Dan Seneker, Associate Director of Student Recruitment at the University of Calgary, shares in this guest blog his observations of a recruitment fair in Korea...

I'm writing this blog entry from the COEX Center in Seoul, Korea. Along with approximately 20 other Canadian secondary and post-secondary institutions, as well as being part of a strong Alberta Government contingent (including the Alberta Korea office), the University of Calgary has come to Korea to promote our institution and Canadian education as a whole. This isn't a unique venture as Canadian institutions travel to all corners of the globe to recruit top quality students. For example, I'll be visiting ten countries between now and the beginning of December to promote the U of C!



For those of you familiar with student recruitment on the domestic front but maybe not on the international side, there are a lot of similarities between the two but there are also a lot of differences that traverse language, cultural and geographic boundaries -- like traveling almost 13 hours by plane from Calgary to get here! International recruitment fairs often resemble trade-show-like set-ups, much like the Ontario Universities Fair or Student Life Expo. However, there have been some noticeable differences at the COEX. First, there is the obvious international flavour. Here we are in Korea but there are country pavilions representing Canada, United States, the Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Netherlands and France, just to name a few. In order to stand out, giant "themed" exhibits are created. Here in Korea, bigger is better, or, more accurately, the flashier the better. Some exhibitors have taken the idea of flashier one step further as the Australians have life-sized kangaroo and koala bear mascots wandering the show floor advertising their booth. Another popular ploy here is to hire "grabbers.” Grabbers are typically teenage boys and girls who "grab" passers-by either through a give-away or strictly by leading them by the arm to a booth representative who is eagerly waiting to promote their services. These grabbers are decked out in matching outfits and some booths used uniforms that you might find at an auto show -- like the cheerleader outfits or early 1960s flight attendant attire that could be seen here. Definitely things you don't see at education fairs in Canada!

The recruitment aspect also differs slightly in the fact that families of prospective students are more involved than their Canadian counterparts (and we thought parents of the Millennials got involved!). This often includes more than one generation! Relationships are also more important than in domestic recruitment as families look at sending their children thousands of kilometres away to what is usually a foreign land. The use of education agents who reside within the country are also popular methods for attracting students, working with families, and generating brand recognition within a country or region.



It's been a long couple of days with fair attendance lower than anticipated. Surprisingly, Koreans aren't much different than Canadians. It was a long weekend here and most headed out of town for the nearby mountains and, as a Calgarian, I can really appreciate that! Nevertheless, I have spoken with many great students and their families who have shown a genuine interest in Canadian education which makes it worth the trip. Thank you Seoul....next stop Hong Kong!