Promoting Educational Technology Day

Information Technology
A Strategic Public Relations Proposal
for

Ithaca College’s Information Technology (IT) Department was invited to participate as a client in the De-
partment of Strategic Communications’ Public Relations Lab “Lab17” during the 2017 Fall semester. Lab17 is
a senior capstone course of the Roy H. Park School of Communications designed to operate as a real world
public relations agency to enhance learning in an experiential setting.

The agency was tasked to design and develop strategic initiatives that work to enhance participation for the
department’s annual event called Education Technology Day. As such, the agency has designed a public rela-
tions strategic plan to guide the IT Department in the planning and promotion of this event.
Our team believes that in order to conduct a great event accompanied with increased participation, it is im-
portant to first enhance the brand architecture of the IT Department. It is important that individuals on the
Ithaca College campus are aware of the IT Department and the crucial role the department plays in enhanc-
ing education through technology. We feel that increased planning and promotion following a 12 month
calendar leading up to Educational Technology Day in March, will ensure increased student participation.
The following information can be used as a guide to organizing the promotion and planning of Ed Tech Day
in three important stages; before the event, during the event, and after the event.
ExecutiveSummary
3

TableofContents
4
Situational Analysis......................................................................................................................................5
SWOT Analysis.............................................................................................................................................11
Competitor Analysis....................................................................................................................................13
Target Audience Analysis............................................................................................................................16
Campaign Objectives...................................................................................................................................19
Key Messages...................................................................................................................................20
Strategies.........................................................................................................................................21
Objectives & Strategies...............................................................................................................................22
Objective 1........................................................................................................................................23
Objective 2.......................................................................................................................................24
Measurement&Evaluation.........................................................................................................................29
Implementation...........................................................................................................................................31
Timetable.........................................................................................................................................33
Estimated Fees............................................................................................................................................34
Agency.........................................................................................................................................................35
Staff Bios.........................................................................................................................................36
Appendix.....................................................................................................................................................38
Appendix A......................................................................................................................................39
Appendix B......................................................................................................................................39
Appendix C......................................................................................................................................40
Appendix D......................................................................................................................................40
Appendix E.......................................................................................................................................41
Appendix F........................................................................................................................................41
Appendix G......................................................................................................................................42
Appendix H......................................................................................................................................43
Appendix I........................................................................................................................................43
Appendix J........................................................................................................................................44
Appendix K......................................................................................................................................44
Appendix L.......................................................................................................................................45
Appendix M.....................................................................................................................................45
Appendix N......................................................................................................................................46
Appendix O......................................................................................................................................46
Appendix P.......................................................................................................................................47
Appendix Q......................................................................................................................................49

