CMN 31st ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2018 – 26 November at Hilton Warwick
FULL ANNUAL CONFERENCE PROGRAMME NOW PUBLISHED, INCLUDING ESSENTIAL PLENARY SESSION ON GDPR RULES RELATING TO USE OF IMAGES AND CONSENT
Rob Masson of the DPO Centre was a hit at last year’s conference with his plenary on preparing for GDPR – now he’s back to look at the topic many of you have been discussing on JISCmail and at our networking meetings.
Don’t delay, book today, and join in celebrating the best in college marketing in 2018. To download the booking form and brochure or for more details, go to www.m-network.org/cmn-conference – and if you want to discuss costs and options, give us a call at 01772 257833 or by email at office@m-network.org
EARLY BIRD RATES OPEN TO CMN MEMBERS ONLY – AND YOU CAN TAKE A FURTHER 10% OFF FOR SECOND AND FURTHER DELEGATES WITH ONE FULL RATE BOOKING – CONTACT US FOR MORE DETAILS
BOOK NOW to claim the CMN members’ early bird rate for the conference at www.m-network.org/cmn-conference
Brochure and booking form now available for download from the website.
Other speakers and topics to include:
Plenaries:
- Dr Julie Mills, Principal & CEO, Milton Keynes College – marketing as a force for good in our community
- Tracy Playle, CEO, Pickle Jar Communications – developing an empathy-led approach to your digital engagement strategy
- Emma Leech, Director of Marketing, University of Loughborough – content clout, the power of PR and how to do more with less
Workshops:
- Stephen Lockhart & Tim Ketterer, Pathways by Float New Media Design – Using LMI to engage prospective students
- Samantha MacKay, Marketing Manager, Guildford College & Alex Vinall, Founder & MD, Air Social – Facebook advertising for open day promotion
- Darren Gallagher, Deputy Head of Marketing & Communications, Exeter College – Creating an engaging content plan and turning the story into content in the digital age
- Lee Parker, Head of Marketing, Milton Keynes College – Moving from an advertising to a content strategy
- Rachel Till, Owner, Extend PR & Marketing – 5 quick wins for digital PR in colleges
- Tom Bower, Marketing Manager, Telford College – Making the most of rebranding and repositioning post-Area review
- Ben Duhig, Managing Director, Blue Soup Ltd – Improving web user experience and digital optimisation
- Jane Williams, Group Head of Marketing, Chichester College Group – A practical guide to the marketing aspect of merger
- Chris Barcroft, Head of Digital, Lesniak Swann – How to set up PPC campaigns
Exhibitors will include Forward and Thinking, Air Social, One Voice Digital and Pathways by Float New Media Design.
Here’s what you said about Conference 2017:
“This is by far the most relevant, informative and useful conference for college marketing professionals I attend each year.”
“The conference was a great chance to think about my college’s marketing, away from the office, and pick up lots of tips and best practice from other colleges.”
“The conference is a great way to discuss current issues with those in the same situation. It allows you to take a step back and think.”
“Excellent content and structure – well worth attending. Great networking opportunity too!”
Countdown to the FE First Awards 2018 – two more weeks to enter!
2 weeks to get your entries in for the FE First Awards 2018 for college marketing excellence. Open to FE, sixth form and specialist colleges in the UK – with big discounts on entries for CMN members and categories only open to members. Closing deadline: 27th September for hard copy and online entries.
The categories for the FE First Awards 2018 are:
- Partnerships & collaboration
- Internal impact
- Making effective use of research & data, sponsored by Pathways
- Events management
- Social & digital media impact, sponsored by Forward and Thinking
- Website development
- Innovation & creativity
- Communications campaign
- Targeted recruitment campaign
- Prospectus, sponsored by Aston University
- Individual award*
- Marketing team of the year*, sponsored by AoC
- Lifetime achievement*
* These three categories are only open to colleges in current membership of the College Marketing Network at the time of the award on Monday 26th November 2018.
Entering the FE First Awards
We’ve taken your advice in updating the categories this year, and we’ve simplified the submission forms, to make the awards as relevant and easy to enter as possible.
