NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY
UNDERGRADUATE VISIT DAYS
2012 EVALUATION
Joanne Tomlinson, Marketing Officer (lead Visit Day Co-ordinator)
Lucy Backhurst, Head of Student Recruitment
Anne Coxhead, Head of Marketing and Publicity
Melissa Suddes, Senior Marketing and Publications Manager
1
CONTENTS
1.
Executive summary ................................................................................................................................. 3
2.
2012 Visit Day attendance ....................................................................................................................... 5
3.
2012 visitor feedback .............................................................................................................................. 8
More or less likely to apply ...................................................................................................................... 8
Comparison with competitior open days ................................................................................................. 9
Subject information .................................................................................................................................. 9
General university information .............................................................................................................. 11
Accommodation Tours ........................................................................................................................... 12
Tours of other facilities .......................................................................................................................... 15
Favourite aspects of the day .................................................................................................................. 16
Student guides........................................................................................................................................ 16
Travelling to the visit day & finding their way around ........................................................................... 17
4.
Recommendations ................................................................................................................................ 18
1.
Review our approach to showing accommodation ........................................................................ 18
2.
Consider changing the event timings to accommodate the Increase in demand to visit the
university ........................................................................................................................................ 19
3.
Review the timing and number of visit days offered in 2014 ......................................................... 19
4.
Work with speakers to maximise the quality and impact of sessions ............................................ 20
5.
Review event signage on campus ................................................................................................... 20
6.
Consider adding a welcome to Newcastle session ......................................................................... 21
7.
Review the recruitment of student guides ..................................................................................... 21
8.
Ensure that event activities and CRM communications are targeted according to visitor
demographics ................................................................................................................................. 21
9.
Review the information provided in visit day publicity about travelling to the University and the
city................................................................................................................................................... 22
10. Explore the use of further social media activity ............................................................................. 22
11. Review the event risk assessment to take into account the increase in attendance and the
increased risk of severe weather
conditions………………………………………………………………………………….....223
2
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION & CONTEXT
Newcastle University holds three undergraduate Visit Days each year1. These events provide a key
opportunity for prospective undergraduate students to visit the University prior to applying, and are
a vital part of their decision-making process. Most students are accompanied by parents/guardians
or other relatives.
This report is an evaluation of the 2012 undergraduate Visit Days, which took place on:

Friday 29 June; Saturday 30 June; Saturday 29 September
The findings of this report, along with other relevant research undertaken and commissioned2 by
Marketing and Student Recruitment, will be used to help inform the organisation of the 2013 Visit
Days.
EVENT CONTENT
Each event involves the organisation and delivery of the following activities:







118 subject taster sessions, covering 46 different subject areas.
21 information sessions covering aspects of student life outside of academic study.
An Information Fair, with representatives from Student Services such as Accommodation
and Finance.
A Subject Fair, with representatives from each subject area, as well as information about the
PARTNERS programme and study abroad.
Tours of the campus, which run every 15-minutes throughout the day.
Accommodation tours to several different sites throughout the day.
Tours of the University Libraries; Students’ Union; Sports Centre; Newcastle University
Business School, and a ‘drop in’ to the Language Resource Centre.
ATTENDANCE FIGURES
A record number of visitors (33,569) attended the 2012 events. The September 2012 event had
14,894 visitors, which is the highest attendance of any of our individual events to date. Overall
attendance has increased by 15% since last year (2011). 54% of visitors at the 2012 events were
parents or teachers and 46% were students, which is the same ratio as last year’s events.
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE VISIT DAYS
1
This is only the second year that we have held three Visit Days. An additional summer Visit Day in was added
in 2010 due to the increase in visitor numbers.
2
Research includes: Higher Expectations by Youthsight; Decliner and new Entrants Survey; Social Media
research; and visits to competitor open days.
3
95% of respondents were more likely (71%) or just as likely (24%) to apply to Newcastle following
the Visit Day, which is the same percentage as those who attended the 2011 events.
The key reasons given by those who said they were more likely or just as likely to apply were: the
campus; the city; the course; facilities; atmosphere and accommodation.
Of the 5% who said they were less likely to apply, the main reason given for this was the course,
followed by the location of the University, the overall impression of the University, the campus and
the quality of the accommodation.