IT Mission Statement
To support and enhance the student-centered educational experience at Ithaca College. We will partner with
the college community so that we may provide the leadership, innovative technology solutions and services
necessary to meet Ithaca College’s mission while maintaining a secure and reliable infrastructure.
IT Vision
To be recognized as a trusted, strategic partner, fostering innovative technology services and enabling excep-
tional educational opportunities.
IT Values
• Integrity: The foundational value guiding interactions and work. People of integrity build trust through
modeling intellectual honesty – recognizing our biases, strengths, and weaknesses; taking responsibility
for our actions; and learning from our mistakes.
• Communication: Based on a willingness to hear all ideas and to engage in an open and honest exchange
of those ideas, which results in a transparent decision-making process.
• Teamwork: Effective teams empower, support, and respect each member.
• Quality: Provide outstanding and reliable services. This requires an unwavering focus to define clear goals
and priorities, and to expand the knowledge and skills of all IT staff members.
• Innovation: A passion for quality and for the desire to constantly improve what we do and how we do it,
are critical to success. Embrace creative solutions, different perspectives and paradigms, and new oppor-
tunities that result in stable, leading edge information technology.
IT Department Structure
The IT Department recently restructured into four areas of focus to better align the IT department’s resourc-
es to provide more effective and efficient service to the campus. There is a critical interdependency across all
units however, the key resources needed to support the mission of each unit are more tightly integrated.
The IT Department’s four areas of focus to better enhance the student/faculty experience are as follows:
Teaching and Learning with Technology, Engagement and Client Technologies, Applications and Infrastruc-
ture, and Information Security (See APPENDIX A).
Teaching and Learning with Technology aims to provide services and functions directly related to supporting
faculty teaching and research, and students learning with technology. This unit is led by Dr. Mark Fink.
The Engagement and Client Technologies unit provides services and functions related to client technologies,
productivity tools and efficiencies, and interaction with our clients. There is not currently a director in place
for this division, however, there is a national search being conducted to find the right fit for the position.
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IT Department Structure Continued
The Applications and Infrastructure unit provides services and functions focused on the college’s core applica-
tions, technology and infrastructure which includes anything that is needed for the operation of the depart-
ment with the college. This unit is led by Casey Kendall.
The last unit, Information Security, includes services and functions related to protecting college information
and systems from unauthorized activity. This unit is led by Jason Youngers.
IT Staffing
IT’s Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer David Weil was appointed to this position in May
2017 after serving as the Interim Associate Vice President. He is responsible for establishing Ithaca College’s Ed-
ucational Technology Day which has been prominent for the past 27 years. The IT department utilizes all staff
regardless of specific job titles and responsibilities to dedicate themselves to cooperation and collaboration.
The IT department has a staff member who handles digital marketing and development, Matt Gorney, whose
title is Digital Media Coordinator for Teaching and Learning with Technology. He works to maintain the depart-
ment’s image, website, and promotional content for Ed Tech Day. Other staff members include students, who
fill around 100 positions throughout the IT department. Many of these students work at the service desk under
the supervision of Karen Sunderland, the IT Service Desk Coordinator.
Additionally, the IT Department hosts small events such as ice cream socials for staff throughout the year, but
most of their budget and efforts are put towards Educational Technology Day (Ed Tech Day) held annually in
the Spring.
IT Departments on Other College Campuses
Information Technology Departments on other college and university campuses operate as an individual entity
on campus, as they offer specific services and software geared towards aiding a college student or professor in
regard to the school’s specific focuses. For example, the Ithaca College IT Department offers discounted rates
for software such as Adobe Create Cloud, as well as a free download of the Microsoft Suite all through their
section of Ithaca College’s website. IT Departments also offer “loaners,” which are pieces of technology such as
laptops and conference phones that are needed within the community the IT Department serves. Those that
utilize these services must do so through the Information Technology department. As a business, the IT De-
partment’s main objective is to connect consumers of technology within a certain territory to their technology
in a comprehensive and meaningful way.
Facts About Information Technology Departments on Campus
Informational Technology Department’s main role within higher education institutions, such as Ithaca Col-
lege, is to operate and maintain college network and computing services and assist college students, faculty,
and staff with technology. IT Departments offer technical support, educational and training services, access
to technology, and general assistance with technology-related materials offered by the school. The IT de-
partment at many colleges is available for personal technical support such as support for connection-related
issues such as connecting through WiFi or Ethernet or connecting to a network as a guest. The department
also offers technical support to classrooms or lecture halls in need of assistance with both virtual and physical
issues.
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Facts About Information Technology Departments on Campus Continued
Educational services include one-on-one assistance in using hardware, technologies, software, as well as
detailed and informed suggestions regarding purchasing new technology such as a laptop or phone. Train-
ing sessions are offered to those in various forms including personal training, group workshops, and online
tutorials.
The IT Department allows for all college communities to have equal access to technology offered through
their technology loaning program. Students, faculty, and staff can compete with others through the ability
to use the newest technology, and have access to educated members of the IT team. IT Departments are
typically in charge of the school’s web presence and are available to offer help in navigating and using the
website or online apps.
Additionally, information technology services hold technology conferences which are a chance for depart-
ments to showcase technology they use within a school or company, a vendor showcase for various tech-
nology companies and an interactive experience of the use of new technology. Technology conferences also
offer a great opportunity for networking within the tech field, as well as the opportunity to get answers to
questions through both interacting directly with knowledgeable professionals or presentations.
ClientObjective
Lab17’s primary objective is to create a strategic plan for the IT department that defines the planning, prepa-
ration, and promotion of Educational Technology Day as a twelve-month endeavor. In the past years, these
aspects have been condensed into a 2-3 month period. However, Lab17 is recommending that in order to
achieve the IT Department’s primary goal of increasing student participation at Ed Tech Day strategies and
tactics need to shift to a 12-month calendar.
The primary objective of this strategic proposal is to design tactics that would allow the IT department to
increase Ithaca College student participation at Ed Tech Day. The secondary objectives are to increase partic-
ipation from Ithaca College faculty, faculty and staff from other schools, and increase general awareness of
the event in the local Ithaca community.
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Educational Technology Day
Ed Tech Day is a large-scale, free regional technology event that attracts over 1,600 people annually from
Upstate New York. Local and national vendors attend the event such as AT&T, Apple, Dell, Microsoft, and
many more. David Weil came up with the idea back in 1991 while he was looking for a way to give the cam-
pus community an opportunity to learn about new technology trends and gain exposure to technology that
isn’t necessarily available on campus. Today the event attracts about 600 people from off campus, over
200 vendor representatives, and 1,000+ Ithaca College students and faculty. Ed Tech Day has three major
components: Vendor Showcase, College Showcase, and Seminars. The seminars include featured sessions
with vendor representatives, discussions on selected topics in technology, conversation about startups and
instructional sessions with Teaching and Learning with Technology.
The Market - Attendees
The range of participants at Ed Tech Day includes the IT staff, Ithaca College students and faculty, faculty
of other colleges, local businesses, and K-12 faculty and students. Although this is a large range of partic-
ipants that attend Ed Tech Day, the IT Department’s primary target market is Ithaca College students, the
secondary target market is Ithaca College faculty members, and the event’s tertiary target market is faculty
and staff from surrounding colleges and universities (detailed descriptions of these target markets are in the
