Campus Tours: Where, When and Why?

With the 2014 Applicant Day cycle now over (*collective sigh of relief*), I thought it would be a good time to mention our campus tour provision at the Chester and Warrington campuses.

Applicant Days – done!

The Applicant Days have seen upwards of 2,500 applicants - plus associated parents / siblings / friends / partners / babies - pass through our doors over the last few months.  An increase of around 10% on last year’s Applicant Day attendance, this is a great outcome for making our offer more tangible to those applicants who visit us.  We know that conversion rates are significantly higher for people who have attended Applicant Days, and research shows that, however much applicants research into their chosen courses and institutions, the final choice ultimately comes down to whether or not a university ‘feels right’.

Getting a feel for the place 

Providing opportunities to visit the University is therefore a really important part of recruiting students, and booking onto Open Days and Applicant Days is a key call to action in much of our communications with applicants throughout the recruitment cycle.

Despite encouraging attendance at recruitment events, there will always be people who have missed or not been able to attend Open Days and Applicant Days, as well as those who apply late, or are simply slightly disorganised...

Another Open Day... Another Blog

It’s been while since my last blog, so with the advent of a new application cycle and the passing of another season of Open Days, I thought maybe now was the time for another blog about Open Days, with some reflection on their success and some thoughts on where we go from here.

Seeing Double

Of course, given the inclusion of an extra Open Day in the calendar, since this announcement there has been much debate as to how sensible the addition of an extra date was, especially over two consecutive weekends. One of the main incentives for doing this was to enhance the visitor experience. In recent years, the numbers attending Open Days have been steadily increasing and it was decided that it was in best interests of the visitor to split the main Chester Campus Open Day over two weekends.

I'm sure, to a certain degree, this debate will continue, but with the overall numbers in attendance far higher and more manageable spread over two dates, there’s a strong argument to say that we should continue with this formula next year. In reality, the extra date has now created far more choice for the visitor and, therefore, helped to increase overall attendance. This is important for us in order to maximise our chances of converting enquiries into applications, and it’s also helpful to our prospects at a time of the year when the majority of UK universities are trying to cram in their Open Days. And, given the nature of the application cycle, to move to another weekend later in the cycle would now be far too risky a strategy.

The Open Day aftermath - the difference between success and failure

With the Open Day season complete, we can all collectively breathe a huge sigh of relief and reflect positively on what worked well and what didn’t work so well.  All in all, I think all the University’s Open Days went very well with some record numbers in attendance, and I would like to congratulate Anna Long and Mark Hoddell for doing a sterling job in co-ordinating these events.  Months of blood, sweat and tears go into ensuring these events run without a hiccup.  Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but they work flaming hard at making them a success.

Step in the right direction

In an earlier blog, I talked about the difference an Open Day can make to prospective students, with it often a determining factor on whether or not to apply.  With the encouraging numbers in attendance and the fact that so many departments put so much effort into making the Open Day experience a positive one, it would be an easy mistake to make to think that the task of marketing your course is now done.  Far from it unfortunately, but a successful Open Day is obviously a step in the right direction.

Open Day - A BIG Thankyou!

We are now only a day or so away from the Open Day. It has been a huge task to complete all of the necessary work required, both from a marketing perspective as well an academic one, but yet again we have risen to the challenge superbly.

The Open Day guide looks great, so well done to Anna Long for co-ordinating all of the content, and to me (Stuart Grant!) for the design, artwork and for arranging the print. There was a huge influx of briefs to us, from banner stands and wrap-around displays, to course leaflets, posters and flyers...and also a lot of new and updated web content too.

Not forgetting

A BIG thank you to all of the academic staff who supplied their written briefs in time and to our design and web teams, admirably led by Marc Kneebone (who also designed lots of the printed material) and Neil Martin on web.

We have many heroes in proof reading, editing and printing, but it's been a fantastic team effort in general. The event itself on Saturday will see many of our team doing their bit to provide potential students with a great experience of the University.


