It's the way to go...

September 30, 2007 6:57 AM

A few friends have started a Go Club at our school (we meet weekly, and we want to raise attendance at these meetings). We've introduced a fair number of people to the game personally, but now we're looking to introduce the general public (university and otherwise) to the game and club. I think flyering is the obvious first step, and I'm looking for advice on that and other promotional tips.

As far as flyering goes, the strategy is to put up a flyers such that any theoretical student/faculty member would have to see them at some point over the course of the week (the main classroom buildings, the various departmental office bulletin boards, dorms, etc). Where else would you advertise for something like this (particularly off campus)?

Designing the flyer to capture people who already play (probably a fairly a small group in Lexington, Kentucky) shouldn't be too hard. How do we encourage people who have never heard of this (practically everyone), or don't play board games in general to come out?

posted by phrontist to sports, hobbies, & recreation (8 answers total)

I attended this past Otakon and they had a Go panel. A fair amount of people showed up because of the anime Hikaru no Go. Maybe if you can arrange a social night where you have punch and pie, a viewing of an episode followed by some games?
posted by spec80 at 7:10 AM on September 30, 2007

As far as off campus flyering goes, a few places jump out in my mind at being the most appropriate. First, book stores. Especially book stores where a Scrabble or Chess club might meet. Second, any puzzle and game stores that there might be. Not only could you flyer there, but if they don't carry Go maybe you could convince them to, and maybe you could even work with them to do some kind of publicized tournament that would reach beyond the realms of your school.

I'm sure that there are plenty of ways to advertise, but if it were me, those are the places I would start.
posted by plaingurl at 7:14 AM on September 30, 2007

Maybe when you're advertising for it make sure that you're pretty clear what Go is so you don't a) scare away people who might actually be interested or b) get people who have the wrong idea coming and ruining your meeting.
posted by banannafish at 8:30 AM on September 30, 2007

Make sure you hit up the math and computer science departments! Possibly any Korean and other asian groups, too. You might also make it a Go & Chess club, because it's pretty easy to convert chess players into go players and there are more chess players around.

Also, craigslist and meetup.com.
posted by callmejay at 8:45 AM on September 30, 2007

Do you have a cafeteria? You might be able to distribute an easy yet catchy problem (e.g. ladders) for people to work on as they eat. The student newspaper(s) might also agree to print one.
posted by lullabyofbirdland at 9:36 AM on September 30, 2007

Speaking of cafeterias, can you play there during lunch? It's high visibility and could attract new players and also alert folks who play but didn't know anyone to play.
posted by MtDewd at 10:27 AM on September 30, 2007

Putting a picture of a Go board in diagram form should be eye-catching for those who already play. A photo of people playing might be better for those who don't.

For off campus, don't disregard more general audiences at coffeeshops, grocery stores, and newspaper listings of public events (often free). Craigslist, too. There are plenty of people who play Go and don't hang around game and book stores playing scrabble.

For any online listings, include a link to basic information on the game. It is very difficult (or all to easy) to google for information on Go.
posted by yohko at 11:37 AM on September 30, 2007

As regards other promotional tips... perhaps there is an area you can get permission to use and chalk a giant Go-board, much like the large chess sets some parks have, so that people can watch the games from afar.

Since you need a lot of pieces, use something that is already around - soccer balls maybe, or to inflict greater curiosity on passers-by, something more puzzling, like two distinct styles of chairs borrowed from lecture halls.

A vast array of chairs being scrutinized and moved around according to some strange method in the madness, is going to generate interest on a university campus. Probably not as much at a high school, but still.
posted by -harlequin- at 3:21 PM on September 30, 2007