‘Target Audience’ section). The hope is to bring in individuals from these main groups in order to make Ed
Tech Day a technology event full of students and faculty members in higher education.
Ed Tech Day is a regional event today, but back when the event first began in 1991 it primarily consisted of
participants from Ithaca College who attended for an opportunity to learn about new technology trends
and view technology that was not on campus at the time. In recent years, the event attracted around 700
participants that are not affiliated with Ithaca College. The participants who attend from off-campus consist
of faculty and IT staff from other colleges and universities, local business people, and K-12 faculty, staff, and
students (See APPENDIX B). These off-campus participants tend to hail from the Northern Pennsylvania area
and the greater Upstate New York area. The IT Department doesn’t focus on recruiting participants from
downstate (NYC area) because there’s already a variety of technology conventions that take place in that
area (See APPENDIX C).
Previous Marketing for Ed Tech Day
Over the past 27 years, Ed Tech Day has developed into a unique, informative event that brings awareness
to the latest in technology. In previous years vendors have come from a range of locations and sizes. Some
vendors are tech startups whereas others are national technology companies.
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Previous Marketing for Ed Tech Day Continued
Ed Tech Day has attracted over 200+ vendor representatives in the past from a variety of technology com-
panies. In 2017, some of the vendors included: 3D Game Market, All-Mode Communication, Inc., Apogee,
AT&T, Audio-Video Corporation, B&H Photo, Video, Pro Audio, Brother International Corporation, Cambridge
Computer, Camcor, CDWG, Communications Audio Visual, Dell EMC, Dropbox Education, Ensemble Video,
Epson America, Inc., Ergotron, Finger Lakes Technologies Group, Inc., FSR, Inc., Harman Professional, Hewlett
Packard, Kaltura, Lansing Robotics Team, Lynx Technologies, Milestone AV, OneScreen, OneVision Solutions,
PC University Distributor’s Inc., Sensory Technologies, SnapLogic, Spectrum Industries, Inc., Staples Business
Advantage, Startup Central, Synergy Global Solutions, TEKsystems, The Computing Center, The New Media
Consortium, The Presentation Source, Inc., Visual Technologies, VWR International, Winnov, WNY e-Consul-
tants, Wolfvision, and Zoom Video Communications (APPENDIX D). The vendors included in Startup Central
are Rev: Ithaca Startup Works, Wicked Device LLC, Internet Marketing Magicians, Yasamin Miller Group, PollQ,
and Vispio.
Previous advertising efforts have gone towards outlets such as; direct mail, social media, newspaper, radio,
flyers, TCAT bus ads, and mailing to K-12 superintendents. For advertising on campus the IT team has done
Intercom emails, which are sent to both students and faculty members, flyers, and advertising on the Ithaca
College radio station, WICB. Off-campus advertising within Ithaca would include the TCAT bus ads, radio, and
newspaper ads, as well as boosted social media posts. Regionally most of the advertising efforts are through
direct mail, email, social media, and word of mouth. When participants were asked how they heard about the
event, their answered varied amongst a variety of different media. Out of all of the attendees from 2017’s Ed
Tech Day, it was totaled that 57% heard about the event through email, 27% word of mouth, 6% paper flyer,
1% online advertisement, 0% newspaper, and 9% other (See APPENDIX E).
Ed Tech Day Funding
Currently, the production of Ed Tech Day is supported by funding produced by vendor fees and institutional
budgeting. The event has a total budget of $35,000 - $45,000 with a marketing budget of about $5,000 (See
APPENDIX F). After each Ed Tech Day event, it produces a $5,000 - $10,000 profit which the IT Department
puts back into enhancing the technology and resources at Ithaca College.
Event Summary
The 2017 Ed Tech Day event summary provided to us by the IT department consisted of a plethora of valuable
logistical information. This information includes production tasks, catering logistics, and setup information,
all of which are imperative to conduct a successful event.
Lab17 has created a promotional event summary to accompany this existing event summary. The promotional
event summary provides various publicity and marketing tactics that are intended to guide the IT Department
in planning Ed Tech Day.
The four phases of before the event, the room, during the event, and after the event (See APPENDIX G).
Before the Event
The Room Set-up
During the Event
After the Event
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There is a small number of technology conferences that mimic the Ithaca College Educational Technology
Day models thus, the competitors in this field are relatively limited. Although there are quite a few national
conferences aimed at technology in K-12’s there are few college-aimed programs. The big technology confer-
ences target teachers and administrators and not high school and college students which is unique to Ithaca
College’s event. Additionally, most educational technology conferences require a fee whereas Ithaca College’s
Ed Tech Day is free of charge. The IC IT Department charges vendor fees. Because there are no local competi-
tors in the region, some larger conferences were viewed on a national scale.
CUE (Computer Using Educators) Conference - Palm Springs, California
The Computer Using Educators Conference takes place in Palm Springs, California and is the largest and
longest-running education technology conference in California, and among the largest in the United States.
The conference has been around for almost 40 years and is four days long. Those who attend CUE include ed-
ucators, technology coordinators, administrators, and educational mindset leaders. Some of the conference’s
attributes include but are not limited to:
• CUE features nearly 200 vendor displays of current hardware, software, and other materials related to
educational technology.
• Concurrent Sessions are one-hour presentations that address all areas of curriculum given by either a
speaker or a panel of multiple speakers.
• Poster Sessions advertise research and projects where educators can engage with presenters one on one.
• CUE Tips are also provided, which are 20-minute presentations that focus on existing innovations to
enhance technological learning.
• The conference also includes keynote speakers from inside and outside California to bring a national per-
spective to the event.
• CUE features fun and unique events to get participants engaged with the technology such as CUE Kara-
oke, CUE Media Festival, and CUE Steampunk Playground which allows attendees to get hands-on with
some of the technology like drones and robots.
• The attendance cost ranges from $310-$399/person for the full conference and $189-$239/person for
Saturday only.
• The CUE Conference has an active social media presence on both Facebook and Twitter.
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FTTC (Focus on Teaching and Technology) Conference - St. Louis, Missouri
The Focus on Teaching and Technology Conference is hosted at the University of Missouri - St. Louis and has
been going on for 9 years. Some of the conference’s attributes include but are not limited to:
• This event offers keynote addresses, technology workshops, and vendor exhibits.
• It reflects emerging trends in technology applications in higher education as well as online teaching experi-
ences and strategies.
• The attendance cost is $150/person for the full conference, $100/person for a single day pass, and a special
rate is provided for vendors, faculty, and presenters.
• They do not have an active social media presence, however, the main University of Missouri - St. Louis twit-
ter account shared tweets during the conference.
ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Conference - Various Locations in
the US
The ISTE Conference and Expo is recognized globally as the most comprehensive educational technology
conference in the world. For over three decades, the annual conference has served as an experience for ex-
ploring and exchanging ideas about education technology with educators from around the world. The ISTE
Conference is hosted in a different location each year and will be held in Chicago, Illinois for 2018. Previous
conferences have been held in San Antonio, TX, Denver, CO, Philadelphia, PA, and Atlanta, GA. Some of the
conference’s attributes include but are not limited to:
• The event attracts over 18,000 attendees and includes keynote speakers, sessions, and vendors who show
off their latest technology.
• Features an exhibit where vendors can showcase their products and services to education professionals.
• There are over 15,000 educators, 5,000 company representatives, and 500+ exhibiting companies that
attend the expo.
• The cost of a booth for vendors in the exhibit is between $4,150-$4,890 per 10’ x 10’ space.
• The attendance cost for individuals ranges from $200-$450/person for the full conference depending on if
one is a member of ISTE or not and $200/person for a one day pass.
• There is also an additional cost for workshop fees which ranges from $59-$239/person depending on the
session.
• ISTE has an active social media presence on Facebook and has a Twitter account, however, it is not being
utilized.
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IT’s Educational Technology Day has successfully captured the attention of a few faculty, students, and
members of the local community; however, there is room for this event to grow. IT has the opportunity to
restructure its strategy to focus on garnishing the attention of students at Ithaca College and beyond.
Primary Target Audience

