Higher Ed Marketing Conferences Fuel Innovation and Expand Connections
The higher education marketing landscape is evolving quickly, which means digital marketing professionals must work hard to stay on the cutting edge of new technologies and trends. Higher education marketing conferences are a great way to accomplish this.
With so many new ideas being generated at any given time, changes in the “perfect” marketing strategy are inevitable from year to year. In the past few years alone, the industry has seen significant updates to marketing and social platforms across the web. These include new features on Instagram and TikTok, as well as marketing platform updates on Facebook and Google Ads.
At Archer Education, we’ve seen universities experiment with user-generated content, video marketing, and even virtual reality. The possibilities in higher education marketing are endless, and higher ed marketing conferences like the ones below are an invaluable way to get ahead of the trends and connect with like-minded industry professionals.
2023 Higher Education Marketing Conferences
Adobe Summit
Known as one of the largest digital marketing conferences today, the Adobe Summit offers more than 200 sessions and labs across specialized tracks with hands-on learning. At the event, you can make connections with other digital marketers in the same space and industry while learning about cutting-edge digital marketing tools and trends for the future. The best part? They offer a virtual version of the conference completely free for those who can’t make the trip to Vegas this spring.
When: Mar 21-23, 2023
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
Website: https://summit.adobe.com/na/
UPCEA Annual Conference
This gathering, hosted by the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), focuses on helping higher ed professionals reconnect and share with one another. It’s a community event where participants can collaborate to discover the best ways to tackle new marketing challenges and embrace new students. This year, the conference will specifically address access, inclusion, partnerships, and resilience. There will be networking, keynote speakers, and workshops hosted by education leaders from across the nation.
Archer will be attending and exhibiting at this higher ed conference! Remember to stop by and say hello.
When: Mar 22-24, 2023
Where: Washington, DC
Website: https://conferences.upcea.edu/annual2023/
AACRAO’s Annual Meeting
The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) is gathering for their 108th annual meeting this year to collectively work to advance higher education. This event is a great opportunity for networking, discussing challenges in higher ed, and collaborating to address those challenges in a meaningful way.
When: Mar 26-29, 2023
Where: Aurora, Colorado
Website: https://www.aacrao.org/events-training/meetings/annual-meeting
NAGAP Graduate Enrollment Management Summit
The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management (NAGAP) designs its Graduate Enrollment Management Summit with numerous educational sessions to meet everyone’s needs — whether they’re new in graduate admissions management, a seasoned veteran, or somewhere in between. The exhibits and educational sessions will present new approaches and creative strategies across a variety of topics related to the higher ed field. If you’re a member of NAGAP, you get an added discount for both single day and full-weekend passes.
Archer will be attending this conference! Remember to stop by and say hello.
When: Apr 12-15, 2023
Where: New York City
Website: https://www.nagap.org/events/conferences/2023-summit-graduate-enrollment-management-summit
Conversion Conference
The Conversion Conference is all about conversion rate optimization. This event, which has featured over 1,200 speakers in the last decade, includes networking, keynote discussions, and a packed agenda of workshops focused on helping marketers deliver a brand experience that counts. As higher ed marketers, we all know that getting students to our website is only half the battle. The Conversion Conference aims to help you learn how to create the most compelling user experiences and employ modern tactics and emerging technologies to fully engage each user.
When: Jun 19-21, 2023
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
Website: https://conversionconference.com/
PSEWeb
Back in person this year, PSEWeb is a gathering of insightful higher ed communication and marketing leaders building community and connecting with purpose. This year’s theme, Building Bridges, is about giving speakers the opportunity to share what inspires them as higher ed professionals. A virtual option for the conference will be available, to ensure anyone who is interested has the chance to attend, no matter where they may be.
When: Jul 12-13, 2023
Where: Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Website: https://pseweb.ca/
EduWeb Summit
Instead of doing a traditional call for speakers, or reworking previous years’ agendas, the eduWeb Summit directly addresses the challenges its attendees are facing. Their master classes, workshops, and speakers all directly reflect responses from this survey to ensure each session offers valuable impact. With a wide variety of topics, from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts to innovation and web strategy, every higher ed marketer can benefit from this conference.
When: Jul 18-20, 2023
Where: Washington, DC
Website: https://www.eduwebsummit.com/
Traffic and Conversion Summit
The Traffic and Conversion Summit is beneficial for all digital marketers. The official topics for 2023 have not yet been released, but in the past few years, the summit has focused on conversion breakthroughs in a variety of different channels. If you are running any kind of paid campaign in higher education, you’ll want to attend this conference. If traveling to San Diego is unrealistic, they’ve offered an online portion of the conference for the past few years. We’re crossing our fingers they’ll continue this new tradition in 2023!
When: Sep 12-14, 2023
Where: San Diego, California
Website: https://trafficandconversionsummit.com/
SMX Advanced
This digital marketing conference put on by Search Engine Land is designed for experienced marketers. If you are looking to skip the basic questions and dive head-first into some fast-paced sessions, this is the conference for you. Participants can learn a wide range of cutting-edge search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) tactics that can help advance their expertise.
When: Sep 13-14, 2023
Where: Berlin, Germany
Website: https://smxadvanced.eu/
Content Marketing World
If you’ve spent any amount of time in digital marketing, then you likely know how important content marketing is. The Content Marketing World conference is jam-packed with speakers, including content creators and agency leaders, bringing together some of the best creative experts in the field. Here you can learn everything you need to know about building a content marketing strategy that can grow your school’s program and inspire your audience.
