This is a good introduction! Certainly a few things in here that I wish I’d known back in 2014 when I was handling my first activity fairs.
I strongly second the idea that you shouldn’t be looking to persuade anyone at these booths. If someone’s interested enough to want to discuss this with you in detail, that’s really good, and you should prioritize them for follow-up, but you will be tempted to talk to them in the moment, especially if they make an argument you “know how to refute”. You need to resist that temptation.
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Another note: You should be ready to tell people not just what the group does, but what the first event is. The post talked about the importance of having an event early, and i’m adding that you should mention said event.
During the first 1-2 weeks of college, dozens of groups will be fighting for recruits, and the people you talk to will already be cataloging what they’ll do when they aren’t in class. You want to add yourself to that catalog—certainly with a first email, but ideally even before that.
“We do a lot of X, Y, and Z. We’re having our first X on Thursday night—sign up here, and we’ll send you the details!”
(Hopefully, you’ve chosen an X that sounds like fun.)
This is generally a good idea even if your group doesn’t run many big events, and even if you prioritize 1-on-1s; I’d guess that you’ll come across as slightly odd if the first thing people know about your activities is that “someone will get lunch with you to talk”. Parties, speaker events, and Giving Games are all “safer” and more normal.
This is a good introduction! Certainly a few things in here that I wish I’d known back in 2014 when I was handling my first activity fairs.
I strongly second the idea that you shouldn’t be looking to persuade anyone at these booths. If someone’s interested enough to want to discuss this with you in detail, that’s really good, and you should prioritize them for follow-up, but you will be tempted to talk to them in the moment, especially if they make an argument you “know how to refute”. You need to resist that temptation.
----
Another note: You should be ready to tell people not just what the group does, but what the first event is. The post talked about the importance of having an event early, and i’m adding that you should mention said event.
During the first 1-2 weeks of college, dozens of groups will be fighting for recruits, and the people you talk to will already be cataloging what they’ll do when they aren’t in class. You want to add yourself to that catalog—certainly with a first email, but ideally even before that.
“We do a lot of X, Y, and Z. We’re having our first X on Thursday night—sign up here, and we’ll send you the details!”
(Hopefully, you’ve chosen an X that sounds like fun.)
This is generally a good idea even if your group doesn’t run many big events, and even if you prioritize 1-on-1s; I’d guess that you’ll come across as slightly odd if the first thing people know about your activities is that “someone will get lunch with you to talk”. Parties, speaker events, and Giving Games are all “safer” and more normal.