The Advertising Club was established in 1992 by Mr. Kamal Darouni as one of the pioneering clubs at Notre Dame University of Lebanon. In 1999, NDU received formal accreditation from the International Advertising Association (IAA) for its BA Degree in Advertising and Marketing. As a result, NDU students now receive the IAA Diploma in Marketing Communications upon graduation. The Advertising Club subsequently became the IAA Advertising Club, attracting hundreds of Advertising and Marketing students at NDU. Over the years, the IAA Advertising Club has organized more than 100 events. Notably, in 2002, the IAA Advertising Club participated in the IAA 38th World Congress in Beirut. In 2004, NDU collaborated with the IAA Lebanon Chapter to organize a one-day workshop called "From Theory to Practice."
During the IAA World Education Conference in 2008, Mr. Kamal Darouni received two awards: the IAA Advertising Club of the Year for the NDU Advertising Club, and second place in the "World IAA Interuniversity Interad" Competition in the Middle East Region. In 2011, NDU achieved first place in the "Interad XII" Competition in the Middle East Region. In 2013, the IAA Lebanon Chapter celebrated its 50-year anniversary, while the IAA Advertising Club celebrated its 20th anniversary in the seminar "Lebanon Communicating." On November 8 and 9, 2013, NDU attended the first IAA Apprentice Conference in Dubai with the support of the IAA Lebanon Chapter, which sponsored the trip of 12 students under the presidency of Mr. Joe Ayache.
In March 2014, the club, in collaboration with the Department of Media Studies, launched the first seminar series on Advertising in Lebanon. On June 11, 2014, the IAA Advertising Club hosted the first IAA Diploma Ceremony, where NDU students received their IAA Certificate in Marketing Communications. The event was the first of its kind worldwide and was attended by Mr. Saad El Zein, IAA Vice President – Area Director Middle East and Africa, and Mr. Naji Boulos, IAA Vice President - Government Relations Middle East and Africa, representing the IAA Lebanon Chapter. In November 2014, another NDU student delegation participated in the 2nd IAA Dubai Apprentices conference.
In January 2015, the second IAA Diploma ceremony took place in the presence of the IAA World President, Fares Abou Hamad, and the IAA Lebanon Chapter President, Mr. Joe Ayache. In May 2015, Mr. Melhem Rechdan, Advisor of the club, received the IAA Young Leader Award from London and was honored by the IAA Lebanon Chapter. On November 6 and 7, 2015, the NDU Delegation competed in the "IAA 24 hours pitch" at the 3rd IAA Dubai Apprentices conference and emerged as the winners against universities from around the world.
On November 11 and 12, 2016, the NDU Delegation participated once again in the 4th IAA Dubai Apprentices. Currently, NDU celebrates over 15 years of IAA Accreditation and expresses gratitude to the IAA for their continuous support in "Inspiring Excellence."
