Understanding On-Campus Activities
An interview with Madeline Zhou, EduGlobal Events Supervisor, about the role of on-campus activities in the student recruitment marketing agenda.
What exactly are ‘On-Campus Activities’?
Well they are essentially promotional events very similar in nature to CIEE or large-scale agent events but significantly smaller in size and often more tailored. Usually we get 20 to 30 students attending these events, and we make every effort to create specific events that cater to specific student-body needs or interests so that we really get the right audience – and more importantly – an audience that is interested!
Before we prepare an on-campus activity we always talk with our counselors to get an understanding of the types of seminars that would be appropriate and effective for the student market.
Why do you conduct On-Campus Activities?
I think it’s important to realise that there is a lot of information out there about studying overseas. With that bulk of information comes a lot of confusion from students. These on-campus seminars give students the opportunity to find answers to their questions and gain a better understanding of their study abroad options and opportunities. We also conduct a lot of on-campus activities to help promote EduGlobal and the services we offer to help us connect with students at an earlier point in the decision making process.
Would you recommend on-campus activities for institutions?
In general we only recommend on-campus activities for institutions that have a very specific or unique offering, already have a base in China, or are seeing on-campus activities as a supplementary mechanism to a broader recruitment plan in China. Usually we use such activities as a platform to promote specific countries. Then if students are interested in a particular institution, we can follow up with detailed information. In saying that, if an institution is interested, we'll certainly work with them to develop an on-campus activity.
What role do you think education events play in the broader international marketing scope for an institution?
In short – no. They are a great complementary tool to a broader marketing strategy. They don’t in any way replace the bigger education events and expos which provide a much larger exposure for both institutions and students.
Tell us about a successful activity you have held.
The University of Queensland approached us to help them create, facilitate and deliver a tailored on-campus seminar. We pre-promoted the event and had a student attendance of over 60 which we consider a very successful activity (and have started using this as our benchmark). It helped that we had great support from UQ including the attendance of two senior staff from Australia. We were able to encourage the kids to provide their details, and this enabled us to work with the local UQ representative (within EduGlobal) to follow up on individual enquiries.
With more students on the internet than ever before, do you think campus activities will become obsolete in the future?
TWe are definitely aware of the growing movement toward the internet as a key source of information about studying abroad. I think that the internet is making on-the-ground events more challenging, but it is in no way replacing them. These activities on campus allow participants to connect with representatives, instilling trust and establishing relationships with students and parents in ways that are not possible online.