SUBJECT ACTIVITY
Subject sessions are a key element of the Visit Days; the course itself is one of the main reasons why
respondents said they were more likely or less likely to apply following the event. A relatively large
proportion of respondents (36%) rated subject sessions as their favourite aspect of the day when
asked to rate it alongside other activities, such as seeing the campus or meeting current students.
80% of respondents overall were extremely or very satisfied with the subject session/s they
attended and 16% were satisfied. 98% of respondents overall were satisfied or better with the
Subject Fair in the King’s Road Centre.
ACCOMMODATION
90% of respondents were satisfied or better with the accommodation tour/s they attended.
Although this is a positive response, it is a slight decrease (1%) when compared with last year’s
satisfaction levels.
Overall, 84% of respondents were either very satisfied (39%) or satisfied (45%) with the
accommodation itself. While this is still a good response overall, a large proportion of visitors who
were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied visited Richardson Road or Castle Leazes, indicating that there
are issues with visitor perceptions of these sites which have the potential to impact negatively on
student recruitment.
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the findings of this report, the key recommendations to improve the 2013 events are listed
below. Further detail is given on page 20:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Review our approach to showing accommodation
Consider changing the event timings to accommodate the increase in demand to visit the University
Review the timing and number of visit days offered in 2014
Work with speakers to maximize the quality and impact of sessions
Review event signage on campus
Consider adding a welcome to Newcastle session
Review the recruitment of student guides
Ensure that event activities and Student Recruitment Customer Relationship Management
communications are targeted according to visitor demographics
9. Review the information provided in visit day publicity about travelling to the University and the City
4
10. Explore the use of further social media activity to support the objectives of the Visit Day
11. Review the event risk assessment to take account of the increase in attendance and the increased
risk of severe weather conditions
2. 2012 VISIT DAY ATTENDANCE
Attendance figures are taken from the Hobsons EMT Connect Customer Relationship Management
system, which is used to manage bookings and communications for Visit Days. This system holds
details of all students who registered to attend the events and the number of guests
(parents/guardians/friends or relatives) that accompanied them.
A total of 33,569 people attended the 2012 Visit Days. The table below shows a breakdown of
attendance at each of the three events. As would be expected, a larger proportion of parents
attended the Saturday events. Teachers attending in an ‘official’ capacity tend to attend the Friday
event.
Figure 1 – 2012 Visit Day Bookings
16000
14894
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
9329
9346
8740
5467
3862
5437
3909
6154
Students
Parents/teachers
Total
2000
0
29 June
30 June
29
September
SCHOOL BOOKINGS
School groups traditionally attend the Friday event in June. There were 28 school group bookings for
the 29 June 2012, with a total number of 1,682 students, accounting for 31% of the total number of
students at the event. There were also two school bookings for the Saturday event on 29
September.
ATTENDANCE BY YEAR OF STUDY
Figure 2 shows the percentage of students that attended each event by year group (or college
equivalent). This is based on the year group that they were in at the time when they attended the
event.
5
Figure 2 – Visit Day Attendance by Year Group - June & September 2012
29-Jun
5%
Year 12
Year 13
2% 2%1%
Mature
Year 10
Year 11
90%
30-Jun
Year 12
Year 13
4% 2%1%1%
Year 10
Mature
Year 11
91%
29-Sep
Year 13
Year 12
3% 2%
Mature
9%
Year 11
23%
62%
6
Year 10
COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS YEARS
The charts below illustrate Visit Day attendance over a five year period. Attendance at the 2012
events overall was the highest ever, and the September 2012 event had the highest attendance of
any of our individual events to date. There has been an encouraging 15% increase in overall
attendance compared with last year’s events.
