The team at Drury University in Springfield, MO led by Executive Vice President of Enrollment Management, Kevin Kropf, and Director of Admission, Lindsay Tobin, knew this admission cycle would be different. The lack of in-person visits and events had been a pain point for most of the year, and while the hope of post-Covid-19 normalcy was on the horizon, they didn’t have the luxury to wait it out. In fact, it was now or never, and they needed to connect with their admitted students in a meaningful way if they had any chance of meeting their 2021 enrollment goals. That’s why they decided to go all-in and took their traditionally in-person Admitted Student event, #DruryBound, virtual.
“Not another virtual event!” – every student, everywhere.
So, how did they do it and why were they successful?
1. They knew their audience.
Drury offered two different days and times to accommodate schedules and kept each session to just 90 minutes with a mixture of live segments, breakout sessions, and pre-recorded content. There were small snippets with highlights from students, faculty, administrators, and counselors. Zoom fatigue need not register!
2. They brought the hype.
WARNING: This is not your average virtual information session. Drury brought the energy and excitement from day one by creating a welcoming promotional video, followed by a Panther Party Pack sent out 1-2 weeks ahead of the event. To close, they hosted the ULTIMATE Panther Party, complete with noisemakers, a virtual photo booth, and giveaways. They even sent a Panther bobblehead to all attendees as a thank you gift.
3. They spread the word.
The team at Drury was not afraid to share the good news about their event and mentioned #DruryBound in Q&A sessions, Financial Aid meetings, and more. Not to mention, they included their promotional video on the website and in targeted email communication to build their registrant list. If you’re not spreading the word about the best event in the history of events, who will?
4. They came together.
This was a team and campus-wide effort. The sessions and information shared would not have been possible or nearly as valuable to the student and parent attendees without support and contributions from all areas of campus, from faculty, staff, administrators, and students. There’s no I in team or #DruryBound!
5. They asked for the deposit.
Ask and you shall receive. The goal for any enrollment team is to secure deposits. At the end of the event, the Drury team encouraged attendees to deposit right then and there, so they could officially join the Drury community. They made it clear and easy to do so. And, for those who weren’t quite ready, they made all the information from the session available to students via the #DruryBound event page.
6. They went all in.
The team at Drury knew they had to do something. They asked a lot of questions. They did a lot of research. They considered the risks and rewards and they went all in to ultimately execute a successful event.
“We came up with a plan and stuck to it.”
– Lindsay Tobin, Director of Admission
Why it matters
Of the 152 accepted students who attended, 131 ultimately deposited.
That’s an 86% deposit rate—a solid B on any standard grading scale. But, all things considered, I think we can all agree that this was an A+ virtual event.
Are you #DruryBound?