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How to
Benefit from Overseas Fairs
Let's face it. Nothing is more frustrating than investing money and time into an overseas education fair and not seeing worthwhile results. What's the best way to benefit from these fairs? That was the topic of a recent IEF-sponsored session at the NAFSA 54th Annual Conference in San Antonio, May 28.
Stephen Smith, who heads IEF's Washington D.C. office, hosted the NAFSA session. Joining Stephen were Peter Kerrigan -- Assistant Director, Higher Education Resource Group, Institute of International Education, and Susan Motz -- Director, Admissions Services, Graduate Management Admission Council.
Overseas fairs can allow your school to interact with a high volume of prospective students in a convenient, centralized location. But as these experienced exhibition organizers reminded the group, there are several challenges to keep in mind. Novices, for example, may find it daunting to meet so many students and parents in such a short time. Even seasoned fair participants could use regular "brush-up" practice sessions to improve their overall effectiveness.
The best approach, say these experts, is to adopt a three-tier approach that focuses on effective preparation, participation and follow up strategies.
Prepare
Properly: For best results, take the time to prepare before the event. Consider these ideas.
Know Your School - Keep in mind that one strategy can't apply for all schools. Certainly well known schools have the advantage of high awareness levels. But smaller schools can achieve excellent results too. This is especially true if a school doesn't expect immediate results. Make international recruitment a long-term goal. Fine-tune your school's differentiating qualities -- or its "niche." Then focus on communicating these strengths effectively to your target students.
Recognize the Competition - The US is still the world's favorite place to study, but that position is being challenged daily. Well-funded programs from the UK, Australia, Germany and other nations are bursting a hole into our dominant position. Not convinced? Consider that US market share of international students dropped 10 percent in 20 years. In key markets like Taiwan, US share has dropped more than 30 percent in less than 10 years. This is no time for any US school to become apathetic.
Do Homework - Avoid headaches by selecting an established fair organizer. How long have they held fairs? Do they know the market well? Are they respected by leading government organizations in both countries? What type of support will they provide you? For example, a fair organizer should provide you with student contact information from pre-event registrations. That way you can leverage this data before the event to arrange appointments with key prospects. At the same time, don't forget to look at your own school's records. Can you follow up on various student inquiries in person during the show?
Create Eye-Catching Booths - Remember that students are now accustomed to seeing elaborate booths -- especially at fairs sponsored by other nations. Make certain your booth communicates well with images and words. Feature booth signage in both languages. Bring plenty of school materials too. You'll especially want to bring a single-sheet bilingual flyer with key selling points, which you can use for wider distribution.
Participation:
In many ways, participating in an overseas fair is like racing against the clock. You're eager to spend time effectively, but there are so many students to reach. Here are some tips
Let Your Interpreter Help -
Your fair organizer should arrange for a professional interpreter to help staff your booth. This person can be a valuable resource. Take the time to pre-train this representative on your school's most important selling points. Remember that this interpreter has the added advantage of communicating in the local language. So, make she or he a close ally. If you are happy with the service, consider making this person a local contact for your organization. Many interpreters are top students, and can provide priceless "word-of-mouth" marketing about your programs at their own schools.
Send a School Rep -
Some schools try to save money by sending an agent to overseas programs. That can be a mistake. Do you really feel comfortable relinquishing control about what's said about your school? Experience shows it's most effective to send a well-trained school representative instead. In fact, these employees are usually a better choice than alumni, especially if they are prepared properly. Just make certain the representative can speak authoritatively about the entire academic institution and its strengths.
Give a Talk - IEF often arranges for school representatives to speak with groups of participants. This is an excellent opportunity for a particular academic institution to stand out from the crowd. If you decide to give such a talk, strive for interesting topics that provide value for listeners. Don't give a presentation on "An Introduction to ABC University." Speak instead on a broader topic such as "Choosing the Right School in the E-Era." Create interesting PowerPoint presentations or visuals to support your subject even better.
Reach Out - During the fair, remember your body language and attitude. The impression you leave with others will reflect upon your school. Make your booth an appealing place to visit by smiling and welcoming students to come over. If you act preoccupied, students will look elsewhere. Use that positive attitude to benefit your school's reputation long term. Leave flyers, banners and school materials at local advising centers. Build a local network by visiting schools and introducing yourself to student advisers. The more you reach out, the better your results.
Follow
Up: A key step to success is to follow up with participants after the event. Here are a few suggestions.
Track Visitors - It's not always easy to gather contact information during a busy show. There are many distractions, and time is short. But without that knowledge, you'll miss a lot of valuable follow up opportunities. So look for a fair organizer that helps you with this critical step. For instance, IEF gives all student participants a tracking number. When a representative speaks with a student, he writes down that tracking number and provides it to IEF. After the fair, the school receives all the pertinent contact information about the various students. This allows the recruiter to spend time speaking with students -- not writing down names and addresses.
Use Centers - It's a good idea to find local
student-advising centers for additional support. Ideally, your fair organizer will also offer professional office facilities for personal interviews and other services. These centers can make a great office away from home. Plus, many centers feature a reference library on US education, where you can provide school literature. Ideally, you should continue building awareness of your programs long after you're back in the US.
The next time you head off to an overseas fair, take a minute to review these suggestions. When you see the results, you'll be glad you made the effort. Good luck!
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