Background

Unstop is a pioneering online event aggregator platform committed to offering an all-encompassing solution for college event organizers. Recognizing the untapped potential within the college market, Unstop aspires to establish meaningful connections with Clubs and Societies to facilitate key factors such as event promotion, audience engagement, and, most importantly, enhance their reach among students. To effectively achieve this goal, a thorough understanding of the college landscape in West Bengal was deemed essential to fulfill what the project aimed to complete.

With a vision to create the largest pool of employable talent, Unstop serves students pursuing graduation and post-graduation, as well as working professionals with 0-5 years of experience. Unstop’s mission is to help talent meet opportunities by giving them a platform to unlock their true potential.

The Opportunity

The company intends to broaden its operations in the Eastern Market, a previously unexplored region. It aims to conduct comprehensive market research on colleges in this area and analyze entry barriers.

Research revealed that the college environment in Kolkata leans towards art, culture, and academic excellence. Only a handful of notable colleges in the city prioritize extracurricular activities, internships, and social media involvement. The majority follow a more conventional approach to college life.

The Challenge

The major challenges faced by the client are as follows:-

1. Requirements of the Eastern Market – Since the company is based in North India with no extension in the Eastern region, it was facing difficulties in understanding the needs and requirements of college students. Student interest varies from region to region. Students based in West Bengal are more inclined towards a Ph.D. and getting their Doctorate instead of being job-oriented after their Bachelor’s. 

2. Go-to-market Strategy – Due to the lack of leads to contact in Eastern India to whom they could offer their services, the uncertainty of the target market i.e. the colleges and student bodies/ student(s) who need to be contacted was also prevalent which resulted in no well-established Go-to-market Strategy (GTM) for their services. 

Therefore, a survey was conducted which helped us to identify the challenges faced by event organizers within the college environment, setting the stage for Unstop’s entry. 

The Approach

1. In-depth research on the colleges:

The next task we delved into was getting a clear idea of how the college landscape in West Bengal was. While undertaking this task, our main focus was whether these colleges and institutions were event-centric. This made it easier for us to be able to segregate them based on whether they conducted events or not. A database of these colleges was curated as well.

2. Pilot Survey

The primary aspect of our project commenced with a pilot survey, which served as the foundation for our research efforts. This survey served as a means for us to analyze the current scenario and to achieve our goal of enhancing Unstop’s reach. Our target audience was the students in different colleges who were a part of their respective clubs and societies. It focused on the following key metrics:

• Familiarity with the Online Event Aggregator Platform
• Factors encouraging the audience to use an online aggregator platform for college events
• Preferences regarding paying a reasonable fee for premium features or availing of the basic features free of cost.

3. Database Creation

A detailed spreadsheet was curated with regards to the infrastructure, events, society culture, social media presence, and various potential entry points which discussed colleges/universities that perform exceptionally well so that Unstop could look into them for future collaboration. 

4.  Outreach Implementation:

We executed an engaging and multifaceted outreach campaign meticulously crafted to resonate with the identified influential Clubs and Societies. We developed tailored collaterals and communication materials, ensuring that each interaction was uniquely tailored to the needs of the targeted group. These measures included running consistent background checks to maintain and ensure proper credibility. Various platforms were utilized that aided us in doing the same. After we curated the list of these members, customized messages were drafted and sent to them via and other social media platforms as part of our pilot survey.  

The Impact

Armed with detailed insights informing the client about consumer needs and feature enhancements extracted from the pilot survey conducted, Unstop is poised to become an indispensable platform for promoting college events. The student database provided to them helped them in acquiring relevant leads. With shared dedication and a clear vision, we look forward to Unstop’s impactful presence among college Clubs and Societies, enriching the student experience in West Bengal.