Figure 3 - Visit Day overall attendance 2007-2012
33569
35000
29168
30000
26885
25000
20000
18788
21771
Students
17101
15000
10198
11380 12136
14100 13357
15530
Parents/teachers
Total attendance
10000
5000
0
2007
2008
2009 2010* 2011* 2012*
*indicates years when we have delivered three events
7
16000
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
2007
2008
2009
2010
8
2011
9329
2012
Autumn (Saturday)
9884
Summer (Saturday)
7272
8137
Summer (Friday)
12451
Autumn (Saturday)
9855
Summer (Saturday)
11916
Summer (Friday)
Autumn (Saturday)
7162
Summer (Saturday)
9600
Summer (Friday)
Autumn (Saturday)
9188
Summer (Friday)
8369
Autumn (Saturday)
8732
Summer (Friday)
Autumn (Saturday)
Summer (Friday)
Figure 4 – Total attendance by day 2007-2012
14894
11147
9346
3. 2012 VISITOR FEEDBACK
The data below is taken from responses to two surveys that were sent to all registered students
following the June and September events. The surveys were distributed via email through the
Student Recruitment CRM system the day after each event. Each survey included a prize draw
incentive of £50 vouchers.
The response rates were 15%3 for both surveys. 93% of survey respondents were potential students
and 7% were parents. This is because some parents register on behalf of their son or daughter.
MORE OR LESS LIKELY TO APPLY
Figure 5 shows that 95% of respondents (71%) were more likely or just as likely (24%) to apply to
Newcastle following the Visit Day.
Figure 5 – Since attending the Visit Day, how likely is it that you will apply to study at Newcastle University? (June & September 2012)
5%
24%
More likely
71%
Just as likely
Less likely
Those who said they were more likely to apply gave a combination of reasons for this, including:







The campus
The city/location of the University
The course
Facilities
Atmosphere
Accommodation
Overall impression of the University
3
1,411 responses out of 9,376 registered students in June and 896 responses out of 6,154 registered students
in September. Response rates are based on the number of students only, as the survey was only sent to one
email address (that of the student or parent who registered).
9
‘We were blown away by the atmosphere and feeling of the place. It was a fantastic day and
will no doubt be our son’s first choice!’
‘I love the campus, the location, the town and the art school – all the new gorgeous studios
and workshops. It’s way better than I thought it’d be. Now I’m torn for first choice!’
‘The facilities, the vibe, the life, the feel, the knowledge of the subject, the care the
university has for its students, were far greater than any other universities I have been to.’
Reasons given by those who said they were less likely to apply can be broadly grouped into the
following categories:





The course
Overall impression of the University
The campus
Accommodation
The city/location of the University.
Most of the comments mention the course as the reason why they were less likely to apply. Several
of the comments mention more than one of these aspects e.g. accommodation and the course.
Further detail is given in Appendices I and II.
COMPARISON WITH COMPETITIOR OPEN DAYS
When asked how our open days compared with the open days of competitor institutions, 88% of
respondents said that Newcastle either better (56%) or as good as (32%) other open days that they
had attended.
SUBJECT INFORMATION
SUBJECT TASTER SESSIONS
118 subject sessions are delivered as part of each Visit Day, covering 46 different subject areas. The
schedule of sessions is reviewed following and prior to each Visit Day, based on attendance figures
and feedback from visitors and staff.
Visitors are asked to indicate which subject they are interested in when they register to attend the
Visit Day. This information is used to estimate the number of visitors expected at each session.
Guidelines covering the format and content of Subject Taster Sessions are circulated to session
leaders before each event, and briefing sessions were also delivered for academic staff this year.
Further information about the support provided for subject sessions is given in Recommendation 4.
10



Subject sessions are a key element of the Visit Days; 49% of respondents in the June survey
and 56% in the September survey indicated that this was their favourite aspect of the day,
when asked to rate it alongside other activities, such as seeing the campus.
Overall, 96% of respondents to the 2012 surveys were satisfied or better with the subject
session/s they attended.
Although the overall satisfaction levels are very positive, it should be noted that there are
variations with satisfaction levels across the individual sessions. Appendices III, IV and V
provide a breakdown of overall satisfaction levels with individual subject sessions and the
number of students that expressed an interest in attending each session.
Figure 6 – How satisfied were you with the subject taster session/s you attended? (June Visit Day 2012)4
3.0%
14.0%
Extremely satisfied
55.0%
28.0%
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Not satisfied
Figure 7 – How satisfied were you with the subject taster session/s you attended? (September Visit Day 2012)
3% 1%
22%
Very satisfied
Satisfied
75%
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
4
Please note that there are variations in the categories used to measure satisfaction in the June and
September surveys. The September survey was changed to allow for more equal weighting with the
satisfaction levels.