- Download the relevant submission forms from the links above to our website at www.m-network.org/cmn-awards for the categories you want to enter;
- Download the FE First Awards brochure and interactive entry form here (please include the entry form with your submission)
- Deadline for entries, Thursday 27th September 2018 at 1pm. Incomplete or late entries cannot be accepted.
- Fees: £80 per entry for CMN members for the first two categories entered; £70 per category if 3 or more categories are entered. £115 per category for non-CMN member colleges – or join by 1st September 2018 and pay the member rates. More information and how to join here. A PO or cheque must be included with your entry.
- Entries should be sent either by email to m-network.org, or in hard copy to The College Marketing Network, F16 Preston Technology Centre, Marsh Lane, Preston, PR1 8UQ.
Why enter the FE First Awards?
“Winning Gold for the ‘Website Development Project’ category in 2017 was an incredible moment for our team. This project was a huge undertaking and having our hard work recognised by our peers and the FE sector’s elite was a huge honour. The high praise we received from the judges has acted as a real spur for us to think bigger and achieve more, and has given us greater confidence in our own abilities – as well as the credentials to back it up!”
Louise Greenleaf City College Plymouth
Just 3 weeks to go to enter the FE First Awards 2018!
3 weeks to get your entries in for the FE First Awards 2018 for college marketing excellence. Open to FE, sixth form and specialist colleges in the UK – with big discounts on entries for CMN members and categories only open to members. Closing deadline: 27th September for hard copy and online entries.
The categories for the FE First Awards 2018 are:
- Partnerships & collaboration
- Internal impact
- Making effective use of research & data, sponsored by Pathways
- Events management
- Social & digital media impact, sponsored by Forward and Thinking
- Website development
- Innovation & creativity
- Communications campaign
- Targeted recruitment campaign
- Prospectus, sponsored by Aston University
- Individual award*
- Marketing team of the year*, sponsored by AoC
- Lifetime achievement*
* These three categories are only open to colleges in current membership of the College Marketing Network at the time of the award on Monday 26th November 2018.
Entering the FE First Awards
We’ve taken your advice in updating the categories this year, and we’ve simplified the submission forms, to make the awards as relevant and easy to enter as possible.
- Download the relevant submission forms from the links above to our website at www.m-network.org for the categories you want to enter;
- Download the FE First Awards brochure and interactive entry form here (please include the entry form with your submission)
- Deadline for entries, Thursday 27th September 2018 at 1pm. Incomplete or late entries cannot be accepted.
- Fees: £80 per entry for CMN members for the first two categories entered; £70 per category if 3 or more categories are entered. £115 per category for non-CMN member colleges – or join by 1st September 2018 and pay the member rates. More information and how to join here. A PO or cheque must be included with your entry.
- Entries should be sent either by email to m-network.org, or in hard copy to The College Marketing Network, F16 Preston Technology Centre, Marsh Lane, Preston, PR1 8UQ.
Why enter the FE First Awards?
“Winning Gold for the ‘Website Development Project’ category in 2017 was an incredible moment for our team. This project was a huge undertaking and having our hard work recognised by our peers and the FE sector’s elite was a huge honour. The high praise we received from the judges has acted as a real spur for us to think bigger and achieve more, and has given us greater confidence in our own abilities – as well as the credentials to back it up!”
Louise Greenleaf City College Plymouth
4 weeks to go to enter the FE First Awards 2018!
The deadline for the 2018 FE First Awards for college marketing excellence is Thursday 27th September, so just 4 weeks to go to get your entries in!
The categories for the FE First Awards 2018 are:
- Partnerships & collaboration
- Internal impact
- Making effective use of research & data, sponsored by Pathways
- Events management
- Social & digital media impact, sponsored by Forward and Thinking
- Website development
- Innovation & creativity
- Communications campaign
- Targeted recruitment campaign
- Prospectus, sponsored by Aston University
- Individual award*
- Marketing team of the year*, sponsored by AoC
- Lifetime achievement*
* These three categories are only open to colleges in current membership of the College Marketing Network at the time of the award on Monday 26th November 2018.
