In response to regular enquiries from our clients and contacts, I would like to outline our thoughts regarding the usefulness of fairs and exhibitions for attracting British students in to international education.
Fairs are a major part of the international student recruitment marketing mix and they can generate excellent results in many countries. However, in our opinion they are not the right method to attract students from the United Kingdom. I have attended two such events in London this year and while both have been very successful in terms of attracting visitors, this is still a long way from saying that they will generate the desired results.
For most universities the first challenge to be overcome is building some kind of name recognition in the United Kingdom. Many exhibitors at UK events have commented to me that most students have no idea who they are and which strengths their institution possesses. Students are a long way from identifying the "unique selling points" of a university and they are a long way from actually caring; what students are looking for first and foremost is fairly general information about international education. For example, they need to learn about Australian higher education before they can even consider going to university in Australia. Most students attending fairs have not had the chance to learn even the basics. As a result, university staff attending fairs often find they have to offer general advice to visitors and have very little time and opportunity to "sell" their institution itself. While this is not necessarily a bad thing and may to some extent reflect the experience in other countries , it does mean that the results which exhibitors are likely to achieve may be very disappointing in comparison with their expectations.
Having a presence in any market is vitally important, however; particularly in a country such as the United Kingdom where we are likely to learn a lot about price elasticity and maintaining excellence in higher education during the lifetime of the next parliament.
I spent over a decade working in the exhibition industry in many countries around the world. In that time I launched many new events in markets and countries which had never had such events previously with varying degrees of success. One of the key lessons I learned is that it is not enough to have a pool of exhibitors who are looking to enter a market. There absolutely has to be an audience that is interested in the products on display and knows why it wants to buy them. While there is definitely interest at this stage in international higher education and the numbers attending events are growing, we are still some way from having an audience that has all the information it needs to make an informed choice.
When A Star Future was established in 2006 the initial idea was to organise a road show around the United Kingdom. We quickly rejected this approach as we felt it was the wrong marketing method at the wrong time. There is first and foremost a requirement to educate the marketplace before the results will warrant extensive investment in UK outbound recruitment. We took the decision that it is better to go to the potential market and help shape its awareness and interest rather than to organise an exhibition and see what happens. There are signs that the situation is developing but I do not believe that the time is yet right for universities to make a large scale investment in attending exhibitions in the United Kingdom. Our approach allows for universities to reach students and their advisors in around 100 schools in England for roughly the same overall cost as attending one two-day event in London.
But what about general student recruitment fairs in the United Kingdom? UCAS with its effective monopoly on student application data organises a wide range of fairs in this country and most universities participate in some if not all of these. Clearly these are effective ways for British universities to reach British students. It is true that most Year 12 students in the United Kingdom will have the opportunity to attend one of these events. However, it is perhaps worth investigating how students prepare for these events. Most schools careers staff will advise students to come up with a list of questions to ask universities and suggest that students think about universities that offer the courses they are interested in or, increasingly, are located within travelling distance of their homes. Students at these events tend to arrive at A and work their way around to Z asking their prepared questions and collecting prospectuses as they go. These events are very effective for students looking to achieve the outcomes for which they have prepared. However, they are very difficult environments to introduce new concepts or different ideas, such as studying abroad. We have been monitoring these events for some time for signs of change and will continue to do so. However, it is fair to assume that if a large scale international student fair were to take place in the United Kingdom it would generate similar results.
We believe that the place to start a discussion about international education is in the classroom and that is why we invest in building links with schools and being visible to students throughout the school year. We then use online resources such as email newsletters , twitter and facebook to continue the education process. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, we also enable our clients to contact students who have expressed an interest in studying in their country or subjects in which they specialise.
Marketing consultants are not necessarily the right people to promote international universities. We believe that Higher Education Institutions can do that best themselves, although clearly we are in a position to offer guidance and support when necessary. Marketing consultants should however be able to advise and offer the right marketing measures to reach a specific objective. If a university wishes to increase awareness in the United Kingdom with a view to increasing enrollments then we believe that there are currently better ways to achieve this than attending fairs. When this situation changes, as an old hand at organising such events, I will be delighted to help our clients make the most of what can be one of the most effective marketing methods ever invented. Until it does though, we will continue to use alternative ways of marketing international higher education in the UK.
Thursday 26 November 2009
Monday 23 November 2009
Why will British Students Go Abroad?
We have more or less completed the first round of presentations in 2009-2010. As part of the presentation we aim to give potential students some of the key reasons they should think about gaining international experience. Below we list some of the key reasons why we think students should go abroad. These are worded exactly how we communicate them to our audience of 16-17 year olds and we have only listed those which appear to resonate most strongly with this audience.
1. Compete in the Global Job Market: If you are planning on a career in international business. Employers are increasingly looking for mature, culturally aware graduate recruits.
2. Broaden Your Horizons: Living in another country will help see things from a different perspective. It will introduce you to new experiences and new people. Experiencing life in a different country is not something you can learn by reading about it or seeing it on TV. Countries which we perceive as being similar to the UK can also present their own cultural challenges.
