Record numbers of visitors to our open days in 2014

Friday, 31 October 2014

On Saturday, we welcomed around 4,500 visitors to our last open day of 2014, bringing the total number of visitors for our four open days to around 16,000 - a 17% increase on last year. The days were a great success, with 98% of visitors rating them as good or excellent and 70% as excellent. 96% of prospective students said they were interested in applying to Reading having been on the open day, with almost half saying they were definitely applying.

The success of the days has been down to the close collaboration of colleagues from across the University, from schools and departments to supporting areas which showed off the very best that Reading has to offer.

We provided a memorable visitor experience. Comments from open day visitors were overwhelmingly positive and included: "Best Uni Open Day to date"; "I have been to several open days but yours was the best by far. What came through to me was that you genuinely care for your students. Everyone I met was so approachable. Great day. Thank you!"; and "As a parent I was very impressed with how well organised everything was, the best that I have been to so far. The central Dome was a very good idea."

The open days were promoted as part of the University's ‘Ready' recruitment campaign that featured prominently along the M4 corridor and on the London Underground network as well as across websites used by prospective students.

 We also used open days as an opportunity to roll out the University's new visual identity with new campus-wide collateral and new banners for every subject. Many schools and departments have taken the opportunity to work with the Brand and Campaigns team to develop new course promotion materials of their own.

 Feedback from staff has been positive too, with comments including: "A fantastic improvement all round! Proud to be a part of it all!"; "The dome and the feel of the event (including, for example, the signage and campus dressing) were a big success";  "Fantastic... There was a buzz about the place I had not seen before"

 Vice-Chancellor Sir David Bell said, "We can be very well pleased indeed with the positive impression of the University that, collectively, we created. "Feedback on the days themselves, and since, suggest that we pitched them just about right for the thousands of visitors who came onto our campuses. I am particularly grateful to everyone for being so willing to adapt some practices in the light of comments received so that we could improve the Open Days even further.

 "Yet again, this was a real team effort with staff from across the University enthusiastically engaged, whether 'up front' talking to prospective students and their parents, or in making sure that the whole day ran smoothly and that the University looked and operated at its very best".