What is "demonstrated interest?"

Many colleges look to see if students have connected to them through campus visits, off-campus receptions, or interviews.  At last year's meeting of the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC) many colleges indicated that connecting with the campus, in addition to an application for admission, really showed the level of interest in a college and could influence the outcome of an admission decision.  A recent report noted that more than 50% of colleges put moderate to considerable weight on "demonstrated interest" in making admission decisions.