Each year during Campus Connections, an event where new and returning students can learn more about the university services, resources, and student organizations, NC State Dining takes the “mania” out of the meal plan with this interactive, educational event.
At “Meal Plan Mania,” students come to learn meal plan tips and tricks, speak with our nutrition team, try samples of Howling Cow ice cream, and walk away with free giveaways, all while learning about our campus dining program.
“Students come to campus during summer orientation, but our department only gets to connect directly with the parents on how to select and use meal plans,” said Lindsay Hester, NC State Dining marketing manager. “We found that a lot of students go into their first year not fulling understanding how to use their plan and how to ensure they have the right plan for their needs. We typically have just one table at this event, which makes it hard to have a really good conversation with students, so we expanded it and made the experience of learning about NC State Dining and how our plans work both fun and informative. We used a lot of our nutrition and marketing students to staff it, which made the event even more effective.”
More than 650 students, participated, which is roughly three times as many students reached at a single eight-foot table in previous years.