates are preloaded for you to use.
Program/department social accounts
We suggest posting on various VIU social media pages. Many VIU programs, faculties and departments have their own social media accounts. Share your event with the relevant ones.
Targeted emails
You may want to consider a targeted email campaign. For example, if you're organizing an event that is of interest to all students and employees in your faculty, ask your Dean's office if you can send an email out to everyone in the faculty. Or maybe you gauged interest for an event via a sign-up sheet at another event. Email that list!
Student newsletter
If your event is for students, consider submitting a writeup to go in the student newsletter by emailing students@viu.ca. The MyVIU student newsletter goes out every second week and includes a mix of events to get involved with and services available to students.
VIUSU App
Another avenue to promote events to students is to post them on the community boards on the VIU Students’ Union app.
Posters
Don’t forget about this! Some well-placed posters around campus will contribute to awareness building about your event. Please note: posters must be stamped by the VIU Students’ Union (Building 200) before placing around campus, and posters can only be placed on designated poster boards. Institutional Canva accounts have poster templates you can use. For more guidance, check out our VIU Brand Standards document. Questions? Reach out to Brand and Marketing.
VIU’s social media channels
For information about how to promote an event on one of VIU’s social media channels, connect with us.
Promoting to the wider community
If you want to extend attendance beyond the campus community (employees and students), there are lots of in-community tools. Here are a few tips.
Post your event on community events listings
- Harbour Living: Click “Submit an event” and follow the prompts. Calendar is emailed out to subscribers.
- What’s On Digest: Select region and click “Submit an event” and follow the prompts.
- Nanaimo News Now: Submit your events to connor.hutchinson@pattisonmedia.com
- Times Colonist event listing
- The Discourse events calendar (they email out an events email to a subscriber list).
- The Harbour City Scoop
Share your event on community social media accounts
- Are there any Facebook groups you think might be interested in your event? For example, on the Nanaimo Events page you can post music, theatre, dance and arts festivals, shows and exhibits. If your event is for families, you could try the What’s up for Nanaimo and area families! group.
Reaching out to the media
Looking to get media coverage? Getting your event covered by media outlets can increase awareness and attendance dramatically. In some cases, the Communications team can “pitch” the story idea directly to our media contacts. Or include it in our media email or both. There may be other ways we can help. Connect with us to learn more.
Constant Contact
Setting up your event through an institutional Constant Contact account will not only provide a venue for handling registrations, but it's a powerful email marketing tool as well. You can also connect your social media accounts to it. Email brand@viu.ca for more info.
For more resources and guides, visit Communications and Marketing resources.