Welcome to Diogo's TIL: Join Me on My Coding Journey

This post is adapted from my Linkedin profile. Check here for more information regarding my professional experience.

I joined the Academic Directory, aka Bar Cultural, in July-August 2022. Let’s not kid ourselves, this place is where we party - for the townies and the academic crowd. We’re the biggest “night-club-associated-university” in Latin America with around six thousand customers a month, a volunteer team of 50+ people and a bunch of third-party employees. It’s a lot to orchestrate.

Since I started, I’ve had my fair share of challenges. The volunteer team was a bit demotivated; we inherited a massive debt from previous administrations: thus we had to deal with suppliers to cut down costs; and, we needed to host two parties per week. It was a lot to handle, but we managed to pull through.

I got promoted from advisor to the Coordinator of Promotion & Sales. I’m now directly responsible for the Marketing team, which is a group of 10+ people. We’re responsible for selling the tickets for the parties (through Promoters, and points of sale), and we’re also responsible for the marketing of the parties. We’re also responsible for the sales of merchandise, which is a big part of our revenue.

Despite the challenges, being a part of the team at the Academic Directory has been a truly rewarding experience. Working with the volunteers and the rest of the staff has been an excellent opportunity to build my leadership skills, and I’ve learned a lot about managing a business. As a result, we’ve been able to improve our social media presence and engagement, and I invite you to check out some of our numbers

In the span of 9 months, we've managed to increase our social media presence by 100%:
Facebook: 12,000 to 20,500+ followers
Instagram: 7,000 to 13,000+ followers
Twitter: non-existent to 500+ followers
Tiktok: non-existent to 200+ followers
Linkedin: non-existent to... Okay, we don't have a Linkedin page yet. (We actually have, with 13 followers 🧐)

But… You get the point. We’ve been able to grow our social media presence by a lot, and we’ve been able to engage with our audience in a meaningful way. (In the past, we didn’t have an Omnichannel platform for metrics, now we have it!)

As I reflect on my time at the Academic Directory, I’m reminded that it’s not just about the parties and the business. It’s about the people and the community we’ve built. We’ve created a space where everyone is welcome, and where people can come together to celebrate and have a good time.

And that’s what makes this place special. It’s not just a bar; it’s a home away from home for many. It’s a place where friendships are forged, memories are made, and dreams are realized.

Being a part of the Academic Directory has taught me the importance of hard work, dedication, and teamwork. And I’m proud to say that I’ve been a part of something truly special.

So, to anyone out there looking to make a difference and be a part of something bigger than themselves, I encourage you to find your Academic Directory. Find that place where you can make a difference, build a community, and leave a lasting impact, as our team has done.

It’s a unique place with a lot of history, and I’m honored to be a part of it. And to my fellow team members at the Academic Directory, I say this: keep hustling, keep striving, and keep making a difference. We’ve got this!