{"id":46820,"date":"2017-09-26T17:53:18","date_gmt":"2017-09-26T21:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=46820"},"modified":"2017-09-27T09:08:52","modified_gmt":"2017-09-27T13:08:52","slug":"thousands-experience-brock-at-ontario-universities-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2017\/09\/thousands-experience-brock-at-ontario-universities-fair\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands \u2018Experience\u2019 Brock at Ontario Universities\u2019 Fair"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Tom Dunk wandered around the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto over the weekend he realized just how difficult it would be for someone to miss the Brock University branding.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the spacious, revamped booth to the friendly team of staff, students and faculty members on hand to answer questions, Brock\u2019s display at the Ontario Universities\u2019 Fair from Sept. 22 to 24, made a very good impression on the high school students and their families in attendance.<\/p>\n

With more than 139,000 people in attendance this year, OUF is the biggest exhibition of post-secondary institutions in Canada, making it the single-most important event on the annual recruiting calendar.<\/p>\n

If OUF was a baseball game, Brock hit a grand slam.\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very important that we\u2019re there and that we put on a good show. When you came in and you saw Brock, you said \u2018wow,\u2019” said Dunk, Brock\u2019s Vice-President, Academic, who was at OUF all three days. \u201cThis is a big production and everyone who worked on this did a really good job.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Brock team this year was made up of around 250 people from across the University including: senior administration, all seven Faculties, the Registrar\u2019s Office, Co-op, Career and Experiential Education, Aboriginal Student Services, Residences, Student Accounts and Financial Aid, Brock Sports, Student Wellness and Accessibility Services, Brock Alumni Association,\u00a0Development<\/span>\u00a0and Alumni Relations<\/span>, Brock International and University Marketing and Communications.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey did a great job. Some of them gave up their entire weekend doing long days of talking to people,\u201d Dunk said. \u201cWe really appreciate their contribution and the job they did selling Brock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dunk said it\u2019s difficult to gauge exactly how successful Brock\u2019s OUF outreach was, but anecdotally he\u2019s positive the recruitment effort will pay off.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat always impresses me is how good of an opportunity it is to explain what we do. Many of these high school students have talked to guidance counsellors, but they don\u2019t know exactly what we have to offer. They ask lots of good questions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Brock branding and the \u2018Experience\u2019 campaign wasn\u2019t limited to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre itself. For the second year in a row, Brock did a complete branded takeover of the Skywalk area of Union Station with massive banners, larger-than-life digital screens and floor graphics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe energy at OUF was electric as Brock continues to proudly promote our brand and tell our \u2018Experience\u2019 story,\u201d said Jenny Halinda, Manager of Brand and Marketing. \u201cPairing the impact of the Skywalk takeover with a newly designed, open-concept booth, Brock\u2019s brand presence has never been stronger.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are continuing to integrate the \u2018Experience\u2019 campaign into every aspect of our marketing initiatives and the result is a powerful narrative and unified brand.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while OUF is now done for another year, the post-event work is just getting started.<\/p>\n

Beth Natale, Director, Recruitment and Retention, said follow-up e-mails were sent within 24 hours to students and families who provided contact information. A call campaign inviting students to Fall Preview Day on Nov. 5 is also getting started this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about continuing the momentum and keeping Brock top of mind over the course of a very long cycle,\u201d Natale said. \u201cOUF is very much a launching pad for us. It\u2019s the start of a conversation that is meant to inspire them, motivate them and push them to visit campus and apply to Brock \u2014 and ultimately accept our offer of admission when we get to that point.\u201d<\/p>\n