Entering the FE First Awards
We’ve taken your advice in updating the categories this year, and we’ve simplified the submission forms, to make the awards as relevant and easy to enter as possible.
- Download the relevant submission forms from the links above to our website at www.m-network.org for the categories you want to enter;
- Download the FE First Awards brochure and interactive entry form here (please include the entry form with your submission)
- Deadline for entries, Thursday 27th September 2018 at 1pm. Incomplete or late entries cannot be accepted.
- Fees: £80 per entry for CMN members for the first two categories entered; £70 per category if 3 or more categories are entered. £115 per category for non-CMN member colleges – or join by 1st September 2018 and pay the member rates. More information and how to join here. A PO or cheque must be included with your entry.
- Entries should be sent either by email to m-network.org, or in hard copy to The College Marketing Network, F16 Preston Technology Centre, Marsh Lane, Preston, PR1 8UQ.
Why enter the FE First Awards?
“Our Gold award for Digital & Social Media campaign was a great achievement for us. To be recognised by college peers and industry leaders in the field was incredibly valuable to us in demonstrating we were on the right track and that all our hard work had been worthwhile. Now that we have a proven record of success, we have renewed confidence and external validation to take new ideas to college teams.”
Kristian Bentham, Marketing Manager, The Manchester College (part of The LTE Group)
The FE First Awards 2018 for college marketing excellence awards are now open for entries! Join us in celebrating the best in college marketing and showcase the work you’ve done and the successes you’ve had over the past year: enter the FE First Awards 2018 and make a date for the Awards presentation on Monday 26th November as part of our Annual Conference at the Hilton Warwick.
We’ve taken your advice in updating the categories this year, and we’ve simplified the submission forms, to make the awards as relevant and easy to enter as possible.
The categories for FE First Awards 2018 are:
- Partnerships & collaboration
- Internal impact
- Making effective use of research & data
- Events management
- Social & digital media impact, sponsored by Forward and Thinking
- Website development
- Innovation & creativity
- Communications campaign
- Targeted recruitment campaign
- Prospectus
- Individual award*
- Marketing team of the year*, sponsored by AoC
- Lifetime achievement*
* These three categories are only open to colleges in current membership of the College Marketing Network at the time of the award on Monday 26th November 2018.
Entering the FE First Awards
- Download the relevant submission forms from the links above for the categories you want to enter;
- Download the FE First Awards brochure and interactive entry form here (please include the entry form with your submission)
- Deadline for entries, Thursday 27th September 2018 at 1pm. Incomplete or late entries cannot be accepted.
- Fees: £80 per entry for CMN members for the first two categories entered; £70 per category if 3 or more categories are entered. £115 per category for non-CMN member colleges – or join by 1st September 2018 and pay the member rates. More information and how to join here. A PO or cheque must be included with your entry.
- Entries should be sent either by email to m-network.org, or in hard copy to The College Marketing Network, F16 Preston Technology Centre, Marsh Lane, Preston, PR1 8UQ.
Our next networking meeting will be at Barnsley College on 16 May.
The programme will include:
10.15am Arrival, registration and coffee for a 10.30am start.
10.30 Introductions and welcome
Lindsay Garfitt-Brown, Marketing Manager & Sue Tazzyman, Senior Digital Marketing Officer, Barnsley College
Your college website: more than just an online prospectus
We will give an outline of our website development project, how we approached this and who was involved, as well as the successes and pitfalls we experienced.
Kathryn O’Neill, Marketing & Admissions Manager, Wigan & Leigh College
A centralised admissions approach
A look at how the college has centralised their admissions approach aligned to the needs of the schools and as an integrated and fundamental part of the Marketing and Recruitment strategy.
12.00 Round-table discussion time for your topics
12.30 Lunch
Gemma Dunn, Head of Marketing & Communications, and Kirsty Lunn, Head of FE Student Recruitment, Bradford College
‘Your journey to enrolment’
Presenting the 2017 FE Enrolment Plan for Bradford College – ‘Your Journey to Enrolment’, a customer-centric approach to enrolling 16-18 year olds. The ‘Journey’ campaign is (currently) shortlisted for a CIM Award – in the Not-for Profit/Public Sector Category for demonstrating innovation.