Ithaca College Students
The primary target audience that Ed Tech Day will focus on will be Ithaca College students. The 2017 student
population is roughly 6,200 undergraduates and another 460 graduate students. Last year, Ed Tech Day esti-
mated that 320 Ithaca College students attended the event, which equates to just about 5% of the undergradu-
ate population (See APPENDIX B).
Research Tells Us That
According to research done by Pew Research Center, more than 98% of college-age students use social media,
and this number has increased almost 100% in the past eight years for people of ages 18-29 (See APPENDIX H).
In addition to this, an annual nationwide survey of college students conducted by UCLA found that 27.2% of
college students spent more than six hours on social media a week in 2014. This research drives one of our sug-
gested strategies, which is to increase social media usage, engagement, and advertising for Ed Tech Day 2018.
Although Ed Tech Day is a free event, students are going to be less willing to attend unless they feel they will
be gaining significant benefits by attending. Some examples of possible benefits for Ithaca College students
who attend Ed Tech Day may include: networking opportunities, learn about up-and-coming technology and
technology trends, and participating or attending student panels. In order for students to be made aware of
and understand the value of these benefits, key messages will need to be modified and marketing efforts will be
need to be revamped and increased.
Secondary Audiences
Ithaca College Faculty
There are 523 full-time faculty members at Ithaca College, as well as 221 part-time. Thirteen of those faculty are
specifically computer science professors who would benefit greatly from attending Ed Tech Day. Promoting the
event to faculty also reaches our primary target audience. Faculty who are aware of and excited about Ed Tech
Day are more likely to promote the event to students in their classes or include the event as an activity in their
syllabus requirements. As mentioned, Millennials are most willing to engage in events that will matter to them
in the long run and give them some sort of benefit. If professors incorporated Ed Tech Day into their curriculum,
it would give the event more of a heightened awareness for students and faculty alike. Attending this event
would also encourage faculty to gain knowledge on current and future technology trends, which can be used in
a classroom setting to further educational success.
In order to increase faculty participation at Ed Tech Day, it will be imperative to reach out to the chairs of each
department with a description of the event, urging attendance, and suggesting ways to engage students for
extra credit or within their curriculum.
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Faculty and Students Outside Ithaca College
Although there is a strong focus attracting IC students, it would be beneficial to take advantage of regional
institutions. There are roughly 22,000 students enrolled at Cornell University with an additional 1,648 faculty
members and 8,109 staff at the university, this is a huge opportunity to expand attendance at Ed Tech Day by
promoting to the Cornell community (See APPENDIX I). Cornell and Ithaca have always interacted and shared
educational experiences, so they are a great target to include. Tompkins County Community College has just
under 3,000 undergraduates enrolled and 65 faculty members, could add additional attendees, especially
since there is a strong focus on computer science and technology at the community college.
There are many other colleges and universities in the region. Some of these include SUNY College at Cortland,
Wells College, Elmira College, Keuka College, and SUNY at Binghamton. Promoting Ed Tech Day to these oth-
er colleges and universities will attract a wider audience, and enhance the success of the event. It would also
connect Ithaca College with other schools, which helps create relationships and networking opportunities
outside of our school (See APPENDIX J).
Local Community
According to research from 2016, there are roughly 30,756 people living in Ithaca, New York (See APPENDIX
K). Lab17 believes there is a unique opportunity to leverage the event with elementary and secondary students
as well as their families in the local market. The City of Ithaca has 12 public schools in the district and in addi-
tion to this, Tompkins County has 8 private schools in the area (See APPENDIX L). Reaching out to the super-
intendent of the district and the individual principals of all 20 schools would be an effective way to inform
K-12 students and their families of Ed Tech Day.
Research Tells Us That
Technology in education is becoming more and more prominent, therefore, teaching students the proper
ways to use and interact with technology inside and outside of the classroom is imperative. According to
RAND Research Corporation, “Finding ways for technology to support K-12 education goes far beyond out-
fitting students with laptops or tablets.” RAND works towards researching ways to support K-12 education
using technology. Some of the research they conduct includes ways to effectively integrate technology with
traditional teaching methods, ways for learning technologies to effectively support different learning models,
and ways to ensure that the broad adoption of technologies does not cause or increase inequalities in the
education system.
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CampaignObjectives
Lab17 recommends the following strategic initiatives to increase the awareness surrounding Ed
Tech Day.
• Enhance Brand Architecture of IT and Educational Technology Day.
• Create and develop strategies with accompanying tactics to increase participation in Educa-
tional Technology Day (Ed Tech Day).

