Welcome
Kia Ora,
Education New Zealand’s first New Zealand only education fairs in Korea took place over the weekend of October 31-November 1, 2009. This special edition of E-News will give those of you unable to attend the fairs a look behind the scenes.
Participants
South Korea is our second largest source market for international students, and institutions were keen to participate in the fairs to have direct contact with potential new students and their parents.
All 32 available places were taken for this inaugural fair, and other institutions had to be turned away.
The institutions at the fairs represented a variety of sectors. They included:
- 3 primary schools
- 5 intermediate schools
- 9 secondary schools
- 10 tertiary institutions
- 3 English language schools
- 2 other private training establishments
Twenty-two New Zealand Specialist Agents who had attended a training event held earlier this year were presented with certificates by New Zealand's Ambassador to South Korea, Richard Mann at a networking function prior to the fair. The agents were excited to be recognised at the event. The opportunity for them to meet with institution representatives and Education New Zealand staff was extremely valuable.
Participants were extremely pleased with the success of the fair. Some of the comments received on evaluation forms were:
“Everything was excellent - thank you for all your hard work. Same again next year please! All my objectives were achieved. It was in my view definitely the best PACE Education Fair I have attended!”
“Highly professional organization resulted in sharp, slick looking event. Compared this with the British Council Fair held at the same time, they had nothing like our unified look and feel. Thought having specialist agents as supporters and with their own stand a great idea, continue please.”
“Everything was done well. This was a great event. Venue was perfect. Staff in NZ and in Korea did an excellent, very professional job. Facilities and organization was perfect. It was the best thing I have ever been to. Please repeat in 2010.”
“The superb internet marketing campaign obviously worked well. Visitors already had done a lot of research about us and came ready to ask in-depth questions. The promotions campaign worked well as a lot of people had seen the marketing. The branding and overall standard of the booths was excellent – very professional. No improvements, just keep doing a New Zealand Fair in Korea every year.”
PR and Advertising
Education New Zealand worked with Korean media company Chosun to put together a comprehensive PR and advertising strategy for the fairs.
This included an online combination of banner advertising, engaging games, viral marketing, and press releases.
This online presence was supported in the “real world” by billboards in subway stations, posters at 40 universities, 15 second commercials on “City Vision” advertising screens around Seoul, a TV interview, postcards and leaflets distributed to English institutes and 100,000 households, and newspaper advertisements.
A dedicated website, www.newzealandeducated.com/uhak, was available prior to the fair, so that those interested could find more detailed information about the institutions participating, and general information about studying in New Zealand. This also allowed them to pre-register for the event.
Chosun’s full report on their promotional campaign can be seen HERE.
Attendance
The opportunity for students and parents to pre-register online for the fairs gave us a good idea of our expected attendance prior to the event. Pre-registrations totalled 1,547.
Despite rainy weather and concerns about H1N1 flu, turnout at the fairs was strong and the institution booths were very busy during the peak afternoon hours.
The fairs were attended by a wide variety of people, including a large number of primary-age children with their parents. Our mascot dressed as a kiwi was a big hit with the kids.
The fair was also supported by a number of sponsors, including five agents and a Korean Bank, who had booths at the fair entrance. Air New Zealand generously donated two return airfares to New Zealand to use as a prize giveaway. In addition to the institutions and sponsors, the fair was attended by representatives from Immigration New Zealand, which along with the Air New Zealand contribution gave the event a true “NZ Inc.” feel.
By Comparison
The New Zealand Education Fairs were held on the same days, and at the same venue, as fairs organised by the British Council.
This gave us an opportunity to see how we stack up against one of the largest promoters of international education in the world.
Those who visited the BC fairs remarked on how the overall branding and appearance of their booths was not coordinated in the way that New Zealand’s branded booths were. Our fairs were seen as more professional, more coordinated, and busier than the British Council’s.
This sort of opportunity for direct comparison provides good feedback, and lets us know that we are performing at or above standard on the world stage.
A recent Tourism Review survey found that New Zealand has the fourth most recognisable “country brand” in the world. (The UK was #8.) This demonstrates the potential of pulling together under one banner to create a successful brand. The New Zealand Education Fairs are a tangible example of this branding effort and how well it works for New Zealand institutions.
Ahead to 2010
With the success of this inaugural set of fairs, there was no doubt as to whether we would repeat the events in 2010.
Registrations are already open for the 2010 New Zealand Education Fairs, including Seoul, South Korea on October 30 and 31. In fact, there are already some institutions registered for the fairs.
There are 32 events on the 2010 PACE Calendar currently open for registrations. Many events were fully booked in 2009, so if you are considering participation it is best to register as early as you can. Capacity at PACE events varies from 15 institutions to 40 institutions. For more details about 2010 PACE events, see registration details HERE.
E-news is a newsletter for the Export Education industry, compiled by Education New Zealand. You can access previous E-news newsletters on our website at www.educationnz.org.nz .
With Regards.
Education New Zealand
www.educationnz.org.nz