Taste of OSU is an annual signature event at The Ohio State University hosted by the Office of International Affairs. Started in 1997, this event brings together more than 30 cultural student organizations to share their countries' cultures through food, performances, informational booths and more to a crowd of nearly 1,000 people.
Rebuilding Awareness
Due to the pandemic, Taste of OSU was canceled two years in a row. With so many students who had never heard of Taste of OSU during the years it was canceled, we had to treat it like an entirely new event. Instead of solely promoting the event, we wanted to inform the community about what Taste of OSU is.
During the event, I was focused on two main things: live posting on Instagram stories and capturing video content for a wrap-up Reel. I wanted the stories to be more engaging than static pictures, so I interviewed a few students to learn more about their organization, cultures, and booths.
The Results
We didn’t know how many people to expect going into the event, but more people showed up than we thought possible. I also made a Reel showcasing the event with videos I took throughout the night. I sent the video to the university’s social media team before posting to see if I could post the Reel with them as a collaborator, and they agreed – the first time someone in my office collaborated with @theohiostateuniversity.
All my social media posts across our platforms generated over 165,000 impressions and 12,000 engagements.