11
SUBJECT FAIR
98% of respondents were satisfied or better with the Subject Fair. This is an improvement of 4%
compared with last year, when many respondents commented on overcrowding being an issue.
Following this feedback, from October 2011 the Fair was split into a Subject Fair in the King’s Road
Centre and an Information Fair in King’s Gate. The Subject Fair included representatives from each
subject area, along with information about study abroad and the PARTNERS scheme, and a helpdesk.
GENERAL UNIVERSITY INFORMATION
GENERAL INFORMATION SESSIONS
General Information Sessions covering aspects of student life outside of academic study are
delivered throughout the day. The charts below indicate that overall, 71% of respondents were
satisfied or better with the general information session/s that they attended in June, and 81% in
September.
It should be noted that of those that were not satisfied, many of the comments do not relate to the
session itself. For instance, most of the comments made about the accommodation session mention
the quality of the accommodation rather than the talk. Feedback on individual sessions is circulated
to relevant colleagues following each event. Full details are given in Appendix VI.
Figure 8 – If you attended any of the following sessions, please tell us how satisfied you were (June Visit Days 2012)
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
34% 41% 37% 35% 38% 33% 36%
42%
31%
43% 42%
38%
56%
37% 42% 41%
42%
36%
33%
24% 21% 21%
22%
16%
15% 19%
6%
4% 2% 2% 4% 3% 4% 3% 7%
1%
Extremely satisfied
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Not Satisfied
12
Figure 9 – If you attended any of the following sessions, please tell us how satisfied you were (September Visit Day 2012)5
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
53% 60% 58% 53% 56% 53% 58%
69%
42% 38% 42% 46% 43% 43% 38%
31%
4%
2% 2%
1% 1% 4%1% 5%
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Very Dissatisfied
INFORMATION FAIR
The Information Fair in King’s Gate provides a welcome point to the campus and an opportunity for
visitors to find out more about student services and other aspects of student life. The Fair includes
representatives from the Careers Service, Sports Centre, Accommodation Service, Student Finance,
Student Wellbeing and Estate Support Services, and NewcastleGateshead Initiative, who provide
information about the city.
99% of respondents who attended the 2012 events were satisfied or better with this Fair.
ACCOMMODATION TOURS
A range of self-catered and catered University accommodation sites are open for visitors to see
during the Visit Days. Guided walking tours take place throughout the day, led by student guides
from a marquee in the Claremont Quadrangle. Bus tours also run to sites further away from the
campus. Visitors are shown round by student guides and/or staff at the accommodation site.
The charts below illustrate visitor satisfaction levels with the tours at the 2012 events. Overall, 90%
of visitors were satisfied or better with the tour/s they attended.
5
Please note that there are variations in the categories used to measure satisfaction in the June and
September surveys. The September survey was changed to allow for more equal weighting with the
satisfaction levels.
13
Figure 10 – How satisfied were you with the accommodation tour(s) that you attended? (June 2012)
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
15%
17%
33%
39%
28%
36%
59%
38%
40%
Extremely satisfied
30%
25%
24%
2%
57%
25%
12%
4%
38%
28%
10%
14%
1%
Satisfied
24%
3%
Very satisfied
Not satisfied
Figure 11 – How satisfied were you with the accommodation tour(s) that you attended? (September 2012)
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
65%
60%
32%
52%
48%
46%
80%
58%
29%
33%
42%
6%
7%
9% 5%
4% 1%
36%
5%2%
3%
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
When asked why they were not satisfied with the tour they attended, respondents commented on
the following aspects:





The standard of the accommodation itself
Timing and capacity of the tours – they finished too early in the day and/or were too busy
Quality and delivery of information provided by student guides
Visitors wanted the option to look round independently, not on a tour
The accommodation shown was occupied by students at the time of the tour
14
Figure 13 (below) illustrates visitor satisfaction with the accommodation itself, based on feedback
from the September event6. Overall, 84% of respondents were either very satisfied (39%) or satisfied
(45%) with the accommodation itself. A large percentage of those who were not satisfied visited
Castle Leazes or Richardson Road.