All the best for the BIG day!


Stuart

Open Day survival guide for exhibitors

As we leap out of the depths of winter and awaken to the sights, sounds and down pours of rain it is summer time, which means only one thing, not the end of the football season but an Open Day at the University.  In the marketing team, it takes months of planning, plenty of broken pencils and hundreds of cup teas made while pouring over the details of the day.  We want to provide an experience such that it leaves the prospective student keen to apply to us in September next year.

What is an Open Day?

Open Days are pre-application events and will often be a prospect’s first visit to the University.  It’s their chance to take a closer look at the campus, its facilities, the courses, the city and, most importantly, meet the people who make the University of Chester what it is… you.  If you are representing the University at an Open Day, remember that first impressions do go a long way and students are likely to be well prepared on what to look out for.  And it’s not just the student that needs to be impressed, there will also be mum, dad and sometimes even grandma and granddad!  More than ever, prospective students and their parents will be looking at what they will be investing in and how it will benefit them.

The Open Day Fair

So why exhibit I hear you ask, especially when they could just as easily go to an academic session and get all the information they need there?  Well, not only will the Open Day Fair give prospects the opportunity to have all their questions answered on a one-to-one basis, but it will enable them to gain a more universal experience of what it would be like to study subject X or subject Y, especially if they are planning on a combined route. Unlike the days of old, when we used to have a massive influx of visitors in the morning, we expect the Open Day Fair to be steady throughout the day.

(Above: This is a good example of how to exhibit at the Open Day)

It’s all in the preparation

Before the event, check you have enough promotional materials (i.e. leaflets or factsheets) and, come the morning of the event, give yourself enough time to set up.  Anything can happen on the day and, with the experiences that I have had, arriving early should give you a chance to get everything ready on schedule even if there are some hiccups along the way.

Tip of the Day

A good tip for exhibiting is to have your table pushed to the side of the exhibiting area, as shown in the picture below.  This takes away any form of a barrier created otherwise by having the table in front of you and enables you to invite visitors into your exhibition space.  Having attended various events previously as both an exhibitor and a visitor, being able to speak to a person at a stand is far more valuable than having a nice table display in front of you.  All in all, engaging with a potential student and their family in a face-to-face situation should enable a more personable experience of the University and, ultimately, this could be a potential factor of whether they like Chester or not.

(Above: Lee and Robbie from Admissions using the shell scheme effectively at the last Open Day)

Health and Safety

Health and Safety is another important consideration for the day.  It’s about making sure everyone at the event goes home safely and has enjoyed the day. When exhibiting, you must check your exhibiting space for any potential hazards, ensuring there are no overhanging cables or trip hazards and that exhibition stands are secure.  Once people start arriving, you could be speaking to lots of visitors consecutively, so make sure you have a bottle of water or a drink on hand.  It is important that you keep yourself hydrated throughout the day.

Final Few Tips

Here’s a quick list of helpful, hints and tips on how to get the best out of the Open Day.

Do's

• Be friendly and approachable
• Provide accurate information about combinations and entry requirements and, if you’re not sure, don’t hesitate to re-direct the query to the admissions desk 
• Use your latest promotional materials
• Provide the departmental contact number for further enquiries
• Be aware of health and safety issues around your stand/area
• Give yourself enough time to set up and be ready for the event
• Keep yourself hydrated with water as there will be a lot of talking done on the day
• Ensure all areas of course provision are covered at your stand for both undergraduate and postgraduate delivery
• Follow up on enquiries following the event – MRA can provide further details on prospects who registered on the day

Don’ts

• Do not leave the stand unattended
• Make sure any cables or objects are tucked away in a safe place so visitors don’t slip, trip or fall
• Check your area for any other potential hazards that could injure you, your colleagues  or a visitor

Hopefully this will help you on the big day itself; any questions about exhibiting please do contact us.

Good luck and hope to see you on the day itself.

Until next time

Mark