Anime & Manga Society

As founder and President of the University of East London’s Anime & Manga Society, I grew the society to over 100 paid members, organised weekly events, educational workshops and community activities that brought students together through gaming, anime, Japanese culture and shared interests. Alongside managing the committee, I coordinated events, promoted the society, created content and worked with university staff to deliver engaging experiences throughout the academic year.

Key Results:

👥100+
Paid Members

📈3 → 100+
Community Growth

🗓️2 Years
Leading Society Operations

🎉20+
Events, Activities & Meetups Organised

🤝Student Union
Stakeholder Partnership

Community Growth:

  • Grew membership from 3 founding members to over 100 paid members
  • Developed recruitment campaigns
  • Managed onboarding and member engagement
  • Built long-term retention initiatives

Events & Operations:

  • Planned and delivered weekly society events throughout the academic year
  • Coordinated venue bookings, event logistics and scheduling
  • Managed event communications with members and committee
  • Oversaw delivery of gaming, social and educational activities

Leadership:

  • Recruited and supported committee members
  • Delegated responsibilities
  • Managed society administration
  • Introduced a Shadow Committee programme to support succession planning

Marketing & Communications:

  • Designed promotional campaigns
  • Managed social media communications
  • Created event marketing materials
  • Promoted society activities across university channels

Building an Active Community

Society meetings followed a structured weekly programme that mixed social activities, multiplayer gaming, anime discussions, quizzes, workshops and themed events. Offering a varied schedule encouraged members to return regularly while creating opportunities for new students to integrate into the community.

Organised and promoted society activities through recruitment events, engaging with students, answering questions and encouraging membership growth. Helped coordinate society branding, event promotion and member outreach.

Recruitment & Promotion

Designed and promoted weekly society activities, including quizzes, workshops, anime screenings, and gaming sessions, helping maintain engagement and support membership growth to over 100 paid members.
Designed and promoted society recruitment campaigns through digital and on-campus channels, helping attract new members and supporting community growth from an initial committee to over 100 paid members.

Leadership Development

Developed and promoted a leadership development initiative designed to identify, recruit, and mentor future committee members, supporting long-term sustainability and succession planning.
Provided members with the opportunity to plan and run a society session, encouraging leadership development, ownership, and hands-on event management experience.

Community Events

Planned and supported themed social events that brought together society members and the wider student community. Encouraged participation through interactive activities, helping create an inclusive and engaging environment.
Planned and promoted themed community events, coordinating logistics, communications, and attendee engagement to encourage participation and strengthen member retention.
Organised social and community-focused events designed to increase engagement, encourage participation, and create inclusive experiences for members with shared interests.
Competitive gaming sessions featuring titles such as Super Smash Bros and My Hero One’s Justice.
Regular weekly meetings encouraged new members to get involved and helped build a welcoming community.

Behind the Scenes

Running the society involved far more than hosting weekly meetings. Responsibilities included:

  • Managing room bookings, schedules and event logistics
  • Coordinating committee members and delegating responsibilities
  • Promoting events through social media and university channels
  • Managing memberships, enquiries and community communications
  • Purchasing prizes, event materials and supplies
  • Liaising with the Students’ Union and university staff

Activities, Competitions & Engagement

Alongside weekly meetings, I organised tournaments, raffles and interactive activities that encouraged participation, rewarded attendance and gave members new reasons to return each week.

Raffle

Organised raffle prizes to reward members and increase event engagement.

Trading Card Tournament

Hosted casual Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments that brought together members with shared interests.

Gaming Prizes

Competition prizes used during gaming tournaments and special events.

Coordinating Educational Sessions

To broaden the society’s activities beyond entertainment, I coordinated guest workshops delivered by university lecturers and experienced speakers. These sessions introduced members to aspects of Japanese language and culture, giving the society greater educational value while complementing its anime-focused events.

Coordinated a guest workshop delivered by a university lecturer, introducing society members to the basics of Japanese language and culture as part of our programme of events.
During the workshop, the guest lecturer shared the history of UEL’s original Anime Society, including photos from its 2008 members. It offered an interesting glimpse into the university’s past and how anime communities had evolved over time.
Organised a guest workshop delivered by a university lecturer, expanding the society’s programme beyond entertainment by introducing members to Japanese language and culture.
The workshop combined conversation, pronunciation and reading exercises to provide members with a beginner-friendly introduction to Japanese.

Branding & Merchandise

Designed promotional materials for a proposed society merchandise initiative intended to strengthen community identity and explore additional fundraising opportunities.

Community Engagement & Retention

Created and distributed promotional materials for society events, including themed gatherings and community activities. Used marketing and communication skills to increase event visibility, attendance and member engagement.
Created humorous social media content to re-engage inactive members, encourage attendance, and strengthen the society’s online presence through audience-focused communication.
Celebrated members and society achievements through end-of-year communications, helping foster a welcoming community culture and strengthen member retention.

Leading the Anime & Manga Society taught me how to build and maintain an engaged community, coordinate events, collaborate with stakeholders and create experiences that encouraged members to return week after week. These experiences continue to influence how I approach community management, communication and event planning today.