What I learnt about comms from running a Freshers Fair stall
On Tuesday, I popped over to Newcastle University’s Societies and Volunteering Fair on behalf of client FareShare North East, and what a joy it was!
I should say up front: I only did a measly hour or so, nothing compared to colleagues who covered the full 10am–4pm stint and left with no voices. Hats off to them.
My main job was to gather content for socials, but while I was there, I did a bit of research too. I chatted to other stallholders about what merch they had and what was working well to engage students.
Here’s what I found:
Spinny things! Quite a few stalls had a ‘spin the wheel to win a prize’ game, offering sweets, stickers, pens etc. Very popular. One stall even had a brilliant homemade version using a paperclip!
Stickers were the top freebie. People love sticking them on laptops (me included). CoppaFeel! said their sparkly ones were the most popular. Old-school badges also went down well.
Sweets, obviously. But we had a great spin on it: “Save the planet - eat these sweets and rescue them from landfill!”
Flyers still have their place, especially when stalls are busy or if students are shy and prefer not to get the full spiel.
QR codes? Bit of a flop. Stallholders weren’t allowed to collect student contact details directly, so each stall had a unique QR code for students to scan instead. In theory, great - but there was no mobile signal and the Wi-Fi was down. We ended up asking people to take a photo of the code and look us up later. Not sure how many will. A flyer is a useful backup.
Have a physical map to hand. Ours had public transport info too, which was a huge help when chatting to students new to the area, especially with no internet.
Great chance to nail your elevator pitch. Myself and my colleague Ruth, both fairly new to the charity, took turns speaking to students. We soon found our rhythm, especially around how volunteering can flex around their studies. Honestly, I think everyone in a charity should do a stall like this. It’s the best way to practise talking about your work concisely and tailoring it to different people.
Whiteboards with a question to answer. I liked this one, used by a religious society and a campaigning charity, inviting students to write their thoughts. A simple, low-effort way to start a conversation.
Dressing up! Not for everyone, but a good way to stand out. Big shout-out to the Law Society, kitted out in barrister wigs and gloves, with gavels on their table to bang!
Some other good things: the Fellwalking Society had queues all day, which made my outdoorsy heart very happy. Having to think on the spot about our dream podcast guest in preparation for Student Radio coming over. Getting students’ advice on this, and having a debate between picking Greta Thunberg vs David Attenborough. We cheated and chose both!
And how genuinely lovely the students were. Interested in social impact, saddened by the need for food banks, and keen to make a difference while living in Newcastle.
How bloody inspiring our next generation is.
