The independent and international school markets are renowned for their high levels of competition for student recruitment, crucial need for differentiation, and reliance on building strong relationships with prospective families. It is vital for admissions and marketing teams to forge meaningful connections with parents and students that align with their needs, values and aspirations.
国际化学校市场招生以竞争激烈，追求差异化定位以及与潜在家庭的紧密联系为重要特征。招生和市场团队必须与家长和学生建立深度纽带，确保双方的需求、价值观和未来目标高度契合。
While traditional methods like tours and open days remain essential, independent and international schools can further enhance their student recruitment efforts by leveraging a variety of strategic events. In this blog post, we’ll explore how events such as cultural fairs, parent workshops, student showcases, sports events, and networking events can directly or indirectly address specific challenges and facilitate deeper connections with prospective families.
除了传统的校园参观和开放日等活动，学校还可以通过其他战略性活动来提升招生成效。这些活动，如文化博览会、家长讲座、学生展示、体育赛事和交流活动，不仅能有效解决招生过程中的具体挑战，还能在潜移默化中加深与潜在学生家庭的关系。
Tours and Open Days: Navigating Cultural Differences
校园参观与开放日：跨越文化差异
Tours and open days are foundational events for showcasing your school’s facilities, curriculum, and culture. However, admissions and marketing teams should be mindful of varied demographics and navigate cultural differences effectively.
校园参观与开放日是展示学校设施、课程和文化的基础性活动。然而，招生和市场团队应当关注不同的受众群体，并有针对性地应对文化差异、个体差异。
Tailoring tours to accommodate the cultural preferences and expectations of diverse families can enhance their experience and create an inclusive, welcoming atmosphere. Visiting language classes or classrooms for instance, is an excellent way to personalise their visits and support future transitions.
根据不同家庭的文化偏好和期望，在校园参观中增加定制化环节，可以提升家长体验，展现学校全纳式的理念及热情的氛围。例如，参观语言课程或教室是让学校访问变得更加个性化的方式，同时为学生日后入学过渡提供支持。
According to an ISC Research report on inclusion in international schools, there was a distinctive trend of schools adapting to the needs of all children, which encompasses cultural understanding as a component of inclusion, and consequently, more effective student recruitment.
ISC Research的全纳式教育研究报告表明，国际化学校呈现出一个明显趋势，即照顾所有学生的需求。其中文化理解作为全纳式教育的一部分，能够加强学校品牌形象，提高招生成效。
Cultural Fairs: Celebrating Diversity
校文化博览会：拥抱多样性
International schools in particular pride themselves on their diverse student body and multicultural environment. Hosting cultural fairs and International Days not only celebrates this diversity but also provides prospective families with a firsthand look into the inclusive atmosphere of your school. Highlights of these events can be a great source of organic content to post on your school’s social media pages, allowing prospective parents to experience this cultural inclusion.
多元化的学生群体和环境是国际化学校招生优势之一。举办文化博览会和国际日活动不仅能展示学校多样性，还为潜在学生家庭提供了机会，直观体验学校包容性氛围。此外，在学校社交媒体上发布这些活动的精彩片段与回顾，能让更多家长在线感受学校的文化包容性。
By showcasing traditions, cuisines, and performances from around the world, cultural fairs can highlight your school’s commitment to embracing and respecting different cultures. Research supports the idea that a growing number of parents consider cultural diversity to be an important factor when choosing an international school for their child.
研究表明，越来越多的择校家长，将文化多样性视为一个重要的考量因素。通过展示世界各地的传统、菜肴和表演，文化博览会能够突显学校在拥抱和尊重不同文化方面的决心。
Parent Workshops: Nurturing Partnerships
家长工作坊：培养合作伙伴关系
Navigating the admissions process and understanding the nuances of the international curriculum can be daunting for prospective families. Parent workshops can offer valuable insights and support, nurturing partnerships between your school and parents right from the start. Parents will always have concerns, and will therefore appreciate the opportunity to share feedback. Highlighting parent workshops in your communications can also help with setting expectations and demonstrates how parents can have agency in their child’s future education.
对于潜在学生家庭来说， 在了解申请流程及国际课程细节的过程中，可能会遇到一些困惑。家长工作坊可以为他们提供宝贵的建议与支持，在初期就建立起家校合作伙伴关系。家长总是会有疑虑，因此他们会非常珍视分享反馈的机会。若学校在市场招生中突出家长工作坊活动，也有助于对家长进行期望管理，明确他们如何在孩子未来教育中发挥积极作用。
By addressing common concerns and providing guidance on educational philosophies and approaches, these types of workshops empower parents to make informed decisions about their child’s education. A recent webinar by the National Association of Independent Schools highlighted the importance of restructuring the partnership with parents to reset expectations for behaviour, performance, and collaboration with students and teachers.
