Skip to main content

Event Promotion

How to fill a room for your Applied AI event.

The Principle​

Promotion is not a one-time announcement. It's consistent, repeated visibility in the weeks leading up to the event. The people who need to hear about your event are busy. They need to see it multiple times across multiple channels before they register.

The specific channels depend on your local context. A campus chapter promotes differently than a city chapter. But the underlying discipline is the same: start early, stay consistent, and use every channel available to you.

Timeline​

WhenWhat
3-4 weeks beforeEvent listed on Luma/Meetup, initial announcement on socials
2-3 weeks beforeBegin consistent posting cadence (multiple times per week)
2 weeks beforeText your friends and personal contacts directly
1-2 weeks beforeAnnounce in lecture halls, Slack groups, email lists
Week ofFinal push: daily posts, direct messages, day-of reminders

Channels​

Social Media (Your Personal Accounts)​

This is the highest-leverage channel early on. The chapter leader's personal social presence drives most initial signups.

What works:

  • Post multiple times a week in the lead-up, not just once
  • Newsjack: tie the event to whatever's happening in AI that week. A new model drops, a company announces layoffs, a tool goes viral. Connect it back to why people should come to your event. Gary does this consistently for Austin events.
  • Share behind-the-scenes prep (confirming speakers, setting up the venue, your own excitement)
  • Tag speakers and partners in posts for amplified reach
  • Post the day of the event with a "last chance to register" message

What doesn't work:

  • A single announcement post and nothing else
  • Generic "come to our event" language with no hook
  • Posting only on the event platform and expecting people to find it

Direct Messages and Texts​

The most effective promotion channel, especially for your first few events.

Text everyone you think would get value from the event. Personally. Not a mass blast. A real message:

Hey, I'm running an Applied AI event on [date] at [venue].
Practitioners sharing real case studies, live architecture
session, good networking. Think you'd dig it. Want to come?
[Luma link]

This feels like a lot of work. It is. It's also how you get 50-75 people in a room the first time. After your events have a track record, word of mouth carries more of the load.

Email Lists​

If you have access to relevant email lists (university department lists, local tech community newsletters, coworking space announcements), use them.

For campus chapters:

  • Department email lists (CS, business, engineering, design)
  • Student organization newsletters
  • Faculty who are willing to forward to their classes

For city chapters:

  • Local tech community newsletters
  • Coworking space announcement boards
  • Partner organization email lists (with permission)

Keep the email short. Event name, date, one-sentence description, registration link.

In-Person Announcements​

If you're on a campus, this is a superpower.

  • Ask professors for 2-3 minutes at the start or end of a lecture to announce the event. Most will say yes if you're respectful of their time.
  • CS classes are obvious, but don't skip business, design, and liberal arts classes. Applied AI is cross-disciplinary. Some of the most engaged attendees at Austin events have been non-technical.
  • Bring a QR code on your phone or a printed flyer so people can register on the spot.

Tim Dort-Golts proved this model in Bordeaux: walked into lectures, gave a quick pitch, and got entire classes to sign up. It works.

Event Platform (Luma, Meetup, Eventbrite)​

Your event listing is the landing page, not the promotion channel. People don't browse Luma looking for events. They click through from a social post, a text, or a friend's recommendation.

Make the listing good:

  • Clear title and description (Writing Event Descriptions covers this)
  • Venue address and time
  • Speaker names if confirmed
  • A photo from a past event if you have one

But don't rely on the platform's discovery features to fill your room.

Partner Amplification​

Partners, sponsors, and speakers all have their own networks. Ask them to share the event.

  • Send speakers a pre-written post they can copy and adapt
  • Ask venue partners to include it in their community announcements
  • Tag sponsor organizations in your social posts

See Building Partnerships for more on cultivating these relationships.

What Matters Most​

In order of impact:

  1. Personal texts and DMs. Nothing beats a direct, personal invitation.
  2. Consistent social posting with hooks. Multiple times a week, tied to real AI news.
  3. In-person announcements. Especially on campus.
  4. Email lists and partner amplification. Broader reach, lower conversion.
  5. Event platform listing. Necessary but not sufficient.

The mix will shift as your chapter grows. Early on, it's mostly personal outreach. After a few events, word of mouth and social proof do more of the work.

See Also​