Principals, staff and school councillors with an interest in marketing, communications and fundraising will be interested in a major conference to be held in Melbourne next March.
The biennial Universities Marketing, Communications and Development Conference will be held at the Langham Hotel (formerly Sheraton Towers) at Southbank 28-30 March 2007 - and even though its title suggests it is tailored for universities, much of the program content will be applicable to schools.
The keynote speakers are internationally recognised in the areas of fundraising, marketing and international affairs.
Dr Jon Dellandrea is widely acknowledged as one of the most successful development executives in the global university marketplace. Dr Dellandrea is pro-vice-chancellor (development and external affairs) at the University of Oxford.
He joined Oxford 12 months ago after an outstanding career at the University of Toronto which, under his leadership, completed its ambitious campaign, one year ahead of schedule. The campaign succeeded in raising more than $1 billion for students, faculty and programs – the first and to date only Canadian university to do so. A frequent conference speaker and consultant to universities and other not-for-profit institutions around the world, Dr. Dellandrea has served as development counsel to Canadian universities, colleges and arts and cultural organisations.
Jakarta-based Wimar Witoelar is a highly respected author and political commentator on South-east Asian and global affairs. Passionate about education and the need for regional stability, Wimar keeps a "watch on the world" and is well equipped to discuss movements and developments in our region and the effect these may have on the Australian education sector.
Formerly Chief Presidential Spokesman for Indonesia’s President Abdurrahman Wahid, Wimar is now a well established international columnist with his work appearing in a range of media including the Washington Post, Australian Financial Review, the UK Guardian and Today.
Another speaker who will be of interest to the Australian schools sector is Allison Doorbar - Managing Partner of JWT Education, a division of one of the world’s largest communications agencies that provides market research, consulting, branding and communications services to clients in the education sector. She has worked with over half of Australia’s universities as well as many overseas institutions and government bodies.
This includes work with the Australian, British, American, Canadian and German government education departments and many associated organisations, such as IDP Education Australia. Ms Doorbar is widely regarded as an expert in her field and is a regular keynote speaker at education conferences globally.
Ms Doorbar will be joined by Robert Lawrence who is principal of Prospect Research and Marketing and internationally regarded as a leading authority on education research and planning. He has played an instrumental role in the growth of the international education industry and for creating innovative marketing and communications strategies for both domestic and overseas audiences.
The scope of Mr Lawrence’s activities includes purchaser and influencer testing, new media, reaching Generation Y through digital and targeted media, campus feasibility studies, course research and development, graduate employment strategies, e-marketing strategies for education, positioning plans, education brand strategies, destination brand building, forecasting growth, campaign testing, employers needs testing, student retention programs, alumni marketing plans, yield management strategies and academic satisfaction.
Over the past decade Mr Lawrence has conducted over 150 planning, positioning, market research and feasibility projects across 18 countries. He has created more than thirty education brands, and evaluated results from over 200,000 education-surveys and interviews. Mr Lawrence has moderated 1,300 focus groups, and conducted more than 3,600 depth interviews with decision makers, opinion leaders, stakeholders and employers.
There are conference discounts for groups and early bookings. Visit www.uniconference.org for more details.