When: Sep 26-29, 2023
Where: Washington, DC
Website: https://www.contentmarketingworld.com/
VidCon
With the rise in the popularity of platforms like TikTok and YouTube, videos are becoming more and more popular in the digital marketing world. Hosting conferences all over the world, VidCon gives higher ed marketers plenty of opportunity to learn the ins and outs of video. Video use is growing in higher ed marketing, including in university landing pages, ads on social media, and email and text communications. You can learn all about creating videos for the internet at this unique conference.
When: Sep 29-Oct 1, 2023
Where: Baltimore, Maryland
Website: https://www.vidcon.com/baltimore/
OLC Accelerate
Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Accelerate is devoted to driving quality online learning, advancing best practice guidance, and accelerating innovation in learning for academic leaders, educators, administrators, digital learning professionals, and organizations around the world.
Virtual
When: Oct 3-5, 2023
In Person
When: Oct 24-27, 2023
Where: Washington, DC
Website: https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/attend-2023/accelerate/
HighEdWeb
The HighEdWeb Annual Conference is created by and for higher education professionals who want to explore digital media’s role in their organization. From developers, marketers, and programmers to managers, designers, and writers, higher ed professionals of all kinds can explore and find solutions for their unique digital issues at this higher ed marketing conference. With 100-plus diverse sessions and time to connect with other professionals in the higher ed community, the HighEdWeb Annual Conference offers valuable professional development for everyone (even those who can only attend virtually!).
When: Oct 8-11, 2023
Where: Buffalo, New York
Website: https://events.highedweb.org/heweb23
AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education
The American Marketing Association (AMA) Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education is a three-day on-site event featuring a program of peer-reviewed content created by higher ed leaders and visionaries. It will focus on the best marketing strategies to achieve higher enrollment rates, gain a competitive advantage, and maintain financial strength. If you’re a marketer in the higher education space, this conference can give you valuable insights.
Archer will be attending and exhibiting! Remember to stop by and say hello.
When: Nov 12-15, 2023
Where: Chicago, Illinois
Website: https://www.ama.org/events/conference/2022-ama-symposium-for-the-marketing-of-higher-education/
UPCEA MEMS Conference
UPCEA’s MEMS Conference is all about marketing, enrollment, and student success. Focusing on data-driven strategies to increase enrollment, this conference can help your team reach their marketing goals. As higher ed evolves and grows, this conference aims to bring higher education professionals together to collaborate and address today’s challenges in an effective and meaningful way.
Archer will be attending and exhibiting at this higher ed marketing conference! Remember to stop by and say hello.
When: Nov 29-Dec 1, 2023
Where: Portland, Oregon
Website: https://conferences.upcea.edu/marketing/
2024 Higher Education Marketing Conferences
Knowing how many professionals look forward to higher education marketing conferences, some of these organizations have already begun planning for 2024.
AACRAO’s Annual Meeting
After 108 years, it’s safe to say these meetings are going to continue for the foreseeable future. Higher education will always evolve and, with that, higher education professionals will always benefit from collaborating and innovating as a collective. As a result, the AACRAO has scheduled meeting dates for the next three years (through 2026).
When: Apr 7-10, 2024
Where: Columbus, Ohio
Website: https://www.aacrao.org/events-training/meetings
NAGAP Graduate Enrollment Management Summit
NAGAP’s Graduate Enrollment Management Summit has been a popular event for years, and, as mentioned above, they tailor their events to everyone in the higher ed industry. They’ll hit on everything from creative marketing strategies to admission policies and staffing your teams. And if you can’t make it in 2023 or 2024, they already have their 2025 conference date locked in (April 23, 2025).
When: Apr 24-27, 2024
Where: Louisville, Kentucky
Website: https://www.nagap.org/2024-summit-graduate-enrollment-management-summit
Benefits of Attending Higher Education Marketing Conferences
While some of these higher ed marketing conferences may be costly to attend, the value each event provides can be worth every penny if they help you improve your strategies and performance.
Learning and Change
Higher education has seen drastic changes in the last few years, and it hasn’t been easy to keep up. Two examples are the shifts in the in-classroom education model and the different types of students seeking higher education. With new students and new expectations, higher ed professionals have a lot to digest and reimagine. Conferences provide an opportunity to get a wide variety of insights from an open group of people looking to learn, grow, and push the field forward.
Innovation and Optimization
To keep your finger on the pulse of higher ed marketing trends, you probably read newsletters and follow thought leaders on social media. But nothing compares to real-life communication and collaboration, especially when it comes to emerging technologies. Outside of the higher ed marketing realm, the digital world is also evolving at an intense speed. With new technology comes new strategies and vice versa. While these new ideas and ways of accomplishing them will eventually become widespread, conferences are where a lot of firsts and big reveals happen, giving attendees a competitive edge.
Networking
The key to playing a role in pushing the higher ed marketing field forward is connecting with others in the community. Having a set time and place to imagine the future of higher ed with professionals as passionate as you are is a privilege that leads to true collective growth. Some of the most important benefits of attending a higher education marketing conference are getting inspired by leaders, connecting with like-minded colleagues, and building what could be lifelong professional relationships. You never know when a professional connection will pay off, and these conferences are the perfect place to create them.
Let Us Know Which Conferences You’re Attending!
Archer Education partners with dozens of institutions to help them overcome enrollment challenges using tech-enabled, personalized enrollment marketing and management solutions. We encourage all of our clients to use higher education marketing conference opportunities to find ways to supplement their existing strategies. If you’ll be at any of the conferences Archer is attending, drop us a line and let’s schedule a time to chat!
