Monday, September 30, 2013 | Category: Blog, PSE Fairs
For the 8th consecutive year, Ken Steele spent the weekend at the Ontario Universities Fair in Toronto, checking out exhibits, taking in presentations, collecting print materials and impressions to share with you. (You can check out his blogs about previous OUFs here.)
But this year, for the first time ever, Ken and his eldest daughter took a video camera to the OUF, and have assembled a 23-minute video podcast, which we hope will be more engaging and interesting than a written blog with dozens of photos. Think of it as 16 hours of footage condensed into 23 minutes — and we’re also saving you some terrible traffic jams in downtown Toronto, as the Jays lost another ball game on the Sunday.
Ken captured the university exhibits, some unusual presentation rooms, and even interviewed a couple of university presidents and others on the trade show floor. (Sincere apologies to the many others he would have liked to interview, but timing did not allow it.)
When you’ve had a look, please comment below. Did we miss something important at the 2013 OUF that we should have mentioned? Do you think we should try video blogging again next year, or should we go back to the old approach?
Post Tags: Higher Ed Trends, Marketing, OUF, Recruitment
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11 Comments
Love the outtakes!
Also, liked hearing about the “Day in the life of a student” video that one university is using. This might be a cool idea for the OUF video… a tour from the eyes of a prospective student/s, with comments from the student/s about each presentation. Your professional opinions are relevant and valid, but the student perspective would enhance (and may provide what we really should be hearing!). I enjoyed hearing about your daughter’s impressions in this and past evaluations. Overall, I enjoyed the video and prefer it to the written version; thanks!
Thanks for your thoughts, Kathy, and your vote for continuing the video approach. I suspect it’s more engaging than the written word, and certainly a video is worth a hundred photos. Rest assured that Kaitlyn’s comments shaped my observations at the OUF. We toyed with the idea of interviewing students on the floor, which might gather even more breadth of student perspectives on the event.
Good Morning Ken
Awesome job!!!! I look forward to reading your comments daily. What University did Kate decide to go to?
Take care,
Janice
Thanks Janice. Kaitlyn has a shortlist of four universities, and several programs she is still considering…
Well done Ken! Really appreciate the video review — it really brings everything to life. I was able to check out the fair but I didn’t get a chance to peruse the presentation rooms. WOW. One thought — I would have loved to know more about what Kaitlyn thought of the different displays and how the universities marketed themselves — it would be great to get the prospective student perspective. Thanks and I hope you’ll keep up with the videos!
So fun! Thanks for sharing Ken! As I am sure many university reps can relate, the weekend is so busy it’s difficult to take the time to visit all the booths to see what the other schools are doing. Your overview is awesome. Although we all offer different programs and opportunities, it’s clear that it is a great time to be an Ontario high school student with so many wonderful institutions to choose from.
Good job Ken! The video format is much appreciated. It captures more than photos can especially for a fair on this magnitude. I hope you continue it again next year.
The video is THE way to go for sure. A great job by both you and Kaitlyn on this video. I have attended the fair in the past and must say the booths have certainly evolved over the years. I love the ability to see who is there and it is much easier to grasp the event without the on-sight distractions. I have 2 more children to put through this experience so this video certainly give me some ideas to plan the excursion next time.
How many universities were present at the fair and is it reasonable to get through the fair in one day if need be?
Great work!
Great job on the 2013 OUF video Ken. It was very informative to people like me in B.C., who got a real feel for the event and displays.
I love the video format. Please do it again this year.
Hey, it’s Ken Steele on post-secondary, as usual it’s great.
Randall
BRAVO! I always look forward to reading your blogs every year, but the video made me feel like I was actually there this year! I hope that you do this format next year; very well made, graphics, music, bloopers etc. Will you be attempting something similar for the Ontario College Information Fair? (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say-no-more)
Thanks Liz! And yes, for a change it looks like my schedule will allow me to get to OCIF as well. I’ve already got the wireless microphones on order. Regrettably I couldn’t get to the Student Life Expo this weekend as well…