Regional Gatherings. They’re called “RG’s.”
Almost every Mensa chapter in the United States holds an RG annually … two- or three-day events where members, their friends, and prospective members gather for presentations, forums, panel discussions, meetups, games, drinks (a LOT of drinks) and general jollification.
The Phoenix RG is held across Thanksgiving weekend, allowing plenty of time for warmup, lots of engagement, and cooldown.
All Local Chapters are required by National Mensa to publish a newsletter at least quarterly, with certain prescribed features. Even if a Chapter publishes its newsletter online, a minimal print version with basic information is demanded – calendar of events, local board contact information, and so on.
Most Chapters publish monthly.
Traditionally, RG’s were promoted through various Chapters reciprocally publishing one another’s announcements in these media – essentially headline, date and location.
In previous years, Phoenix RG’s attendance had hovered around 100.
As members, we volunteered to handle marketing for 2014, and branding in future as well.
So – unusually for Greater Phoenix Mensa but with the help of their Chairman – we did this:
- created a series of actual ads, placing them in local Mensa publications around the Southwest, as well as the National magazine.
- wrote press releases for local newspapers, knowing they were unlikely to be published (Who cares about Mensa?) but … you know … the off chance …
- printed provocative quarter-page flyers and had a “Night Brigade” of members pass them out among the crowds on sidewalks at concerts and comics conventions where prospective members and interested others might lurk …
- established graduated pricing with a very attractive Early Bird offer …
- created a new logo combining Owl (the common Mensa avatar) and Phoenix – the birds, not the city – and made sure it was on every single item we distributed. Even on foam stress-balls in the shape of brains …
- redesigned all inside and exterior signage with a signature typeface new to the local group …
- designed and created a 24-page program with organizer credits and speaker biographies (more usually, RG programs are a handful of hurriedly printed and stapled sheets set in Comic Sans) …
Aa a result, attendance increased by 50% over the previous year, with a significant number from out-of-state Chapters.
It was the first RG in many years that actually turned a profit.
Because of time pressures, we ceased our involvement in the years after. Attendance dipped each year since, returning now to a point even below where we started out.
TAKEAWAYS:
- When copy*right engages, we generally produce significantly positive results.
- We apply just as much creative and developmental energy to the smallest of clients as we do to the largest. Because often it’s the smallest who need the most help.