Day one, Wednesday 20th January 2010

Registration

Chair’s opening remarks

An overview of PMI2: What are the targets for 2011?

• Outlining the development of the UK Education brand to attract international students
• Best practice on enriching the quality of the student experience through:
  • offering pastoral support
  • effective communication
  • advice and guidance on visa applications, information and orientation
• Supporting the UK’s position through strategic alliances and partnerships
• Achieving internationalisation through market diversification and consolidation

Understanding how to develop your HEI brand: Audit, insight, market research and cost analysis

• Understanding your target audience: Which media is the most appropriate for attracting international students?
• Identifying what information you need to gather to inform your marketing strategy and how best to gather it
• Translating up to date market information into meaningful data to develop marketing strategies
• Understanding where to position yourself against your competitors and what your USPs are
• Top tips for developing an effective international marketing plan and brand
  

Question and answer session

Morning refreshments

Building long-term international partnerships to promote your institution overseas

• What are the challenges of setting up international partnerships?
• Monitoring and evaluating international partnerships
  
• Equipping your HEI with the right skills, resources and infrastructure

Building an effective network overseas through your alumni networks to improve recruitment internationally

• What is the best way of communicating with your alumni?
• Communicating the benefits of joining an alumni network
• Using international students as recruiters and supporters and as ambassadors in the long term

Question and answer session

Lunch

Benchmarking your HEI: Who are your international competitors in the market place?

• How is your institution being perceived in relation to other international institutions?
• Identifying areas of weakness through your media monitoring service and determine what you need to do to improve your offering

Using research to inform student choice

• Building your marketing strategy to focus expenditure where it works
• Benchmarking your institution against your competitors and identifying your strengths and weaknesses
• Identifying the most effective information channels currently being deployed, and how important they are in student choice

Question and answer session

Afternoon refreshments

Enhancing your communication through the use of website and social networks

• Using social media optimisation strategies to improve the quality and quantity of traffic to your website and generate publicity
• Developing blogs, podcasts and online communities to attract prospective students
• Developing a successful website that is both attractive and easy to navigate

Using PR and media agencies to raise your institution’s profile overseas

• Determining what your PR agency is best placed to deliver on your behalf
• Measuring the value of your press – both positive and negative
• Calculating your Return on Investment: understanding what is a good ROI
• Project and protecting your institution’s reputation both on and offline
• Tracking your profile both home and overseas

Question and answer session

Conference closes