Please see Appendices VII and VIII for detailed feedback about accommodation tours and the quality
of accommodation.
Figure 12 – How satisfied were you with the accommodation itself? (September 2012)
100%
18%
90%
80%
46%
18%
43%
44%
48%
70%
60%
70%
60%
50%
53%
Very Satisfied
50%
40%
30%
43%
0%
6
52%
45%
19%
20%
10%
Satisfied
43%
22%
29%
5%
5%
3%
3%
13%
8%
5%
Dissatisfied
1 4%
1%1
7%
37%
Very dissatisfied
2% 2%
This question was added to the September survey; it was not included in the June survey.
15
TOURS OF OTHER FACILITIES
Tours of other areas of the campus are led by student guides and staff. The charts below show
satisfaction levels with these tours during each event.
Figure 13 – Please tell us how satisfied you were with the following tour(s) (June 2012)
100%
80%
41%
39%
36%
36%
39%
44%
41%
60%
40%
41%
20%
17%
0%
39%
21%
21%
4%
4%
16%
38%
19%
3%
Extremely satisfied
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Not satisfied
Figure 14 – Please tell us how satisfied you were with the following tour(s) (September 2012)
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
67%
58%
51%
51%
64%
Very satisfied
30%
1%
39%
2% 1%
Satisfied
44%
46%
34%
5%
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
1%
16
2%
FAVOURITE ASPECTS OF THE DAY
98% of respondents were very satisfied (63%) or satisfied (35%) with the overall programme of
sessions. Most respondents rated subject sessions as their favourite aspect of the Visit Day. This was
followed by seeing the campus and the city:
Figure 15 – What was your favourite aspect of the Visit Day? (June and September Visit Days 2012)
Subject sessions
Seeing the campus
3%
4%
3%
3% 1%
Seeing the city
Meeting current students
36%
6%
5%
Subject Fair
8%
Accommodation tours
11%
Campus tours
19%
Seeing or finding out about the facilities
(i.e. Students' Union, Sport, Food outlets)
General sessions (i.e. Student Life, Finance,
How to Apply)
Meeting staff
Information Fair
STUDENT GUIDES
Around 180 current students were recruited and trained and paid by Marketing and Student
Recruitment to help at each of the 2012 Visit Days. This is an increase of 40 on the numbers
recruited the previous year, due to the rise in the number of visitors. Student guides carry out a
number of key roles, including welcoming visitors to the city, signposting around campus and
delivering accommodation and campus tours. Students are also recruited by schools and faculties to
assist with subject-based activities, including subject sessions and school tours.
Qualitative feedback throughout the surveys suggests that visitors value the opportunity to meet
current students, and that this is something that has a positive impact on their experience. 8% of
respondents rated meeting current students as their ‘favourite aspect’ of the Visit Days, making it
the fourth most popular activity overall. 98% of respondents were very satisfied or satisfied with the
information they received from Visit Day helpers on the day.
It should be noted that a significant proportion of student guides drop out of their role after being
appointed as student guide, and although reserve students are recruited for this purpose, 25
students failed to report for duty at the September Visit Day. This impacted on a number of
activities, particularly given the increase in visitor numbers at that event.
17
TRAVELLING TO THE VISIT DAY & FINDING THEIR WAY AROUND
TRAVELLING TO NEWCASTLE


Most respondents (60%) said they travelled to Newcastle by car. The second most popular mode
of transport was train (31%).
97% of respondents said they found it either very easy (60%) or fairly easy (38%) to find the
campus once they had arrived in the city. Several people commented that they found it difficult
to find a parking space in the city, in the September survey in particular.
STAYING IN NEWCASTLE
29% of respondents in the June survey and 33% in the September survey said they stayed overnight
in Newcastle, either before or after the Visit Day. The most popular leisure activities that visitors
took part in while staying in Newcastle were shopping (68%) and going to a restaurant (63%). This
helps to inform the information that we provide to visitors about the city in advance of the event. It
is also a useful indicator for us regarding start time, since those who have stayed overnight are
already in the city and those who plan to stay overnight may be able to spend more time at the
event.