The presentation will provide an over of the College-wide planning approach, development and implementation, branding and post-campaign review with time for Q&A.
The day will end by 2.00pm. Timings are given for guidance and may be subject to change.
Venue: Barnsley College, Old Mill Lane Campus, Church Street, Barnsley S70 2AX
Book now at www.m-network.org/cmn-events where you can download the booking form to pay by PO/invoice or pay via Eventbrite. £30 pp to CMN member colleges; £80pp to non CMN member colleges.
If you’ve been to one of our networking meetings before, you’ll know that they are invaluable for meeting colleagues, exchanging ideas and experiences, and making contacts – as well as hearing from fellow marketers and external speakers on a wide range of topics. Lunch and refreshments are included – and you have the chance to see another college!
Our programme for the day is:
10.15am Arrival, registration and coffee for a 10.30am start.
10.30 Introductions and welcome
Samantha MacKay, Marketing Manager, Guildford College Group
Teen talks: changing the perception of Farnham Sixth Form College
Teen Talks, a series of six events, invited external organisations to come in and speak to local parents and the local community about issues affecting teenagers today. The events were intended to be informative, to generate positive word of mouth, to shift perception of the College more positively and to reinforce the ‘supporting you to succeed’ message. In total, over 200 local parents attended the six events. Research carried out post the events confirmed that the perception of Farnham Sixth Form College pre and post events improved by 13%.
Karen Rabjohn, Fundraising Development Manager, Bedford College Group
How to freeze your guests and still run a successful event!
Last year, Bedford College ran a very successful promotional event in Hangar 1, Cardington Airfield, to showcase its new Advanced Engineering Centre to heads of industry, business leaders and potential funders. Karen Rabjohn, Fundraising Development Manager for the College looks at the highs, lows, successes and the not so successful elements of holding a top event in a challenging venue!
12.00 Round-table discussion time for your topics
12.30 Lunch
Stephen Lockhart & Tim Ketterer, Float New Media Design
LMI for college websites
“Every pupil, and their parents, should have access to good-quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities.”– The Gatsby Benchmarks
We all know the importance of labour market information. Its value is outlined in the Gatsby benchmarks and the Government’s new career strategy, where institutions are encouraged to have key data accessible to give young people and adults a clear picture of what a job involves and the salary, qualifications and experience they need to enter and progress in their chosen careers.
The challenge, as we see it, is how colleges can make the most of all of the available data and present this to students in an engaging way to help them make informed choices. Our research has seen us work with data from multiple sources including “LMI for All”, HESA and Unistats to map possible routes through education and onto a particular career.
The culmination of this research is a new tool called Pathways. We look forward to sharing this with you and will value any feedback or insight you may have.
The day will end by 2.00pm. Timings are given for guidance and may be subject to change.
Venue: City of Oxford College, Oxpens Road, Oxford, OX1 1SA
Thanks to City of Oxford College (part of Activate Learning) for their hospitality.
To book, contact office@m-network.org with a PO for £30pp (CMN member colleges) or £80pp (CMN non-member colleges), or pay by credit card here for CMN member colleges, or here for CMN non-member colleges. If you are not sure if your college is a member, contact 01772 257833.
Sharing good practice with the College Marketing Network
Are you getting the most out of your CMN membership? Being part of our JISCmail sharing good practice group means you can get instant help and advice from colleagues around the country.
CMN members are currently talking about:
- Internal progression plans
- Brand tracker tools/research – have you used them/do they offer good ROI?
- Student/staff awards ceremonies – getting new events off the ground
- Looking for a small digital marketing agency – have you found alternatives to the big market leaders?
- Examples of SLAs with other departments you could share
- Improving employer event engagement
- Experiences of using the MyDay app
- Recommendations for web development companies
… and much more on our home page – registered users can just click on the month by month archive to find all the recent conversations, listed by topic, then add your comment.
Our rules and guidelines attached – key things to remember are ALL conversations in the group must be kept confidential, and always state who you are and where you’re posting from. And don’t forget to put your topic in the subject heading.
