12:00 – 1:00 PM

Registration

Welcome to New Orleans! Please stop by the registration desk starting at 12:00 p.m. to check in and pick up your conference materials.

1:00 –1:15

Welcome, Faculty Introductions and Conference Overview

1:15 – 2:15

Finding our Balance: Approaching Marketing Communications and Engagement in a "Post-Pandemic" World

Speakers: Lori Bachand, California State University, East Bay, Vince Alberta, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Kin Sejpal, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Russell Yost, University of Washington

As our institutions move into a new normal shaped by the challenges and lessons of the pandemic, marketing communications professionals have an opportunity to have an active role in meeting the needs of broader and more diverse audiences with renewed expectations. This panel discussion will share ideas and best practices in gauging the landscape, positioning an institution, communicating internally and externally, hosting virtual and hybrid events, and deepening engagement through digital media.

2:15 – 2:45

Refreshment Break

2:45 – 3:45

Elective Sessions (Select One):

• Small Teams, Big Partnership. Developing a United Brand Marketing Communications Strategy
  
  Speakers: Cate Weeks and Kaci Schroeder, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  
  Whether you’re a major public institution or a small private college, chances are you’ve got to cross that "Us vs. Them" divide between the admissions and central marketing. In this case study session, you’ll see how two small teams came together around a simple project — to update the print viewbook — and ended up forging an ongoing partnership long after the “finished” product was in hand. While we’re proud to have produced a CASE Gold-winning viewbook, the big payoff has been building the trust needed for an extended partnership, internal alignment of UNLV’s brand messaging, and the enthusiastic extension of the work across all communication channels.
• Digital Ads for All
  
  Speaker: Brian Notess, and Joe Pecor, University of Tennessee
  
  Your supervisor just decided that you need to buy digital advertising to recruit students, prospect donors, or tell the world about your program/event. Now you're neck deep in CPCs, DMAs and CPLCs trying to decide if OTT or Programatic Retargeting is right for you. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by insider acronyms and buzzwords in digital advertising this is the session for you. We'll walk through the basics of digital ad buying and give you the tools and knowledge to start your first ad campaign as well as help set some expectations about what digital ads can (and can't) do. 

3:45 – 4:00

Stretch Break

4:00 – 5:00

Discover the Next: A Guide for the Value of Higher Education Conversation

Speaker: Rob Moore, Council for Advancement and Support of Education

Recent surveys by Pew and Gallup show a worrying trend: Americans are losing confidence in the higher education. In the last year alone, belief in the positive effect of higher education has dropped 11 percentage points. While there are distinct differences in the cause of this disaffection—Democrats concerned about cost and Republicans concerned about our “liberal agenda”—the slippage is real. Couple this disaffection with the shrinking population of traditional-age students and inflationary pressures on the average household, and the impact of this distrust can be felt in our student recruitment, alumni relations, and development efforts. Working with ACE and AGB, and with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CASE has launched an initiative to showcase the myriad positive contributions of our colleges and universities. And we need your help. CASE can provide the framework, but the stories are yours! Attend this session and learn how you can join the movement.

5:00 – 6:00

Networking Reception

Join conference faculty and your colleagues to network and unwind after Day 1. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres and drink tickets will be provided. Don't forget your business cards!

6:00 PM

Conference Adjourns for the Day

Dinner on your own

8:30 – 9:30 AM

Continental Breakfast / Roundtables

9:30 – 10:30

Struggling to Show Marketing’s Value Beyond Promotion? Try Packaging.

Speakers: John Trierweiler and Kin Sejpal, Rochester Institute of Technology

New programs are developed all the time but not always with Marketing at the table. One way to demonstrate Marketing’s value outside of promotion is by conducting research, creating a packaging strategy, and doing in-market testing. At RIT, Marketing—along with Enrollment Management and Academic Affairs—created a compelling product category by bringing related programs together under a unified branded umbrella, and packaged it as a viable offer to see what sticks. Using a methodical, (almost) fool-proof, and replicable framework for assessing viability, getting buy-in from all stakeholders was easy and straightforward. The promotion of the category using PESO channels demonstrated an increased in both enrollment and reputational metrics. But the major win was the recognition of Marketing’s role in a product strategy and getting a seat at the table early on in the product development and packaging process.

10:30 – 10:45

Coffee Break

10:45 – 11:45

Elective Sessions (Select One):

• Digital Accessibility Fundamentals
  
  Speaker: Shawn Kornegay, University of Connecticut
  
  Connecting with your audiences online is critical in getting your messages across. What happens when your digital content is not accessible to individuals with disabilities? You may be missing connecting with some of your audiences. In this session, we will explore practical ways to improve digital accessibility and raise awareness about its importance.
• Actionable Web Conversion – A Collaboration that Transformed an Outlier into a Best Practice
  
  Speakers: Eric Hazen, Jeremy Mishler, and Jeff Ek, Ferris State University
  
  Discover how Ferris State University unified two rival teams to rebuild their College of Business' web presence, create a model for cross-departmental collaboration and innovation, and grow the colleges' web traffic and conversions for the first time in more than seven years. This session explores how the College of Business and the university's Advancement and Marketing team came together in the face of enrollment declines to rebrand and rebuild their prospective student's online experience and supercharge their conversion rate. While the presenters will discuss the best practices they utilized to develop the site, this session focuses on how these two teams navigated previous conflicts and leveraged the unique expertise of both teams to create something neither was capable of on their own.