FINDING THEIR WAY AROUND CAMPUS
97% of respondents found it very easy (50%) or fairly easy (47%) to find their way around campus.
Visitors receive a campus map in advance of the event, along with a smaller version in the Visit Day
programme. As well as the permanent wayfinding signage which is positioned across the campus,
temporary outdoor A-Frame signage is used for the event, along with A3 signage to direct to specific
rooms within buildings.
Large banner signs were purchased for the 2012 events to welcome visitors to the campus and
signpost to the Subject Fair. We also used windchaser signs to signpost to Campus Tours and
Accommodation Tours.
CATERING
Most of the University Eat@ outlets were open during the Visit Days. 93% of respondents were
either very satisfied or satisfied with the catering facilities. Comments from those who were
dissatisfied largely relate to how busy the venues were rather than the quality of the catering.
18
4. RECOMMENDATIONS
Overall feedback shows that prospective students and parents continue to be very satisfied with our
Visit Days. It is particularly positive that the increase in the number of visitors has not impacted on
the overall quality of the events. Changes to the events are considered throughout the year, as part
of an ongoing improvement process. Based on the findings of this report, we will focus on improving
a number of key areas in preparation for the 2013 events:
1. REVIEW OUR APPROACH TO SHOWING ACCOMMODATION
Although most visitors were satisfied with this element of the day overall, this is a key area for
improvement, because of the negative nature of some of the comments.
We made a number of improvements to the accommodation tours between 2011 and 2012,
including: ensuring that rooms at older sites are ‘dressed’ with soft furnishings, to provide a more
welcoming atmosphere; producing a leaflet outlining the features of each accommodation site to
help visitors decide which one/s to visit; and changing the way we market the accommodation sites
in our overall publicity to manage expectations, i.e. to emphasise the range of options, from budget
to premium quality.

Meet with the Accommodation Service and relevant Accommodation Managers to address the
issues raised by feedback about the standard of some accommodation sites and agree a
solution for the 2013 events
32% of visitors were not satisfied with the standard of accommodation at Castle Leazes and 29%
at Richardson Road, and some of the comments are particularly negative:
‘Awful accommodation. Scary.’
‘The accommodation was really dark and I would definitely not live there, the worst
accommodation I have ever seen in a university.’
Further measures to help improve the standard of accommodation shown at Visit Days will
be explored with the relevant Accommodation Service Managers.

Review the overall approach to accommodation tours
Overall feedback indicates that although walking tours are generally working well in most areas,
they not always providing the best experience for visitors, particularly when the groups are
large. However, we have tried ticketed bus tours at previous Visit Days, and as the number of
people attending increased, this resulted in longer queuing times and visitor dissatisfaction. An
overall review of our approach is needed to determine the best way of managing the tours.
‘Walked with a large group and were held in a waiting room for half an hour. Then
persuaded to take a tour of the standard rooms. When asking if we could see the en-suite
rooms, we were directed back to the waiting area. A lot of wasted time. Would have been
better to sign people to the site and let them arrive at their convenience.’
19

Schedule tours to run later in the afternoon
The latest tour is currently at 2.30pm. However, visitors are now staying at the event later in the
afternoon. This, combined with the increased demand for tours due to the increase in the
number of visitors, indicates that there is a need for these tours to run later in the day.

Ensure that rooms are vacated and ‘dressed’ where possible
Feedback indicates that visitors prefer to see an empty ‘show room’ rather than a room which is
currently occupied by students. This will be explored further with the Accommodation Service.

Improve the quality and delivery of information provided by student guides
Feedback suggests that some visitors were not satisfied with the quality of the information
provided by the student guides, or the way in which this was delivered. We will review the
training and allocation of student guides.
2. CONSIDER CHANGING THE EVENT TIMINGS TO ACCOMMODATE THE INCREASE IN
DEMAND TO VISIT THE UNIVERSITY
While the increase in visitor numbers has not impacted negatively on the overall visitor experience
and satisfaction levels with the event, record attendance at the September 2012 event did put
additional pressure on our ability to deliver some subject sessions and accommodation tours to a
high standard. This posed a risk to both the quality of the event and health and safety.
