Summary

LU is extremely proud of the creative output of its alumni. Each month it features an exhibit of alumni art, films and written expositions at the Cultural Center. The exhibit includes an award ceremony to the alumnus who has shown the greatest artistic promise. LU is always looking for new ways to spread the word about this monthly event, and it decided to use the outreach potential offered Foursquare. LU knew that if it made the event interesting enough to attend, Foursquare users would be happy to announce it to their friends.

The Background

Lincoln University (LU), based in Chicago, has a long standing history that has grown with the times. What started as a small institution has grown into an accredited university that is virtually their own town within a city. The students, faculty, and employees of LU offer a great mix of interests, customs, and opinions. On a weekly basis, LU offers events, seminars and lectures of great interest to its students as well as the general public.

The Solution

LU posted the event on Foursquare and encouraged attendees tolet their friends know about it too. As students, professors, and employees of the university visited the Cultural Center for the monthly exhibit, they "checked in" on Foursquare. However, they didn`t just check in - they offered tips and shout outs in an effort to share interesting details about what was going on at the event, who was there, and what they saw. To build excitement and interest in this event, Foursquare users added it to their "to do" list which meant that the event then appeared on the to do list of their Foursquare friends. To spice things up even more, the LU Cultural Center offered the first fifty people to arrive at the event a complimentary cocktail. The event was a huge success with record attendance. Foursquare drew in people that may not have known this event was happening and did not regularly frequent events at the Cultural Center.

Lessons Learned

LU learned about the potential of Foursquare to promote its events. By getting attendees to send out messages on Foursquare, LU was able to create a buzz about the exhibit with people who were already close by and looking for something of interest to do. In the process, LU reaped the benefits of using a geo-location based service that offers real time interaction between it and an online audience.