3. Meet People From Many Different Countries: Students from other similar European countries are twice as likely to study abroad as British students. Many of them come to this country for part or all of their education. This opportunity is there for you if you want to take advantage of it.
4. Student Debt Will Shape Your Life: Wherever you study you are likely to be going in to debt to pay for it. This will inevitably have an impact on your life after you leave university. The level of debt is not, in itself, the most important consideration; how long it will take to pay it off is. Studying abroad can help you in two ways:
• it may improve your earning potential,
• it may be cheaper for you.
For more information on how to reach British students with international higher education opportunities please contact us.
1. Compete in the Global Job Market: If you are planning on a career in international business. Employers are increasingly looking for mature, culturally aware graduate recruits.
2. Broaden Your Horizons: Living in another country will help see things from a different perspective. It will introduce you to new experiences and new people. Experiencing life in a different country is not something you can learn by reading about it or seeing it on TV. Countries which we perceive as being similar to the UK can also present their own cultural challenges.
3. Meet People From Many Different Countries: Students from other similar European countries are twice as likely to study abroad as British students. Many of them come to this country for part or all of their education. This opportunity is there for you if you want to take advantage of it.
4. Student Debt Will Shape Your Life: Wherever you study you are likely to be going in to debt to pay for it. This will inevitably have an impact on your life after you leave university. The level of debt is not, in itself, the most important consideration; how long it will take to pay it off is. Studying abroad can help you in two ways:
• it may improve your earning potential,
• it may be cheaper for you.
For more information on how to reach British students with international higher education opportunities please contact us.
Tuesday 17 November 2009
More British Students Going to the USA
Yesterday the US based Institute for International Education published its annual survey in to the number of international students studying at US universities. Open Doors 2009 shows that there has been an increase of 4% in the number of Brits in US higher education to 8,701. This includes students at all levels from diploma courses up to and including postgraduate study. The UK remains the 15th most important market for US Higher Education Institutions.
From our own research we can tell that the United States is still the most interesting destination for British students but many cannot take advantage of the opportunity to study there for their full undergraduate degree, primarily for financial reasons. This is unlikely to change in the midst of the current recession. The forthcoming increase in English tuition fees, however, could very easily narrow the gap in cost between British and US higher education, particularly at institutions where academic scholarships are available.
According to the Fulbright Commission's analysis of the Open Doors 2009 survey, there has been a moderate, 3% rise in students enrolled on full undergraduate courses in the USA but a 21% rise in non-degree programmes, including short term programmes such as summer schools and university exchanges.
The five most popular US institutions for British students are Harvard University, University of Central Florida, New York University, Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. As three of these universities are Ivy League schools it is clear that British students are mostly attracted to elite American higher education. The University of Central Florida and NYU are also highly respected universities in geographic locations likely to appeal to British students.
There is potential for a wider range of US universities to attract British students at undergraduate level; US efforts to recruit British students are only just scratching the surface at the moment. Because of the sheer number of US study abroad students who want to come to the UK (33,353 in 2007-08), US universities can benefit twice over from raising their profile in this country: firstly, through an increase in direct enrollments; and, secondly, by increasing demand amongst potential exchange students leading to an increase in the British-based partners they are able to offer their own students.
British students and their advisors currently have little awareness of the vast majority of US universities. While many are interested to attend events such as the recent USA College Day in London, very few arrive at such events with any knowledge of the institutions they will meet. We believe that a concerted approach throughout the year works better than a short term visit to these shores and that is the reason we developed the A Star Future promotional campaign. You are welcome to contact us if you would like to learn more about our initiatives.
From our own research we can tell that the United States is still the most interesting destination for British students but many cannot take advantage of the opportunity to study there for their full undergraduate degree, primarily for financial reasons. This is unlikely to change in the midst of the current recession. The forthcoming increase in English tuition fees, however, could very easily narrow the gap in cost between British and US higher education, particularly at institutions where academic scholarships are available.
According to the Fulbright Commission's analysis of the Open Doors 2009 survey, there has been a moderate, 3% rise in students enrolled on full undergraduate courses in the USA but a 21% rise in non-degree programmes, including short term programmes such as summer schools and university exchanges.
The five most popular US institutions for British students are Harvard University, University of Central Florida, New York University, Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. As three of these universities are Ivy League schools it is clear that British students are mostly attracted to elite American higher education. The University of Central Florida and NYU are also highly respected universities in geographic locations likely to appeal to British students.
There is potential for a wider range of US universities to attract British students at undergraduate level; US efforts to recruit British students are only just scratching the surface at the moment. Because of the sheer number of US study abroad students who want to come to the UK (33,353 in 2007-08), US universities can benefit twice over from raising their profile in this country: firstly, through an increase in direct enrollments; and, secondly, by increasing demand amongst potential exchange students leading to an increase in the British-based partners they are able to offer their own students.
British students and their advisors currently have little awareness of the vast majority of US universities. While many are interested to attend events such as the recent USA College Day in London, very few arrive at such events with any knowledge of the institutions they will meet. We believe that a concerted approach throughout the year works better than a short term visit to these shores and that is the reason we developed the A Star Future promotional campaign. You are welcome to contact us if you would like to learn more about our initiatives.
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