11:45 AM – 1:15 PM

Lunch on your own

1:15 – 2:15

Plenary Session

The Branding of New Orleans – the Cultural Capital of the South

Speaker:  Mark Romig, New Orleans & Company

The New Orleans & Company, the official destination marketing and sales organization for the New Orleans hospitality industry will highlight the recent past work and the present efforts of New Orleans & Company, to market New Orleans as open for business and position the city as the cultural capital of the south.

2:15 – 2:45

Refreshment Break

2:45 – 3:45 

Elective Sessions (Select One):

• An Audacious Idea: How a Campaign Can Advance an Entire Institution’s Narrative
  
  Speakers: Linda Peal, Tulane University and Matt Yuskewich, 160over90
  
  In 2017, Tulane University was at the onset of its largest fundraising effort in history. They recognized that this was not only a chance to raise money, but also an opportunity to reestablish their reputation on a national and global stage. Tulane partnered with 160over90 to use marketing to help achieve these ambitious goals. What was borne was Only The Audacious — a platform that showcases how Tulane is addressing the most significant issues of our time, and how it has evolved to meet changes brought on by the pandemic. In this session, Tulane and 160over90 will walk through the process used to build a successful campaign brand, demonstrating how to achieve fundraising success and galvanize a university’s reputation more broadly.

• Attracting Nontraditional Students
  
  Speakers:  Kirsten Fedderke, Lipman Hearne, Gayla Stoner, Northern Arizona University, and Dawn Gerrain, Excelsior College
  
  There are as many as 95 million prospective students waiting to be recruited: adults with a high school diploma or some credits but no college degree. As demographic and economic realities challenge business-as-usual marketing and recruitment of traditional age prospects, the adult student market is a ripe opportunity for institutions of all sizes and types. But the tools, messaging, and recruitment approach that works for teenage prospects won’t connect with adults. In fact, a report released by the Strada Education Network and Gallup revealed that adults are less likely to look to traditional higher ed for the education and training they know they need. This session will include discussion with two practitioners from the field and a higher education marketing expert sharing insights on their successes connecting with and enrolling nontraditional students in online and on-the-ground programs.

3:45 – 4:00

Stretch Break.

4:00 – 5:00

Elective Sessions (Select One):

• Using Data to Shape Your Brand AND Secure Buy in from Faculty and Leadership
  
  Speakers:  Alexia Koelling, Lipman Hearne, Marina Cooper, The Johns Hopkins University,  Jeff McClellan, Brigham Young University and Gabriel Welsch, Dusquesne University
  
  Higher Ed brands used to be articulated and owned by a select few. Once vetted, these brands were unveiled at a public celebration, replete with free t-shirts and branded snacks, before retreating to become a tool in marketing’s toolbox.
  
  
  
  For Higher Education brands to achieve their full potential they must have support from the internal community. Faculty and institutional leadership, who live and breathe research and analytics, are often unimpressed by the potentially subjective nature of branding. In this session panelists will discuss how they shaped their plans for research to inform branding and garner support, how research help shape brand development, and how it aided key internal buy-in.

• The Reinvention of a Liberal Arts College
  
  Speakers: Jennifer Chrisler, Hampshire College and Paul Davis, Ologie
  
  On the heels of almost closing its doors, Hampshire made a real commitment to doubling down on the mission of the college - experimental college. Originally created because undergraduate LA education was broken, Hampshire knew there is a place needed where the industry can grow, change, innovate and move forward. They needed a powerful enrollment campaign and master brand that would align with its companion fundraising campaign to help ensure its future and financial sustainability. It needed to communicate both Hampshire’s proven past of change-making and its new, revolutionary curriculum — an urgent, unbounded, and entrepreneurial approach to the liberal arts, with real-world issues at its core. The offer was never about branding particular parts of the experience but about lifting up the whole thing.

5:00

Conference Adjourns for the Day

Dinner on your own or limited dine-arounds

8:30 – 9:30 AM

Continental Breakfast / Roundtable Topics

9:30 – 10:30

So Much Data, So Little Time

Speaker: Matt McFadden, SimpsonScarborough

This session will pull from the findings from three of our latest research studies: The National Student Prospect Survey, Higher Ed MarCom Salary and Professional Development Survey, and the Higher Ed CMO Study to give a comprehensive overview into the state of the industry for higher education marketing. Discussion will include key benchmarks from all studies and what it means for higher ed marcom's strategic partnerships across the institution, especially enrollment and advancement.

10:30 – 10:45

Coffee Break

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM

Closing Plenary Session

The Role of Marcomm in Supporting Leadership

Speakers:  Ashley Irvin Hawkins, Xavier University of Louisiana, Patrice A. Bell, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Reynold Verret, Xavier University of Louisiana

Hear from colleagues at Xavier University of Louisiana, a local New Orleans campus, about how they integrate marketing and messaging between their Executive and Marcomm teams. The session will include a special welcome from Xavier President Reynold Verret.

12:00 PM

Conference Adjourns