Talent borrows, genius steals is a quote attributed to Oscar Wilde.
Whether he actually said it is mostly irrelevant for the purpose of this blog because I mention it only because it can be applied to preparing for you open evening.
Having worked in school marketing for a decade I have attend my fair share of open evenings.
They tend to be prescribed, sticking to a tried and tested formula – very rarely deviating from the headteacher speech, classroom experiments and student tours.
We ask our school to think about their open evenings in a slightly different way.
These are your showcases, perhaps your only opportunity to convince children and families to pick your school.
You want to stand out from the crowd.
Having conducted lots of parental surveys most choose the school based on what they see at open evening.
If you were a large cooperation with only one chance to impress potential clients you would fully invest in making sure it goes with a bang.
In short, It is crucial you put on a good show.
Seeing as everyone likes list these days, here are my top 5 tips for open evening.
- Attend other open evenings, not just locally but as far afield as you can. If you see something that works, use it at your own open evening. This includes private schools.
- A barnstorming open evening could net you an extra five kids. Putting money into your event could be a very good investment.
- Showcase talent. Don’t think too much about what people want and more about what you do well. Excellence shines.
- Get some help with presentation. Many parents choose a child’s school based on the headteacher speech. A well delivered, confident presentation could swing the balance.
- This is the most crucial night in your recruitment calendar, you should not leave anything to chance. Make sure everyone knows their job and is well drilled.