Meeting Enrollment Goals During COVID-19: Replacing Cancelled Events with Virtual Experiences
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As COVID-19 first became part of our daily vocabulary, we partnered with several schools in the Northeast, where quarantines took place earliest, to launch solutions in response to campus closures and in-person visit cancellations.
In this article, we'll highlight just a few of the schools we're working with during this unprecedented time.
University of New Haven - Best-Voted Virtual Event by Prospective Students
This existing StudentBridge client reached out in mid-March with a desire for a virtual event that included video content and live chat. In only 12 business days, the virtual event launched on the previously scheduled Accepted Students Day weekend to 856 unique visitors, which was a 35 percent increase over the prior year's in-person visitors.
Several prospective students provided feedback that the StudentBridge virtual event platform was the "best virtual event" compared to all others they had participated in with other universities. Here's a snapshot of some of the stellar usage stats:
- Students spent 19 minutes on average in the virtual event
- 80% of students utilized live chat
- While many academic program videos were 10 minutes or longer, there were 1,100+ video views to 100% completion
"Initially, I was very disappointed when it was determined that we were going to have to cancel all of our on-campus tours and events due to the Coronavirus," stated Monique Bolt, Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Campus Visit Experience.
"My mind was immediately set at ease when we had our initial meeting with StudentBridge and they gave me various options to now host our on-campus events virtually. To see it all unfold has been truly amazing and we have received great feedback from our families!"
Based on this success, New Haven is now looking to utilize the StudentBridge virtual event platform for additional student populations.
Montclair State University - 'Wow Factor' Goes Virtual
As the second-largest university in New Jersey, Montclair State's campus has a lot of "wow factor," as described by Jeff Gant, Director of Undergraduate Admissions. "We need to be able to show that off."
Montclair State reached out for an expedited meeting as soon as quarantine was enacted in New York and New Jersey. They were seeking a way for prospective students to do the following:
- take care of the transactional business of deciding and enrolling
- get to know the campus and university
- make meaningful connections with crucial campus representatives
"We wanted a solution of substance that be engaged quickly," Gant said. "The StudentBridge product is exactly what I'd be looking for if we weren't operating in extraordinary times, but their speed and responsiveness during this crisis is what sold me on engaging them as a partner."
Only two weeks after their demo, Montclair State had an interactive campus map built and virtual event hub ready for content, with the option to integrate their event hub with a live webinar platform. They will soon roll out their StudentBridge platform to prospective students.
Would you like to implement a virtual event solution for cancelled events, orientation, or graduation? Contact us today for an expedited meeting!