Smashing Our Way into the Statesboro Community
Years ago, I had the opportunity to attend the video game convention Blizzcon. It’s all about the games that the company Blizzard Entertainment makes like World of Warcraft. When I saw the amount of people in line to go to this event, I was truly amazed by the passion people had for this company. That’s one of the first times I realized the strength and potential of building a brand.
I’d had the idea of hosting a video game-focused event of our own for a while, but it was only recently with the major launch of Smash Brothers Ultimate that we decided to pursue it seriously. We advertised the tournament assertively on both social media and by passing out flyers in the restaurant and in key parts of town (on campus and in game stores). We came up with event-appropriate cocktails that would be served exclusively such as the Kandied Kirby and Legend of Link. Several team members worked on ensuring we had the infrastructure and setup necessary to make the event run smoothly. Anticipating high turnout, we chose to have it as a late night event to not disturb customers during our normal business hours. It was the right call, because Soyumi was totally packed that night.
It didn’t necessarily pull in a lot of money, but engaging with the community and building publicity is really win-win and kills two birds with one stone. We’ve had several people ask when the “next event” is. There’s nothing to announce right now, but if it’s something you want let us know!