Campus Event Planning: Increase Attendance at Admissions & Enrollment Events

In higher education, creating a culture involves more than academics. Students and families are often curious about the social aspects of attending a specific college or university. Because of this curiosity, school staff members (especially those within admissions and enrollment) need to think creatively and proactively about how to host amazing events to attract new students.

But let’s say you’ve put tons of energy, time, and even money into campus event planning for prospective students, and attendance remains disappointingly low. Should you throw in the towel and stick to other proven ways to attract and recruit students? We don’t think so.

If increasing attendance and enrollment at your college events is a priority, check out this post for practical ways to get into an effective (and fun) event planning mindset.

Why Your School Should Be Planning Events

Although they’re often engaging and relational, higher ed events aren’t simply meant to fill up social calendars. In many cases, recruiters and admissions personnel rely on upcoming events to drum up interest from new students. Events also create opportunities for new applicants to take the next steps in the enrollment process. 

Campus events have earned their rightful place as part of a thriving college community. Here’s why we think they’re worth the investment.

• They open doors for connection. Yes, students and families are researching colleges and universities online. But how can that research become more personal? Events—both in-person and virtual—invite connection.
  
• Events involve the local community. Many times, campus events provide the first opportunity for students to get a feel for the surrounding community. This can take place on campus or within the city that school is based in.
  
• They make it easy to encourage next steps. Although it’s not great to use events in a “salesy” way, events are an outlet for capitalizing on in-person interest and excitement. Recruiters and admissions officers can collect student info on the spot and help students progress through the enrollment steps.

5 Tips for Increasing School Event Attendance

Just as every school is unique, every event also has its own special target market, ideal attendees, and details that make it run smoothly. Increasing event attendance is a matter of understanding these factors and recognizing the expectations of your ideal audience. By knowing your target, you can better tailor your event specifics and marketing approach.

As you set goals for higher event attendance this year, here are a few tips that are worthwhile in your overall strategy. 

Tip 1: Fine-Tune the Logistics

To guarantee that every aspect of your event runs smoothly, make sure that you spend time on logistical planning. This prep work lays the foundation of an impressive event, and it can remove future stress when things get busy. To establish your logistics plan, consider questions like:

• What is the main purpose of this particular event?
• What factors are absolutely necessary to ensuring the event’s success?
• Who needs to be on-hand before, during, and afterwards?
• What does engagement or contact with attendees look like?
• Are there any contingencies that we need to plan for now?

Logistical planning is often about anticipating future outcomes and knowing how you’ll respond to those in the moment. These can be both positive (such as connecting with prospective students) or reactive (like when you need to move a rained-out event indoors).

Tip 2: Create a Social Media Promotion Plan

In-person and virtual events are both important in the college admissions realm, but promotion helps create buzz. To reach people where they spend their time, create Facebook events to share basic details and collect RSVPs, or run promotions on other popular social platforms.

Other ideas include going live to share information about the event or using a special hashtag that’s associated with your school and community. Use social media to get creative and to showcase why your admissions or enrollment event is a can’t-miss occasion. 

Tip 3: Make it Personal to Attendees

You may already know that personalization plays a huge role in a student’s decision to attend a college or university. It’s also an important strategy for increasing attendance at different types of admissions events. 

For instance, an event designed to serve incoming college athletes should include items on the agenda that are most relevant to athletic endeavors. You might ask coaches to deliver introductions, invite current players, or provide tours of sports facilities. These events would obviously look different than an event catered to students who want to major in the arts or sciences.

By planning your event with attendees in mind, you can personalize it in such a way that attendance is guaranteed. Focus on creating memorable experiences that align with specific interests, and you’ll see attendance boom.

Tip 4: Incentivize the Event

Another way to encourage attendance is to offer incentives for attending. For example, if future students decide to attend an on-campus admissions event, you might choose to waive the application fee or offer a small credit to the campus bookstore.

Incentives and prizes don’t have to be huge in order to have a big impact. Whether you offer something to everyone who attends or distribute gifts randomly (like in a raffle or “door prize” scenario), make sure to include the offer within your promotion plan. 

Tip 5: Gather Relevant Feedback Post-Event

To make your events even in the future, always ask attendees to share feedback about their event experience. Digital options like an online survey are usually quicker to gather and process than physical options (like comment cards), and they may encourage more responses and turnaround. 

Feedback is crucial for deciding which aspects of an event are non-negotiables and which ones can be swapped out for something different next time. 

Event Tracking

As an admissions team looking to connect with new students, you might be glad to simply see those families show up to campus. Collecting data on the number of attendees you have is beneficial, but diving a little deeper can offer usable insights for future event planning.

When you think about tracking an event’s level of impact, consider gathering information related to the overall experience.

• How many students participated either in-person or virtually
• Information about individual sessions and their level of impact
• Feedback on whether attendees expected something that wasn’t offered (for instance, a particular session or getting the answer to a certain question)
• Thoughts from event speakers, hosts, or volunteers about the flow of the event
• Tangible effects post-event (number of new applications or inquiries)

Improve Your Campus Event Processes

With Element451, you can easily increase attendance for admissions and enrollment events. Smart automations and user-friendly options make the event planning process easier for staff. At the same time, practical and helpful integrations and communications make it easier than ever for attendees to join in.

Element451’s event planning platform includes features that help you plan, advertise, and communicate details about each event you want to host. 

• Event landing pages. Create specialized pages that detail exactly what attendees can expect with enticing visual images and copy.
  
• Automated Zoom registrations. Set up and host virtual events with ease through a Zoom integration that’s familiar for hosts and attendees.
  
• Automated SMS and email reminders. Help your RSVP list remember to attend as the big day approaches. Use friendly texts and emails to send reminders and other information that might be helpful as the event approaches. 
  
• Auto-confirmations. Build confidence that registrations went through correctly with brand auto-confirmation messages that are both friendly and personal.

It’s Your Year for Event Success

Whether you’ve experienced successful events in the past and want to maintain your streak, or you want to host even more creative opportunities this year, we know that it’s your school’s year for success. The right connections, tools, and platforms can make that possible.

Book your Element451 demo now to learn how you can quickly and easily increase enrollment for your admissions and enrollment events.