IE has a strong background of working in education, particularly universities. Most recently we've rebranded Cranfield University and the Careers centre at University of Reading, but our other clients include Imperial College London, Universities of Aberdeen, Aston, Birmingham, Bristol, Southampton, Warwick, York, and the Open University. As one of our three core sectors, we're delighted to be speaking at two important education conferences. 

CASE Europe

At the end of August Ollie's bound for Brussels, where he’ll be speaking at the CASE Europe Annual Conference 2016. CASE (The Council for Advancement and Support of Education) brings together over 1,000 professionals from across the fields of alumni relations, communications and marketing, fundraising and strategy.

Ollie will be joined at the lectern by Maddie McGowan, Director of Marketing, Communications and Development at Cranfield University. They’ll lead a session on rebranding, looking at various recent attempts to rebrand universities that have elicited a critical backlash from students and alumni. They will look at what lessons can be learned, unpacking three key principles of internal audience engagement through the lens of IE’s work with Cranfield University, whose new brand launched in July.

“University rebrands: Maximising the impact; Minimising the backlash”
12.00-12.45pm
Wednesday 31 August 2016
Meeting Studio 214+216, Square Brussels Meeting Centre
CASE Europe Annual Conference

AGCAS

The following week, Ollie is off to the Annual Conference of AGCAS (The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services). He’ll be joined on stage by Lorna Froud, Director of Careers and Employability at University of Reading to explore the ‘delicate, real-world challenge’ of driving through disruptive change within the constraints of sometimes powerful and highly political university structures.

Taking the rebrand of Reading’s Careers Centre as an example, the session will be perfect for any careers and employability professionals considering or already involved in strategic change programmes, service rebranding, or campaigns to drive up visibility and engagement. Ollie and Lorna will look at how to innovate within university brand guidelines, influencing internal comms teams, convincing detractors of the importance of making an exception for the Careers service and how to drive students to action through innovative communication.

“Horn grabbing, bullet dodging, wooing and winning: Using influence to circumvent impediments to innovation”
14.30-15.45pm
Tuesday 6th September 2016
University of Chester
AGCAS Annual Conference for HE Careers and Employability Professionals

Ollie looks forward to meeting delegates at both events, which promise to be...educational!