If you’re not sure if you’re registered in the group or you’d like any help using this resource, just get in touch. If your college isn’t yet a member of the College Marketing Network and would like to find out more, contact office@m-network.org
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY – PLEASE TAKE PART! THE GROUP CAN ONLY FUNCTION IF YOU REPLY AS WELL AS ASK FOR HELP. SO DON’T BE SHY, DON’T PUT IT OFF, POST TODAY!
Many thanks to all contributors – if you haven’t taken part yet, please get started….
CMN networking meetings 2018
BOOK NOW for the first networking meetings of 2018 – dates and venues announced
If you’ve been to one of our networking meetings before, you’ll know that they are invaluable for meeting colleagues, exchanging ideas and experiences, and making contacts – as well as hearing from fellow marketers and external speakers on a wide range of topics. Lunch and refreshments are included – and you have the chance to see another college!
Meetings start from 10 with refreshments, a buffet lunch is provided at 12.30 and meetings end at 2pm. We aim to keep these events informal and friendly, and to provide time for discussion of your own topics, in addition to hearing from speakers.
There is a small charge (£30 pp for CMN members; £80 pp to CMN non-member colleges) and you can pay either with a PO sent to office@m-network.org or by credit card via the Eventbrite links on the CMN website (www.m-network.org, Eventbrite fees apply).
Our networking meetings for 2018 will start on 14th February at The Manchester College’s Wythenshawe Campus, (https://www.tmc.ac.uk/locations/wythenshawe-campus) where the programme will include Mark Whittaker, Director of Marketing at Stoke on Trent College, Adam Sharples, Senior Marketing & Communications Officer, Preston’s College and Kristian Bentham, Marketing Manager at the Manchester College, discussing recruiting apprentices and employers, new ways to start recruitment in year 10, and professional standards. There’ll also be time to discuss your own priorities and concerns in a round-table session – maybe you want to catch up with how others are preparing for GDPR implementation?? Full programme available at www.m-network.org/cmn-events
Dates and venues for future meetings include:
- 18th April – City of Oxford College
- 16th May – Barnsley College
- 20th June – South & City College Birmingham
FE First Awards 2017 – results
The FE First Awards 2017 for marketing excellence were made at an inspirational and exciting event on 27th November as part of our 30th Annual Conference. They were presented by Dr Lynne Sedgemore CBE, a supporter and leading practitioner of college marketing from its earliest days, and supported by our sponsors and exhibitors. Our thanks to them, and to all our entrants for making it such a great evening of celebration and achievement.
The awards made were:
| Category | Award | College |
| Internal Communications Campaign | Gold | West London College |
| Highly Commended | Telford College | |
| External PR/Communications Campaign | Gold | Evolve Learning Group, part of West London College |
| Silver | The Guildford College Group | |
| Highly Commended | South & City College Birmingham | |
| Events management | Gold | Bedford College Group |
| Silver | West London College | |
| Silver | Boston College | |
| Innovation | Gold | Stoke on Trent College |
| Digital & Social Media campaign, sponsored by Net Natives | Gold | LTE Group |
| Silver | West London College | |
| Highly Commended | Milton Keynes College | |
| Website development project, sponsored by FEmarketing | Gold | City College Plymouth |
| Silver | Lewisham Southwark College | |
| Silver | West Kent College | |
| Highly Commended | Barnsley College | |
| Specialised Recruitment Campaign | Gold | West London College |
| Silver | Evolve Learning Group, part of West London College | |
| Highly Commended | Preston’s College | |
| Full-time Prospectus | Gold | The Cornwall College Group |
| Silver | The Sheffield College | |
| Highly Commended | Havering College of Further & Higher Education | |
| School Leaver Recruitment campaign, sponsored by Hotcourses Group | Gold | West London College |
| Marketing Team of the Year 2017, sponsored by AoC | Gold | South & City College Birmingham |
| Silver | West London College | |
| Highly Commended | Milton Keynes College | |
| Highly Commended | Lewisham Southwark College |
The College Marketing Network 