Having considered the option of adding another Friday Visit Day to the Autumn event, we recognise
that it would be impractical to do this at this stage for a number of reasons, including: the availability
of students during school term-time; room availability on campus; competitor open day dates; and
staff availability. This will be explored further for the 2014 events; please see below.
However, there are a number of measures that we can consider to accommodate the increase in
numbers and ensure that visitors continue to have a high quality experience. These include:





Extending the overall length of the day.
Increasing the number of sessions offered, to accommodate the extra numbers and ensure
that visitors have time to attend the sessions that they are interested in.
Exploring the use of the CRM system as a booking mechanism for sessions.
Reviewing the format of the Subject Fair to identify whether this can be divided into
separate venues; there is a risk of exceeding capacity of the Lindisfarne Room in the King’s
Road Centre if we continue with the existing format.
Extend the timings of accommodation and campus tours.
3. REVIEW THE TIMING AND NUMBER OF VISIT DAYS OFFERED IN 2014
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Consult with potential students and key internal and external stakeholders to determine
whether it is feasible to add another Visit Day, and when this would take place.
Consider the logistical implications of organising and delivering another event.
Provide recommended dates for the 2014 events based on the above.
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4. WORK WITH SPEAKERS TO MAXIMISE THE QUALITY AND IMPACT OF SESSIONS
Although overall feedback about sessions is positive, anecdotal feedback from staff working at the
event and visitor feedback about specific sessions does suggest that the visitor experience could be
improved in some areas. This is particularly important for subject sessions, given that they are one of
the most significant aspects of the day from a visitor’s point of view.
Several measures have been put in place to improve the quality of subject sessions this year:
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All academic staff involved in the Visit Days were invited to attend a briefing session, in
addition to the written briefing documents which are circulated in advance of the event. This
session included guidance about the content and delivery of subject sessions based on
visitor feedback from previous events, guidance on answering ‘tricky’ questions, and
practical information about the event. 10 members of staff registered to attend the June
briefing session and 29 members of staff registered to attend the September session.
Feedback about subject sessions was sent to Heads of Schools as well as individual speakers.
Staff were asked to deliver additional subject session/s where the number of visitors
attending was expected to be higher than originally anticipated.
Copies of the internal signage template were circulated to school contacts, who were asked
to help with checking signage for their sessions before the event and printing extra if
necessary.
Building on this, we will work closely with internal stakeholders to address the following issues
and clarify responsibilities:
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Ensuring that the content and delivery of sessions is of a professional standard.
Scheduling sessions in appropriate rooms7 and checking that the room is fit for purpose
before each session.
Setting up the AV facilities in advance of the session. This also helps to start the air
ventilation, which is activated when someone enters the room.
Greeting visitors before the session begins.
Monitoring numbers to ensure that room capacity isn’t exceeded.
5. REVIEW EVENT SIGNAGE ON CAMPUS
Despite the increase in the number of visitors on campus at the 2012 events, 97% of respondents
found it very easy (50%) or fairly easy (47%) find their way around. However, internally we recognise
that there are some issues with the temporary signage that we use on the day of the event.
One of the challenges in distributing this signage and ensuring that it is positioned correctly is the
availability of staff resource the day before the event and the number of rooms, buildings and
outdoor spaces used across campus.
7
Rooms are chosen based on: staff and visitor feedback from previous events where possible, given
the practicalities of scheduling the number of sessions in the event programme; likely attendance
figures for each session; room capacity, and to avoid clashing with similar subjects.
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Building on the use of new outdoor signage at the 2012 events8, which proved very effective,
consider producing more high impact signage to signpost to the main buildings and
activities. Liaise with the congregations team (who are also reviewing their event signage) to
achieve economies of scale.
Carry out an audit of all signage, including the internal signage used to direct visitors to
subject sessions, and make improvements based on this.
Review processes for distributing internal and external signage before each event.
6. CONSIDER ADDING A WELCOME TO NEWCASTLE SESSION
Overall feedback suggests that there could be some merit in including a Welcome to Newcastle
University session as part of the event programme. This which would fulfill a number of objectives:
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Enable us to communicate key messages about the University that are not included in other
sessions.
Give visitors an official welcome to the campus and provide key information about the day.
Provide another opportunity for us to engage with parents.
