Showcasing NZ in cyberspace

Lisa Futschek, Regional Director – Americas, Japan and Korea, said: “It all stemmed from an industry idea during the Latin American mission in November last year. It was dusk, we were all in a charter coach chugging over the crest of a steep hill and watching the millions of lights of Medellin miraculously materialise below us, when Prof. Al Gillepsie from the University of Waikato, mused about how we should be marketing New Zealand international tertiary education via subject rather than institution. Over a Colombian meal that evening, we sketched out a schematic on what that might look like and the seeds of the virtual fair were sown.”

International Events Manager Caroline Carruthers said the experience for students was similar to physical fairs. “Students were able to ‘visit’ individual institution’s stands, view videos, pick up brochures and business cards, and ask providers questions.

“It was interesting to note a change in the way students plan to study overseas. A lot of high school students were planning for their tertiary education overseas. A few years ago, high school students would only ask about high school courses and wouldn’t plan that far ahead.”

“We are evaluating the feedback we received from the institutes who participated in this pilot and will evaluate if it’s an approach to roll out to other markets and add into our event mix.”