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Somerset, NJ -- As incoming freshmen recently made their way to campus, the Northeast Conference (NEC) was there to greet them through an annual outreach program designed to raise awareness of the league and the role it plays in uniting its 12 member institutions.
Over 10,000 incoming students across the Conference were provided with NEC-logo drawstring bags. Among the contents in the bag were promotional products and coupons donated by a number of the league’s corporate partners and contributing sponsors.
"The freshman gift bag program has become a popular and effective way for the NEC to introduce itself to the incoming freshman class," said Commissioner Noreen Morris. "The NEC has made a strong commitment to developing a more engaged student community throughout the Conference, and we thank our sponsors for their support of this successful promotion."
Each drawstring bag also included a copy of the
2012-13 NEC Fan Guide, The 20-page publication is packed with the latest information on the Conference and includes local attractions, places to dine, shopping destinations and area lodging options for all 12 NEC institutions. Fan Guides will be also distributed at NEC Championships and on each campus at home sporting events throughout the year.
The welcome gift bags are among a host of branding initiatives being rolled out by the NEC this year. Most notably, the Conference recently launched its brand-new
NEC Front Row digital network, a conference-wide online video community. Featuring live webcasts, highlight packages, coaches shows, full-game archives and interactive social media components, NEC Front Row is a one-stop shop for league fans. As an added benefit, fans can access all content on NEC Front Row at no charge.
The launch of the Front Row digital network compliments the NEC’s popular
Facebook,
Twitter and
YouTube pages, as the Conference has prioritized using new media to help reach its growing fan base.
The NEC will also be hosting its first-ever “
Social Media Day” on October 23rd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York to help promote the 2012-13 basketball season. In addition, to complement its comprehensive regional television package for basketball, the NEC will once again partner with sports talk stations WFAN Sports Radio 66 (New York) and 93.7 The Fan (Pittsburgh) to air
NEC Notebook radio spots throughout the basketball season.
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 32nd year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 12 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 23 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic or play-in access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary’s, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis (NY), Saint Francis (PA) and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit www.northeastconference.org or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @NECsports.