Let’s be honest. One of the favourite moments during the Agora is the Fair and this year the Public Relations Committee teamed together to deliver another amazing Fair. The AEGEEan interviewed them to discover the plans they have.
The AEGEEan: Can you tell us a little bit more about the team?
PRC Fair Team: The active and enthusiastic team of Fair Managers consists of a mix of designers and PR consultants, Ksenia Lupanova (AEGEE-Moskva), Jelena Stankovic (AEGEE-Beograd), Dimitra Amorgianou (AEGEE-Kastoria), Réka Salamon (AEGEE-Aachen) and the Speaker Team of PRC, Panagiotis Barlampas (AEGEE-Athina). We have all attended Agorae and AEGEE Fairs before and we were full of ideas about turning this event into something that would give a lot of visibility to the European level of AEGEE and would get a lot of members active.
The AEGEEan: Normally we have one or two fair managers, what pushed the PRC to apply as a team?
PRC Fair Team: The AEGEE Fair is an effective tool of internal public relations. We wanted to take on the challenge as a team because if a team is responsible for different fields (communication, creative director, community managers, action managers and a team coordinator) we can ensure that the Fair itself will be carried out perfectly. It is always helpful to have more heads with more ideas, sharing our experiences and combining our skills etc. We are actually considering to apply as PRC for Fair Managers for the upcoming Agorae as well to ensure a proper knowledge transfer regarding the organisation of the event.
The AEGEEan: In the very first mail you sent to the Network you used a lot of hashtags. Can you explan us why?
PRC Fair Team: We love hashtags! Already the Summer University promotional campaigns are using a lot of hashtags and as social media is a key element of public relations these days, we decided to integrate also this element into the Fair thematics to give a modern look and possibly more online visibility.
The AEGEEan: What is the idea behind the #ChooseUrColor campaign?
PRC Fair Team: The name aims to refer to both the new idea of colour-coding the bodies – aligning it with the new Visual Identity of AEGEE, which was also a PRC project from the very beginning – and also to the fact that the elections of our new European board and a lot of other positions are going to take place in Patra. Delegates are invited to choose the AEGEE body/candidate they like!
The AEGEEan: What is going to be the major feature of Agora Patra fair?
PRC Fair Team: Besides the colour-coding of the bodies? Yes. The #FairHangout is a brand new idea for the Fair. We are going to place couches in the middle of the Fair room and have parallel discussions with 4-5 bodies. The idea is to provide an informal space for discussing things that could interest the Fair attendees, like intercultural communication or education and sustainability.
The AEGEEan: Will you introduce major changes?
PRC Fair Team: The idea of the AEGEE Fair as a platform for getting AEGEE members informed and interested in the thematic work on the European level – is going to stay the same as always. We are only trying to improve it in a way that the Agora newbies have a better understanding of the layout, and the opportunities present. Also, we are focusing more on the visual part, as the visual memory of people always works better. With bigger logos for bodies, clear navigation by a presentation screening and the colourful templates, it will be easier to integrate new members in the work of the European level!
The AEGEEan: Can you give an advice for people who are going to attend the fair for the first time ever?
PRC Fair Team: Maybe watch the presentation about the Fair which will be shown on the wall at the entrance. It will explain the colour-coding of the Fair, the work of PRC and will also present the different bodies from the Fair booklet! Other than that, look out for the #FairManagers and feel free to ask them any time you feel lost. Don’t be shy, ask people behind the tables and look for the body or project that interests you the most. And enjoy!