‘L Card’ ShowcaseCamille BoileauChad HardyUniversity of Queensland Law Society Inc

What you will hear from us today: • What is the L Card? • What does the L Card look like? • L Card statistics• L Card deals• How to get deals• How to create the card• Selling the L Card • Marketing• Pros• Cons• Summary

What is the L Card? • The ‘Law’ Card.• A student discount card offering deals for

nightclubs, retail stores, campus venues etc. • Joint initiative between UQLS, QUOTALS and

GULS. • Sold for $10 each, this includes membership to

the UQLS or respective organisation.• Mainly organised by VP Socials (QUT has L Card

Convenor).• Started in 2001 to compete with the ‘SECS Card’

which is now defunct muahaha ▫ (L Card competing slogan from 2001: ‘Only old

men pay for SECS’).

What does the L Card look like?

What does the L Card look like?

Does it sound familiar? You might have used it at last year’s September Council in Brisbane!

L Card Statistics

•Cards sold this year at UQ: 5000+•Cost of printing cards ~ 0.28c each card. •Therefore profit: $48,600 which is used to

fund other UQLS initiatives.•5 ‘front of card’ sponsors.•Tiered sponsorship – Gold/Front,

Silver/Back, Bronze/Website only•50+ venues with the L Card.

L Card DealsQuality over quantity

Major sponsors:• Free entry into major Brisbane nightclubs: Alhambra

Lounge, Birdees, Friday’s, Oh Hello, the Met. • UQ Union – a large tied sponsorship arrangement.

Silver sponsors (examples):• On campus: $3 chips at UQ Pub, free coffee with

pizza purchase. • Off campus: $400 tailored suits, 10-20% off food and

beverage at Brisbane venues, free chips at Grill’d, express entry to venues, discount beauty services.

How to get deals• First brainstorm venues that you want to

approach, potential deals that you want, and the main selling points in your favour.

• Create a generic sponsorship prospectus. • Draft a simple 1 page contract for silver

sponsors where venue can fill in the deal that they are willing to offer.

• Split up the different venues amongst your exec and approach venues.

• VP Socials should have sit down meetings with big ticket sponsors and will need more thorough contract.

How to create the card

•Think of a name. •Think of a slogan:

▫2009: Let’s talk about lex. ▫2010: L Card: your partner in crime. ▫2011: Boom! L Card.▫2012: L Card: join the party today. ▫2013: Gotta love L Card.

•Choose a colour scheme.•Hire a graphic designer to create design. •Get the cards printed.

L Card Designs

Selling the L Card• Packed 3000 show-bags that had giveaways

from sponsors, bottle openers, drink vouchers, special hot pink ‘L Card’ sunglasses for those who ‘checked in’ four friends, etc.

• Hired a dunk dank, music, lollies.• 50+ volunteers decked out in hot pink ‘L Card’

shirts. • College selling – setting up lunchtime stalls at

Colleges to sell cards. • Sell L Cards at UQLS events. • Must have an L Card to attend UQLS events.

Selling the L Card

Marketing• Market day. • Selling catch phrases e.g. “if you go to Fridays

only once this year you will have already paid off cost of L Card.

• L Card website: www.thelcard.com• L Card facebook page: over 1700 ‘likes’,

frequent updates, competitions and giveaways.

• Separation of marketing streams e.g. UQLS Law Dinner with ‘L Card’ Law Dinner after-party.

• L Card Launch in semester 1 and semester 2.• L Card photo frame used in photos at events.

What to avoid…

• Our VP Socials received death threats after posting this on facebook.

Summary: How to set up a discount card

1. Choose name, colour scheme and slogan. Hire a graphic designer for design.

2. Set up a prospectus outlining current LSS member database, events that can be tied in with the card and promotional opportunities.

3. Brainstorm with your exec venues that you would like to approach.

4. Approach silver venues with simple 1 page contract – they fill out the deal that they are willing to offer (usually signed and filled out on the spot).

5. Negotiate with front card sponsors at the start of the year when selecting social event venues.

6. Get cards printed. 7. Promote and sell discount card.

Pros•First mover advantage. •Significant fundraising for UQLS initiatives. •Gives us negotiating power with venues – in

exchange for being on front of L Card they give us significant contra and venue discounts when we host events there e.g. pub crawl, bands night and after-parties.

•Student involvement. •Foster good relationships with other QLD

LSSs.•Time intensive over Christmas break but is

then minimal work for the rest of the year.

Cons• Significant workload in setting up a discount

card from scratch. • Competition with other student society discount

cards on campus (same deals – want exclusivity).

• Issues with membership (UQLS v ‘L Card’ membership – non law students).

• Data entry of membership forms – secretary. • Logistics of selling cards on the day – receipts,

cash handling etc. • Venues not honouring deals/venues changing

management.

Questions?

•Chad’s condom balloon piggy.