How to Promote Your Student Club with a Photo Exhibition

You are a member of a student club, a project team or a group of volunteers working for a very special and interesting cause. You have courage, you believe that your work is important and you want to open the way for more people to join you. You have tried all the social network channels – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr. Yet, you struggle to reach a critical mass among students and recruit supporters. Is it possible to make your student club or project the most popular destination and the coolest group on campus? Paradoxically, one of the most innovative approaches can be an offline communication tool such as a photo exhibition to drive attention to your idea. Here’s how…

Choose the right message for your photo exhibition

It is indeed a great idea to organize a photo exhibition since real photos and photo essays still retain their own magic and traction. Yet, even great photos cannot in themselves tell a full story, communicating your ideas with a potency that makes them more than wall decorations. It is important to write out a short story – your message – highlighting the importance of your cause and choosing an appealing angle. Then and only then will your photo exhibition come alive and generate a big buzz on campus.

For example, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) hosts many international students from around the world and we have several very popular student clubs, including our Model UN-New Silk Way Club. One of the largest groups of international students comes from Afghanistan and they are very active in the Model UN international student movement. Unfortunately, international students very often have difficulties in integrating into a university community and student life.

A short story and photo exhibition about life in Kabul helped to introduce Afghanistan, a nation which still commands prime space in all media outlets, TV and international discussions. But our angle has been to introduce a different side to the country – focusing on young people and students, and the ways in which new technologies and 3G internet go hand in hand with centuries-long cultural and social traditions. The result was to attract vital attention to the student club, Model UN – New Silk Way. 

Choose the right sponsors and timing for your photo exhibition

The next step is to choose the right sponsors and timing to make sure that your photo exhibition will shine and will tie in with other notable campus events. This sponsorship is not necessarily financial – it might be in-kind, such as a coffee reception, or just the name of an entity who can make a splash among students and faculty and deliver a powerful message: here we have the right people to rub shoulders with.

For example the photo exhibition “Discovering a Different Afghanistan” was organized during the official launch of the Global Hub of the United Nations Academic Impact on Sustainable Development at Al Farabi KazNU. The event attracted several prominent figures and the heads of the United Nations Information Office and some other UN institutions expressed their interest, not only attending the large official event, but also in visiting the photo exhibition. Of course it was an exciting moment for all students who are interested in international relations and the UN system to have an informal chat with the UN officials and discuss diplomatic life, as well as internships and career opportunities.

Always have an “elevator pitch” ready

Sometimes the potentially most exciting moments in a student’s life can be overshadowed by small things – missed opportunities due to unpreparedness. I always challenge my students to have an elevator pitch prepared at every step and especially at every grand event they attend. Just imagine you are confronted with a person who might play a decisive role in your professional life, or you suddenly have a great person in front of you to chat with, to get thoughtful insights from. What do you say? What do you discuss? What do you ask?

Your elevator pitch can be a very simple and effective first step in communicating with important and exciting people. However, from my experience I know that it is quite a difficult step to take, both psychologically and intellectually. It needs a lot of courage or practice to deliver an elevator pitch, a targeted and meaningful message, to a political or cultural star in a concise three-minute conversation where every single word should shine and attract attention.

Make the most of the buzz you’ve created

Even a small event – like a photo exhibition – can be up-scaled to become a thrilling and electrifying event for an entire campus. So use this opportunity to generate a recruitment drive and to find classmates and new friends with whom you can work on your most challenging projects.  Our photo exhibition was a success and it helped to create a win-win situation: the students and faculty learned more about Afghanistan and its young generation, and our Model UN student club and its organizing committee has become a buzz in the campus and recruited new members.

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