学校通过这类工作坊解决常见问题并提供有关教育理念和方法的指导，进而帮助家长做出明智的择校决策。美国独立学校协会（NAIS）最近的一场网络研讨会强调了重构家校合作伙伴关系的重要性，以重新明确学校对学生行为表现以及与对家校合作共育的期望。
Student Showcases: Demonstrating Excellence
学生风采：展现卓越
Many prospective families seek assurance that their child will receive a quality education and excel academically. Student showcases can provide a platform for current students to demonstrate their achievements, projects, and talents, showcasing the academic excellence cultivated by your school.
许多潜在学生家庭希望确保他们的孩子能够接受优质教育并取得卓越的学术成绩。学生风采提供了一个展现学生成就、项目和才华的平台，体现了学校教育培养出众多学术卓越的学生。
By witnessing in person or virtually, the accomplishments of students, families can envision their child thriving in your school’s supportive environment. Research indicates that 83% of admissions staff believe academic outcomes to be ‘very important’ to the majority of their parents when choosing an international school for their child. Therefore, giving parents the opportunity to observe the phenomenal quality of work produced by your students can lead to a more inspiring and invigorating parent journey.
无论是在线下或线上观看学生成就风采，家长可以设想自己的孩子在学校支持性环境中茁壮成长。研究表明，83%的招生工作人员认为在大多数家长选择国际学校时，学术成绩是“非常重要”的因素。因此，给家长提供观察学生杰出成绩的机会，能够带来更具启发性和激励性的家长体验。
Sports Events: Promoting Well-Rounded Development
体育赛事：展现学校全人教育
In addition to academic excellence, many families prioritise a well-rounded education that includes opportunities for sports and extracurricular activities. Equally, many independent and international schools take pride in the breadth and quality of their activities and programmes.
除了学术成就，越来越多的家庭开始看重全人教育，包括学校提供体育和课外活动的机会。同样，很多国际化学校也以其活动和项目的广度与质量为荣。
Hosting dedicated sports events could not only showcase your school’s athletic programmes and facilities but also emphasise the importance of physical fitness and teamwork in holistic development. Alternatively, aligning a school tour with an ongoing sporting activity or event is a wonderful way to allow parents to see your world class facilities, coaching and team spirit in action.
举办专项体育赛事不仅可以展示学校的体育项目和设施，还能强调身体健康和团队合作在学生全面发展中的重要性。此外，将学校参观与正在进行的体育活动或赛事结合起来，也是让家长亲眼见证学校一流设施、教练水平和团队精神的绝佳方式。
By highlighting the achievements and sportsmanship of students, independent and international schools can attract families seeking a balanced educational experience for their child. Studies have shown that participation in sports can enhance academic performance and contribute to overall well-being, and prospective families are becoming increasingly aware of this.
通过突出学生的体育成就和体育精神，国际化学校能够吸引寻求全面教育体验的家庭。研究表明，参与体育活动有助于提升学业表现并促进学生身心健康，而择校家庭对此的认识也在不断提高。
Networking Events: Building Community Connections
交流活动：建立社区联系
Building a strong sense of community is essential for encouraging loyalty and support among current and prospective families. Networking events bring together parents, alumni, and professionals, creating opportunities to build connections and strengthen ties within the school community.
培育强烈的社群归属感对于提升在校生家庭和潜在学生家庭的忠诚度以及获得他们的支持至关重要。交流活动将家长、校友和专业人士聚集在一起，为建立联系和加强学校社区内部纽带创造了机会。
By engaging with influential stakeholders and establishing a supportive network, international schools can enhance their reputation and attract families through word-of-mouth referrals. The Enrollment Management Association (EMA) and ISC-Research collaborated on a global survey of international school admission operations, finding that referrals from current (95%) and previous families (93%) are regarded as the most effective student recruitment tools.
通过与有影响力的利益相关者互动并建立支持性社交网络，国际学校能够提升自身声誉，通过口碑推荐吸引新的家庭。招生管理协会（EMA）与国际学校研究（ISC-Research）合作进行的全球调查显示，来自现有家庭（95%）和往届家庭（93%）的推荐被视为最有效的招生方式。
Conclusion 结语
In conclusion, independent and international schools can leverage a variety of strategic events to build stronger relationships with prospective families and enhance their student recruitment efforts, either directly or as part of their communications and content strategy. By addressing specific challenges and showcasing the unique features of your school, the event types highlighted above can play a crucial role in attracting and retaining families in the increasingly competitive market.
总之，无论是直接吸引生源线索，还是作为传播和内容营销的一部分，国际化学校可以利用多种战略性活动来与潜在家庭建立更紧密的关系，提升招生效果。上述多类型的活动，可以用于应对具体挑战并展示学校的独特优势，在吸引和学生留存方面可以发挥至关重要的作用，尤其是在竞争日益激烈的市场中。