Furthermore, Lab17 believes the objectives listed above directly support the following priorities
of the IT Department:
• Develop and implement a strategy to elevate key messages of Educational Technology Day.
• Identify tactics to increase awareness and participation in Educational Technology Day.
• Create and publish all content on available distribution platforms connected to the IT brand.
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KeyMessages
In order for the IT department and Ed Tech Day to establish itself as a trustworthy brand with a unique
and publicly responsible product, our campaign would communicate the following key messages in con-
junction with this campaign:
Ed Tech Day
1. Ed Tech Day provides a space for the Ithaca Community to come together and explore new
technology.
2. Ed Tech Day creates a place to partner with recognizable companies to distribute knowledge about new
technology.
3. Ed Tech Day brings opportunities for college students to network with technology representatives and
to discover new technology via an extensive vendor showcase, dynamic student panels, and engaging
seminars.
How IT and Ed Tech Day Work Together
1. The IT Department’s main goal is to enhance the student-centered educational experience which is
directly supported by the activities featured at Ed Tech Day.
2. Ed Tech Day supports IT’s mission to embrace creative technology solutions and improve information
technology.
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Strategies
Previous efforts that were used to promote Ed Tech Day include; direct email to 3,000+
people, limited social media efforts, newspaper advertisements including full spread
in The Ithacan, radio advertisements, flyers posted throughout Ithaca College campus,
advertisements on TCAT buses, mailing to K12 superintendents, Ithaca College Intercom
emails sent to students/faculty and a WICB sponsored giveaway. These efforts resulted
in attracting about 1,400 attendees in 2017; 320 of those attendees were Ithaca College
students, which allots to just about 5% of the student body population (See APPENDIX
B). Our team feels that increased planning and promotion following a 12-month calendar
leading up to the event in March, will ensure increased student participation. The follow-
ing strategies and tactics can be used as a guide to organizing the promotion and plan-
ning of Ed Tech Day in three important stages; before the event, during the event, and
after the event.
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Objective1:
Enhance Brand Architecture of IT and Educational Technology Day
Strategy: Increase brand awareness of the IT department.
Tactic: The tactics that support this strategy include, but are not limited to:
1. Engage:
a. Consistently engage on all social media platforms. Staying active on social media is imperative in
order to maintain the department’s current audience. We suggest that the IT department should post
on all social media platforms at least once a week. These posts should be engaging and may include;
fun facts about up and coming technology trends, news about the tech industry, and events occurring
on campus. However, boosted/paid Facebook or Instagram posts do not need to be implemented until
around the time of the event the following year. Staying active on all channels will help to immensely
grow the online platforms. After making a social media schedule the department should be able to
increase their social media following by at least 30-50 followers each year. This tactic is a way for the
community to become more aware of the important role that the IT department plays in the Ithaca
College experience.
b. Be sure to consistently share the links and handles to all of Ed Tech Day’s social media platforms.
These links should be displayed on all of the promotional efforts that are implemented including but
not limited to posters, flyers, emails, print and online advertisements.
2. Tagline: Develop an attractive tagline for Ed Tech Day that goes along with what the IT department strives
to do. It is important that people associate Ed Tech Day with the IT department so creating a recognizable ta-
gline will contribute to the enhancement of the brand’s image. A tagline that incorporates both the IT Depart-
ment and Ed Tech Day is “Plug In. Innovation Starts Here.” By utilizing this tagline, participants of Ed Tech Day
will understand the connection between both the department and the event.
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Objective2:
Create and develop strategies with accompanying tactics to increase participation in
Educational Technology Day.
Before Ed Tech Day {8 Weeks Out}
Strategy: Implement a strategy that will promote Ed Tech Day to students and the local community leading
up to the event.
Tactics: Tactics that support this strategy include, but are not limited to:
1. Collateral: In the 8 weeks leading up to the events, posters and flyers should be posted downtown, around
campus, and distributed to K12 schools, and stickers. Additionally, a full spread advertisement in the Ithacan
should be featured 3 weeks before the event and the week of the event.
2. Social Media:
a. Intern: Recruiting students on campus to act as interns in preparation for Ed Tech Day. There
should be three interns to manage all social media platforms related to the event and three event
planning interns to help the event run smoothly. All interns should begin working eight weeks prior
to the event. The social media intern will encourage promotion of the event across all platforms
including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for a duration of 8 weeks leading up to Ed Tech Day. This
role can be paid or unpaid depending on if the budget allows it. Students in the Roy H. Park School of
Communication are likely to accept an unpaid internship in order to gain valuable experience to add
to their resume. The chairman of the Strategic Communication Department, Scott Hamula, can be
utilized to find a qualified student with social media experience.
b. Content: Increase usage of all social media platforms. In hopes to increase student participation,
promotional content related to Ed Tech Day should be posted during the 8 weeks leading up to the
event. Facebook advertisements can reach roughly 210-550 students within a designated demographic.
We believe that having 8 paid posts which is one post per week leading up to the event will enhance
the event’s awareness among students. Content should also be posted on Instagram during the 8
weeks leading up to the event. These posts should differ from the Facebook posts in order to keep
target audience engaged and curious about what the event entails. Additionally, Twitter should be
utilized for the same 8 weeks incorporating different content than the Facebook and Instagram posts.
The social media timeline is as follows: for the duration of the 8 weeks leading up to the event there
should be 3 posts/week on each platform, 8 paid Facebook advertisements, and during the week of the
event there should be one social media post per day on each platform (See APPENDIX M). In order to
emphasize the importance of Ed Tech Day, some of the posts should showcase the big vendor names
that attend such as Apple, AT&T, Dell, etc. in order to give students a recognizable and relatable brand
name to encourage their attendance.
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3. Ithaca Alumni: Reach out to Ithaca College alumni at various technology companies to get newer, younger
companies involved in Ed Tech Day. The current vendors have been loyal to the event, however, in order to draw
in a younger crowd the companies need to have a more recognizable brand name. Ithaca College has a strong
alumni network throughout the country that should be taken advantage of. Companies such as Google, Spotify,
Facebook, etc. are currently some of the top dominating tech companies in the world and Ithaca College hap-
pens to have former students employed there (See APPENDIX N for alumni contacts). Reach out to prospective
school administration for direct email contacts.
4. K-12: Reach out to K-12 principals and the district superintendent. Since the IT department wants to enhance
technology within the local education system through Ed Tech Day, directly contacting these people will em-
phasize this mission. This can be done through email, mailed letters, and by asking different schools in the
district to post flyers.
5. Downtown Ithaca: Increase promotion in downtown Ithaca. Posting flyers and posters throughout the Itha-
ca Commons and downtown in stores and restaurants will increase awareness amongst the local community.
We predict this will also increase participation at Ed Tech Day.
6. Tables at IC: Tabling before the event should be done two or three times in the week leading up to Ed Tech
Day. Since the students that are most likely to attend are analytical or digitally creative, we believe setting up on
the 2nd floor in the School of Business and the 2nd floor in the Roy H. Park School of Communications would
be beneficial. An additional table should be set up in Campus Center near the Information Desk to engage the
rest of the student body.
7. Vendor Network Opportunities: Compile a list of vendors that are willing to network and/or interact with
students. Another incentive to get students to attend Ed Tech Day is the opportunity to network with represen-
tatives from companies. Although not all vendors are willing to network with students, some are, so make sure
the attendees are aware of which vendors to visit during the event.
8. IC Professors/Program Chairs: We are suggesting that the IT department reaches out to professors and pro-
gram chairs in a variety of schools and programs at Ithaca College to suggest offering extra credit opportunities
for students who attend Ed Tech Day. Students are constantly looking for ways they can earn extra credit inside
or outside of the classroom, making this is an awesome way to get IC Students involved in the event. Professors
will be willing to work with the IT department if they see value in their students attending Ed Tech Day. We feel
that the best way to do this is to reach out to department chairs via email around December, or towards the
end of the Fall Semester. This timing is important because professors will be crafting their syllabi before the
start of the new year. The goal is to encourage professors to incorporate Ed Tech Day into their spring curric-
ulum (For contacts see APPENDIX O and Mindfire see APPENDIX P). Not only does this tactic give students a
tangible motivation to attend Ed Tech Day but you will be able to have an idea of how many students this will
attract after reaching out to the department chairs. Some of the individuals we believe would be worthwhile
reaching out to first with this request of participating are included in the appendix.
25

