UW News

October 21, 2004

‘Weekly’ ad promotes UW’s public events

The UW has embarked on an advertising campaign to make its events more visible in the broader community.

Each week, the University has purchased a full page color ad on the second page of the Seattle Weekly. The ad, titled, “This Week at Your UW,” contains information on up to 20 events occurring on the Seattle campus — lectures, plays, musical performances and other activities of interest to the general public. It contains a link to a new online calendar, intended for visitors to campus, http://www.uwcalendar.net/.

The project is going forward as an experiment, with half the cost of the ads underwritten by University Relations and the Graduate School. The project has three goals, says Jack Faris, vice president of University Relations. “First, we want to convey that there are a lot of things going on at the UW, all the time, which are interesting, lively and open to the public. Second, we want to increase attendance at those events. Third, we wanted to express a spirit of welcome and an attitude that this is the public’s university.”

Michael Halleran, divisional dean of arts and humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences, echoed Faris’ comments. “We hope to increase the visibility of many of our arts programs, performances and exhibitions, and also to increase attendance. I like the approach of including a range of UW activities.”

Event organizers can buy space in the Seattle Weekly ad for $65 to $85 per listing. A budget has been created in the Graduate School to allow departments to transfer funds for their share of the expense.

Kris Bain, director of communications for the School of Drama, had the original idea for the campaign. Over the past summer Bain and Yvette Moy, administrative specialist for the Graduate School, worked with Faris to lay the groundwork for the campaign. Moy is coordinating the project, with help from Brian Richards, coordinator of the Visitors Information Center.

“The Seattle Weekly ad campaign is such a terrific opportunity for us on so many fronts,” Moy says, “including that it raises the profile of the many great events offered at the UW, while also inviting the public to campus to enjoy them. I only hope that we grow in popularity and find ourselves in the position of posting “Sold Out” signs at our venues.”

To qualify for a listing, an event must be open to the general public and occur on the Seattle campus. The event must be listed in the UW online calendar and must accommodate at least 50 persons. Events must be submitted a minimum of three weeks prior to the event date, but priority is given to events submitted the earliest.

For details about participation, contact Moy at yvettef@u.washington.edu or phone 206-372-8609.