How much impact does the conferencing department have?
The impact a conferencing team has on student enrolment cannot be understated! The department isn't just about delivering outstanding events. They play a large role in not only helping to fund the academic programme but also introducing potential new students, their family, their friends and other influencers to the institution.
Although the conferencing department specialises in the organisation and delivery of events on campus, these skills can be utilised to achieve wider university objectives. By delivering events to prospective students, their friends and family, the team can attribute to a greater enrolment pipeline.
By inviting this group of people to visit the university for an event, there’s a real
opportunity to indirectly sell the facilities and the culture of the university. We asked over 2500 students and graduates whether attending an event such as a conference, sports camp or corporate event, prior to enrolment, had a positive influence on their decision to study there...
0%
said yes!Imagine if those people hadn’t attended an event organised by the conferencing team… That’s a huge potential loss of enrolments, meaning an even bigger decline in student numbers. This goes to show that this 57% of people were impressed by the campus and the facilities.
Laura Lafferty, Operations Director at Kinetic, previously worked as a Director of Conferences and Event Services at a US university. She says “While I was Director of Conference and Event Services, my campus saw thousands of middle and high school students pass through our doors for various events, camps and activities. Not only did their participation on campus give them a sense of what it might be like to attend as a future
student, but it began to develop some loyalty to the institution that undoubtedly affected their future enrolment decisions.”
Kinetic spoke with a number of conferencing professionals and found that over 80% felt that their department does not receive the recognition it deserves. However, the 57% from our research confirming that attending an event prior to enrolment had a positive influence on their decision to apply, shows the significant impact of conferencing departments.
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