An appropriate venue for this session would be King’s Hall or alternatively, if we are using this for
other activities, one of the larger lecture theatres in the Herschel Building. Given visitor feedback
about the event timings, 30 minutes would be an ideal length of time for the session and it should be
repeated in the morning and afternoon, to allow visitors who arrive later to attend. Budget allowing,
providing refreshments as part of this session may be a good idea, as many visitors will have arrived
after a long journey and an early start, having travelled on the day of the event.
7. REVIEW THE RECRUITMENT OF STUDENT GUIDES
The number of students who dropped out of helping at the September event highlights the
importance of recruiting students who are already engaged with the University, with the assumption
that they will be more committed to the role. The most obvious choice for this is to employ Student
Ambassadors, but they are often already recruited by Schools and faculties to help with subject
activities.
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Consider advertising the student guide roles to Student Ambassadors, Student Mentors and
JobsOc students, before recruiting from the wider student population.
8. ENSURE THAT EVENT ACTIVITIES AND CRM COMMUNICATIONS ARE TARGETED
ACCORDING TO VISITOR DEMOGRAPHICS
Attendance figures show that although the majority of students who attended the September Visit
Day were in Year 13 (or equivalent), a significant proportion of students were in Year 12. It is
important to recognise that these groups of students have different information needs, as they are
at different stages in the decision-making process; students apply to University in Year 13 and in
Year 12 most students will be just starting to consider their options.
8
Please see page 17 for further information,
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Review the content of Visit Day sessions to ensure that they are relevant to the different
audiences attending.
Review the content of email communications that are sent out to visitors before and
following the Visit Days, ensuring that they are targeted towards different year groups.
9. REVIEW THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN VISIT DAY PUBLICITY ABOUT TRAVELLING
TO THE UNIVERSITY AND THE CITY
Although we recommend using public transport to travel to the event, the feedback shows that most
visitors travel to the University by car. We currently provide information about travelling to the
University in the Visit Day programme and covering letter, in CRM e-mail communications and on
our website. This includes information about reduced parking at three NCP car parks in the city and
directions to these car parks, as well as park and ride schemes at two Metro stations.
However, there are a number of comments in the survey about it being difficult to find available car
parking spaces in the city. Several respondents also said that the information provided about
travelling to the University was not clear enough, and that they would like clearer signage to the
campus once in the city. It is important that visitors have a positive experience when travelling to
the event, as it can impact on their perception of the day.
Seeing the city was rated as the third favourite activity in the 2012 surveys and a significant
proportion of respondents (29% in June and 33% to the September) said they stayed overnight in
Newcastle, either before or after the Visit Day.
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Liaise with Newcastle City Council to identify whether any improvements can be made to car
parking provision and explore the use of temporary event signage in the city.
Review the information that we provide in advance of the event about travelling to the
University and the city.
o Consider sending a city brochure with the event programme
o Review messages used across other communications channels e.g. event
programme and website.
10. EXPLORE THE USE OF FURTHER SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITY
The social media strand of our communications plan for the 2012 Visit Days focused on raising
awareness of the University’s presence on Facebook and Twitter and encouraging prospective
students to engage with current students via social media platforms. This was achieved through:
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CRM e-mails to visitors in advance of the event
A printed postcard which was distributed on the day
Information on campus messaging screens
A photo competition to encourage visitors to engage with our social media pages
The use of a dedicated Twitter feed: #nclvisit
We will explore the use of further social media activity, as part of the broader strategy for its use and
as part of the wider Visit Day communications plan.
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11. REVIEW THE EVENT RISK ASSESSMENT TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE INCREASE IN
ATTENDANCE AND INCREASED RISK OF FLOODING
The June 2012 event was preceded by flooding in and around Newcastle, which posed a
considerable risk to the event. However, due to the support of the Estates team and clear
communications to visitors about the event going ahead, this caused minimal disruption to the Visit
Days. A procedure for dealing with severe weather conditions has now been included in the event
risk assessment; this will be reviewed with Estates and the Safety Office for the 2013 events.
The current risk assessment takes into account the number of visitors expected at each event, but
this will be reviewed again with the Safety Office, given the substantial increase in the number of
visitors.
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