The global public relations firm, Ketchum, offers an opportunity called Mindfire for students at
various universities to share their ideas to different client challenges. This program has recently been
integrated into professors’ curriculum in the Roy H. Park School of Communications. Mindfire creat-
ed a variety of ways for professors to include their challenges into their syllabi. For ideas on how to
include participation in Ed Tech Day into professors curriculum, reference the Mindfire example in the
appendix (APPENDIX P).
26

During Ed Tech Day {March 22, 2018}
Strategy: Implement a strategy that will attract and engage more students and participants to Ed Tech
Day on the day of the event.
1. Social Media:
a. The importance of engaging on social media during the day of the event is imperative. There are
a few important tactics to implement including live tweeting and showcasing the big-name
vendors that are attending that day. In order to post and engage across social media platforms
during the day of the event, we suggest that the same social media intern that has been posting
during the pre-event stages should also be responsible for posting during the day of the event.
Live tweeting during the event is an effective way to inform followers of the activities going on, in
real time, while also reminding twitter followers to stop by the event if they have not already.
Lastly, the social media posts should continue to highlight the big name vendors that will be
attending Ed Tech Day such as Apple, AT&T, and Dell. The reasoning behind this tactic is simple;
these are all vendors with recognizable names, which we can guarantee every Ithaca College
student is very familiar with. In turn, these vendors give students an incentive to plan on attending
the event or at least check it out during the day of.
b. A social media competition can encourage students to post on social media by using a
hashtag that will automatically enter he/she for a chance to win a raffle prize. This social media
giveaway should appear across all platforms (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram).
2. Swag or Giveaways: Design and develop stickers or other Ed Tech Day ‘swag’ to give away to attendees
and vendors.
27

Post Ed Tech Day {March 22, 2018 - Year Round}
Strategy: Implement a strategy that will help to retain the IT Department’s brand awareness and the
success of the 2018 Ed Tech Day in order to maintain the current audience.
1. Social Media: Staying active on social media for all 12 months throughout the year, is imperative in
order to maintain the event’s current audience. We suggest that the IT department should post on all
social media platforms at least once a week during the entire year leading up to the event. Boosted/
paid Facebook or Instagram posts do not need to be implemented until around the time of the event the
following year. Staying active on all channels will help to immensely grow the online platforms. After
making a social media schedule the department should be able to increase their social media following
by at least 30-50 followers each year.
2. Save the Date: Immediately following the 2018 event, the department should send out a ‘save the
date’ to all of the registered attendees. This note will also serve as a way to thank the participants for
attending the event as well as encourage them to attend again the following year. This note should either
be a physical letter (like a postcard), an email blast or both if willing to spend additional cost. Physical
‘save the dates’ are approximately $1.40/card and beneficial because they can be mailed to registered
attendees and distributed at the end of the event. A link to a survey can be distributed this way (more
information in the Measurement and Evaluation section). Be sure to include next year’s date and some
statistics about the success of the 2018 event such as:
• The number of people who attended Ed Tech Day
• The number of the different regions in Upstate NY were able to attend
• A recap of the most popular vendors
28

