The Pakistan Students Association hoped to open up their club to more of the SFU student body with their first social night of the semester on May 30, 2014 in the MBC Atrium.
Filled with music, dancing, and, of course, authentic Pakistani cuisine, organizers wanted this event to be the place to be on a Friday night.
By inviting students from clubs such the Bollywood Dance Club, African Club, Hip Hop Club, Association of Latin American Students, and many more, the PSA was able to create a multicultural environment that showcased the best of what Pakistan has to offer.
Performances from the Bollywood Dance Club were also presented new and emerging talent with a yet-to-be-named band performing original songs in their native languages of Hindi, Urdu and Panjabi as well as a few original English songs.
Led by a few peppy hosts, the night continued with a trivia game and happy chatter as attendees mixed and mingled.
The board members at the PSA were able to get sponsorship from Bon Chaz and Al Medina (a popular restaurant in Surrey catering to Pakistani cuisine), which provided the cookies and the main course for the evening.
Although CJSF Radio Station heavily promoted the event, Karan Thukral, vice president of finance of the PSA felt that the most effective promotional tool was word-of-mouth. “If I tell my friend, ‘Come to my event,’ that creates more impact rather than listening online or reading on the poster,” he said.
The organizers were expecting between 80 and 100 people but it seems that promotions paid off as attendance exceeded expectation; halfway through the night there weren’t enough chairs for people to sit in. However, this helped to keep people on their feet, giving them the opportunity to mingle with friends and just have a good time.
At the end of the night, the PSA was thrilled by the response from students. “The social night was a great success,” Hassan Liaquat, PSA VP internal told The Peak.
