It took my entire senior year to plan this event... and there was a fire one minute before we had the opening presentation.
—Me
The event in the past was known as "Day of Discovery". The visual brand had been the same since 2002, the sign-up process was informal, and the event has a linear structure with presentations.
Target Audience
Potential Student
The primary goal is to learn more about marketing programs and how this extended education will provide value in the future.
Additional Insight
92% of potential students are as equally concerned with the college environment as they are with their major.
Personal Content
72% of generation Z wants to receive personalized content to add value to the experience.
Teacher
The Primary goal is to be able to help her students find the way, and understand how college can better themselves as individuals.
Additional Insight
Another goal of the teacher is to see the students excel into the future, after high school.
Finally, teachers had more personal motives. Taking students to outside events show well to parents and superiors.
Conceptual Development
Highlighting jobs
Each icon represents a different job that a Ferris Marketing Alumni has. This adds value to the programs and shows the potential students how applicable each program is.
Providing Value
Representing real jobs, and showing the value behind this extended education was important to 78% of potential students.
Event awareness
Invitations
We wanted to reach as many students as possible, so we sent postcards to teachers and advisers that they could then pass on to the students. We followed up shortly after with an email that included the sign-up process with a $500 scholarship to prompt the students to sign-up quickly.
Entrance
Event Navigation
We borrowed a-frame stands from the admissions department to save money. We used velcro to secure the navigation to the stands for easy on and off and because of that, these signs can be used again in the future.
Marketing Banners
The banner made it clear to the students as they walked in where the event was. it was easy to recognize and outline the different programs at the event.
Potential Extension
We also used this as an opportunity to show value to our client by prototyping how this brand could expand into other departments alongside the marketing department.
Engagement
Student Lanyards
The student lanyard unfolds to reveal a pennant and the event itinerary. The lanyard includes their name and school. Our research showed these personalized name tags appeal to the potential high school students.
Teacher Lanyards
Teachers get personalized name tags during the event to create a more unique experience.
Posters
The teach lanyards unfold out to create a marketing program poster that they can hang up in their classroom to teach the students after the event about the different programs in the Ferris State College of Business.
Right around this time is when the fire alarm started going off... and it was definitely not a drill.
We took everyone outside and stood around for about five minutes before deciding to restructure the entire event. We quickly decided to give students an elongated tour and then an early lunch at the Rock Café.
Campus Life
Campus Tour
94% of students surveyed were just as interested in student living, as the programs that they would be studying. So Unlike the Day of Discovery event we incorporated a tour with the help of the Admissions department.
Lunch at the Rock
Because admissions helped with the tour we were able to take the students to the Rock Café at no cost to the College of Business. This shows the potential students what life would be like at Ferris.
The Student Project
Case Study
The goal of the project was to sell this inflatable solar lamp in a marketing case study. This took the high school students through the marketing process and showcased different marketing programs at Ferris.
Six Programs
We brought in college students to represent their program and then teach the students about how they fit in the marketing process. They all came together to show one outcome.
More Participation
Working with the students
A big difference between our event, and Day of Discovery, is that we provided the students a real world case, instead of having professors present to them.
92% of students surveyed were more interested in working with college students during the event and then asking professors questions after about the programs.
Event Outcome
Different Roles
The students determined who the product should be sold to and then the price and place of sale. We then created a logo, advertisement, and mico-site for the product. Then the students also talked about how a social media could increase sales.
Exit
After the project
Another large goal of this event is to collect feedback so the future events can become better as the years continue.
Student Feedback:
"Make it more competitive and more groups."
"Really enjoyed the event.
You dealt with the fire alarm issue very well."
"This was a great event! I had a lot of fun, and I felt really inspired after! Thank you!"
Applying what we've learned this time around to the future of this event.
At the end of this project we prepared a binder to pass onto the next year with everything that we learned. This is to better prepared the future Design Project Center students with everything we've learned so that they can hit the ground running.
Extension
The raffle
A student who originally intended to go to a different school has now shown interest after winning the $500 scholarship. The scholarship was raffled off, along with other Ferris gear at the end of the event.