Observational Data
On the day of the event observational data can be collected to measure and evaluate the success of Ed Tech
Day. It will be important to estimate how many attendees come to Ed Tech Day before the IT Department re-
ceives an official electronic number of attendees. It will also be important to estimate the diversity in the room,
such as the number of Ithaca College students, the number of Ithaca College faculty members, and the number
of outside community members. The event planning interns will have the knowledge to estimate the number
of people that are filling up a room at an event. This estimated number will be important to obtain initially so
it can be shared and used as a way to promote the event on social media, save the dates or thank you notes, or
press releases.
Social Media Analytics
Social media will be monitored and evaluated through Hootsuite Professional. This website provides advanced
analytics and metrics based on every social media account that is linked to it. This program should be utilized
to monitor all promotional efforts done 8 weeks before the event, during the event, and after Ed Tech Day to
identify a real-time analysis of every post to any platform. The website should be connected to the Ed Tech Day
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts for the most accurate results. By taking advantage of the features
Hootsuite has to offer, the IT department will be able to easily monitor all social media accounts and under-
stand exactly how every aspect is performing and where they need to improve moving forward.
Facebook Ad Targeting
To target Ithaca College students, faculty, and the local community, the IT department can utilize sponsored
Facebook advertisements to target their desired demographic. These posts are able to reach 210-550 students
within a designated demographic. By featuring 8 Facebook ads before the event, it is projected that student
participation at Ed Tech Day will increase.
Survey (Ithaca College Qualtrics)
An online survey should be created and distributed to the attendees of Ed Tech Day in order to evaluate a num-
ber of important pieces of information. We recommend that the survey is crafted prior to the day of the event
so it can be easily distributed immediately after the 2018 event ends. The easiest way to distribute this survey is
to include a link in the ‘save the date’ / ‘thank you note’ you send to participants after the event. The survey can
easily be created using Qualtrics, which is an online survey software tool licensed to Ithaca College for use by
the faculty, staff, and students. Using Qualtrics, users can create and distribute online surveys to gather infor-
mation in support of the College’s educational mission and organizational goals. The survey should ask attend-
ees to evaluate the effectiveness of Ed Tech Day’s social media, brand awareness and success of the overall
event. Additionally, the survey will be most helpful to learn how participants heard about the event to gain a
better understanding of how to target participants for the following year. The promotional efforts in which we
are suggesting that serve as possible sources that a participant could have heard about the event include:
• Promotional posters and flyers in downtown Ithaca OR on campus
• Tabling on campus
• An Ithaca College related extra credit opportunity
• Email Marketing
• Social Media
• Facebook Paid Post
• The Ithacan Advertisement
30

Phase 1: Before Ed Tech Day
January 2018: Recruit Student Interns
Develop Event Tagline
January 2018 - March 2018: Boosted Facebook Posts
Weekly Social Media Post Across All Platforms
March 2018: Post Flyers in Downtown Ithaca, on Campus, and K12 Schools
Reach out to Ithaca College Professors
Reach out to Ithaca College Alumni
Reach out to Vendors that are Willing to Network with Students
Ithacan Features
Tabling
Phase 2: During Ed Tech Day
March 22, 2018: Social Media Competition
Live Social Media Posts
Showcase Big Vendors
Giveaways
Phase 3: Post Ed Tech Day
March 2018 - April 2018: Distribute Survey and Save the Dates
Year Round: Social Media Posts
32

EstimatedFees
Primary Audience - Ithaca College Students
34
Lab17 Strategic Public Relations Plan
Lab17 Strategic Plan & Implementation Total Cost: $40,060
Implementation

AbouttheAgency
Lab17 is not your average public relations firm. We are students, young professionals, and above all - a
team.
Working out of Ithaca College’s Roy H. Park School of Communications, we are a senior capstone agency.
Our employees double as full-time Integrated Marketing Communications students, so we are all the more
ready for the hustle of the often unpredictable agency world. Though we may all be studying the same sub-
ject, we are by no means a one trick pony show. Embracing our wide array of skill sets, we are working with
clients from across the Northeast to strategically grow their businesses, and shape their brands.
After four years of strategic communications experience, both from the outstanding faculty of the Roy H.
Park School of Communications and from individual internship experiences, the staff of Lab17 are ready to
work with a multitude of clients from different fields and properly prepare ourselves for the “real world”.
35

