Campus events in the past have not always drawn large crowds. Some do very well, and some do not. A few factors go into whether an event is popular with students.

In October 2024, the homecoming committee hosted multiple events. The committee decided against having a dance because previous dances did not have enough students attending.

The Skill Tree, hosted by the Gamer Club was another event that took place March 26 at the Cartersville Student Center. The event was for students to showcase their interests, academic or otherwise. Very few students outside the club attended.

“We are not planning on doing that again in person,” Vice President of the club Cole Fowler said. “I personally want to do it as an online event.”

Another event that took place in March 2024 was the book club hosting its first Starfall Ball on the Cartersville campus. Very few students attended. However, the book club hosted another ball this year and the number of attendees was much higher.

“I think maybe marketing played a role,” Book Club Advisor Brittany Ozmore said. “We didn’t market it as hard as we did this year.”

Marketing these events has been a key factor in bringing students in. Between printing posters, showing promotions on campus televisions and posting on social media, organizers do many things to publicize campus events.

“The difficulty is just the modality of advertising, especially now, like it’s really something we try to figure out coming out of the pandemic,” Coordinator of Student Engagement Clifton Puckett said.

A big reason for students not participating in events is scheduling. Many students have jobs, responsibilities at home and even classes on campus that keep them from being able to attend these events.

“I have a full time job,” student Hanna Clayton said. “I’ve also got a lot of things going on outside of school, so I’m very busy.”

“I have a lot of other things going on in my life,” student Lily Mckinney said. “And just needing to be like 50 million places.”

“I’m only a part timer, so I kind of just come here, take my classes and then go,” student Alexandra Brasington said.

The reason for low student attendance can vary depending on the event and the situation. Balancing student schedules and marketing strategies can be a challenge for any event organizer.

Understanding student interests and finding effective ways to reach them could be the key to improving participation.