AgencyStaff
KylieManderson
AccountManager
KylieisaseniorIntegratedMarketingCommunicationsmajorand
LegalStudiesminorfromSaratogaSprings,NY.Sherecentlyspenta
semesterinLosAngeleswhereshenotonlyfellinlovewiththeGold-
enStatebutalsofoundthatthemusicindustryiswhereshebelongs.
Whenshe’snotbusyworkingwithclientsinLAB17,youcanprobably
findherdissectingplaylistsanddiscoveringnewmusic.Herdreamjob
istoworkintheArtistMarketingdepartmentatSpotify.
“Whereveryouare,beallthere.”-JimElliot
SarahKessler
DirectorofTech&Issues
SarahisaseniorIntegratedMarketingCommunicationsmajoranda
LegalStudiesminoratIthacaCollege.OutsideoftheLab17Agencyand
classroom,Sarahlovestospendtimewithherfriends,goonhikes,and
discovernewmusic.Inthefuture,Sarahhopestotakeherexperience
fromherinternshipsandIMCcoursestoworkinthemarketingworld,
eitherinpublicrelationsorproductdevelopment.Sarahwoulddescribe
herselfasfriendly,outgoing,andalwaysopentonewadventuresand
funexperiences.
“Lifeisshort,planttrees”-Sarah’sgrandfather
GlennTobey
Operations&Organizations
GlennisaseniorIntegratedMarketingCommunicationsmajorat
IthacaCollege.Outsidetheagency,sheenjoysexploringtheIthaca
areaandcookingnewcuisines.GlennhopestomoveouttotheWest
Coastaftercollegewhereshewilllookforajobinbrandingormarket-
ing.
“Happinessisnotsomethingreadymade.Itcomesfromyourown
actions.”-DalaiLama
36

AgencyStaff
ScoutWill
In-HouseDesigner
ScoutiscurrentlyaseniorIntegratedMarketingCommunicationsmajorat
IthacaCollege.SheisoriginallyfrombeautifulandruralLancasterCounty,
Pennsylvania,butspentthefirsteightmonthsof2017livingandworkinginNew
YorkCity.Whileinthecity,sheinternedforPop2Life,,RafanelliEvents,andNew
YorkCake.Scoutenjoysworkingdirectlywithpeopleandisnotafraidtospeak
upforwhatshebelievesin.Aftergraduation,sheplanstoworkinthehospitality
oreventplanningindustry,ownalong-hairedChihuahua,andtravelandexplore
theWestCoastoftheUnitedStates.
“Ilikeitwhensomebodygetsexcitedaboutsomething.It’snice.” -J.D.Salinger
KellyNash
Tech&Issues
KellyNashisaseniorIMCmajorandFineArtminorfromSaintLouis,Mis-
souri.Whenshe’snotworkingwiththeteamandclientswithLAB17,you
canfindhertakingpicturesforherblog,listeningtomusic,painting,and
volunteeringwithorganizationslikePlannedParenthood.Withnoplans
post-graduationyet,shehopestocontinuehernon-profitworkespeciallyin
thefieldofreproductiverights,andtraveltheworld.
“Remember,peopleonlyrainonyourparadebecausethey’rejealousofyour
sunandtiredoftheirshade.”-KimKardashianWest
37

APPENDIX A: IT Department Four Areas of Focus
APPENDIX B: Previous Attendees at Ed Tech Day
39

APPENDIX C: Range of Attendee Regions
APPENDIX D: Range of Attendee Regions
40

APPENDIX E: How People Found Out About Ed Tech Day in Past
APPENDIX F: Current Budget Breakdown for Ed Tech Day
41

APPENDIX G: Promotional Event Summary
EVENT SUMMARY
Before The Event:
1. Implement a strategy that will promote Ed Tech Day to students and the local community leading up
to the event.
2. Recruit students on campus to act as interns in preparation for Ed Tech Day. There should be three
social media interns to manage all social media platforms and three event interns help the event run
smoothly on the day of.
3. Increase usage of all social media platforms.
4. Reach out to Ithaca College alumni at various technology companies to get newer, younger companies
involved in Ed Tech Day.
5. Reach out to K12 principals and the district superintendent through email, mailed letters, and by asking
different schools within the district to post flyers.
6. Increase promotion in downtown Ithaca by posting flyers throughout the Ithaca Commons and down-
town in stores and restaurants.
7. Set up tables before the event two or three times in the week leading up to Ed Tech Day.
8. Compile a list of vendors that you know in advance are willing to network and/or interact with stu-
dents.
The Room
1. Arrange the event in a way that will promote attendees to participate in specific and targeted activities.
For example, locate all start-up companies in one area and the vendors who would like to network
with students another area. This way, the event is catered to the wants and needs of the attendees and
it will make the experience more enjoyable and worthwhile for them (For previous room set up see
APPENDIX Q).
During The Event:
1. Implement a strategy that will attract and engage more students and participants to Ed Tech Day.
2. Reach out to professors and program chairman in a variety of schools at Ithaca College to suggest
offering extra credit opportunities for students who attend Ed Tech Day.
3. Consistently use all social media platforms including live tweeting, a social media competition, and
post content that showcases the big-wname vendors that are attending the event.
4. Hand out swag or giveaways such as stickers or raffles.
Immediately After the Event:
1. Stay active on all social media platforms in order to maintain the event’s current audience and gain a
larger following.
2. Send out a ‘save the date’ to all of the registered attendees to thank the participants for attending the
event and encourage them to attend in the future.
42

APPENDIX H: Social Media Usage Among College Students
APPENDIX I: Percentage of Students at Each University
43

APPENDIX J: Colleges and Universities within 100 mile Radius
APPENDIX K: Population in Ithaca, NY
44

APPENDIX L: Schools in the City of Ithaca
APPENDIX M: Example of Social Post
45

APPENDIX N: Alumni Contacts
APPENDIX O: Professors and Program Chairs Contacts
46

APPENDIX Q: Arrangement of Vendors
49

50
Lab 17 Agency Fees:
We did the following activities during these hours:
• Analysis & Research
-Situational Analysis
-SWOT Analysis
• Developed & Designed
-Objective
-Target Audiences
-Strategies & Tactics
• Implement & Evaluate
-Strategies & Tactics

Promoting Educational Technology Day

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