07.45 - 08.45 Breakfast Roundtables

9.00 - 10.00 Breakout Session 2 (choose one)

How to Write an Alumni Relations Strategy
So you have been asked to write an alumni relations strategy? For many advancement professionals, articulating the case and importance of alumni relations comes naturally, so why is translating this into a written strategy paper sometimes such a daunting prospect? If you are looking for some practical advice or simply don't know where to start, this session is for you.
Karen Brady, head of alumni relations, The University of Liverpool

New Kids on the Block
How two expats have helped change the face of alumni relations in Holland and Denmark from Berlin to Holland and from Mississippi to Denmark. Stefanie and Corey have made alumni relations headway in their new homes. Together, they'll share their thoughts on everything from trying to usher in a new mindset to hurdling a gamut of funny (and not so funny) barriers. Don't miss this chance to see how alumni relations is taking shape outside of the US and UK.
Corey Morris, alumni relations manager, Aarhus School of Business, and Stefanie Kirwald, former marketing manager alumni, Delft University of Technology/TU Delft

Knocking Down Ivory Towers and Building Bridges - a Community Relations Case Study
Building better and more meaningful relationships with the local community is an important part of an external affairs agenda. Universities are an asset to their local community so why is it so difficult to be recognised as such? In this session, Ann and Fiona will share their experience on how universities can engage positively with their neighbours.
Fiona Blair, director of corporate relations and events, and Ann Westgarth, community relations manager, University of Reading

Media Relations and How it Can Improve your "Impact" Score in the Research Excellence Framework (REF)
The assessment of the 'impact' arising from excellent university research will be a key feature of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise due to take place in the UK in 2014. This session will explore what the funding councils mean by impact, how it will be measured and what role communications professionals might play in preparing their institution's REF submission.
Alan Ferns, director of communications and marketing, and Jon Keighren, media relations manager, The University of Manchester

Writing Applications: A Practical Guide
This session will investigate the elements of successful persuasive writing. It will be an interactive session and will be based around case studies of funding applications from across the sector.
Bill Bruty, director, fundraising training

Major Gifts 101
Are you a new major gifts officer or just want to learn more about how to secure a big gift? This session will cover the fundamentals of major gift fundraising, including building your prospect pool, getting the appointment, conducting discovery visits, developing cultivation strategies, and asking for and closing the gift.
Liesl Elder, director of development, University of Oxford

Development and Application of Emerging Technology for Recruitment of Home and International Students
Recruiting international students through traditional methods is not always effective and can be too costly for many students and universities. This session aims to provide an overview of research and development of a unique approach that provides specialist services to students and institutions. It will demonstrate the importance of the ongoing innovation of marketing communications to reach young people around the world. MyEducation provides a range of solutions for students and institutions.
Upkar Pardesi, chairman, MyEducation, and Harmil Pardesi, marketing director, MyEducation

Made in Edinburgh, Exported Throughout the World
21,000 students, 50 international partners, active in 150 countries, four campuses, one university - Heriot-Watt University. How does a brand work in a global market for a specialist institution in Edinburgh? The session explores how changing markets helped define a new brand positioning, how Heriot-Watt translated its brand for international markets and how its brand is at the heart of its international strategy.
Rosemary Stamp, director, Stamp Consulting, and Theresa Merrick, director of corporate communications, Heriot-Watt University

Developing your Campaign - Traditional University vs. Cause Related Asks
Are you planning a campaign? What strategies will help you raise significant new funds? Universities now raise some of the UK's biggest gifts but many philanthropists have no allegiance to any one institution. We will look at the pros and cons of both pride asks and cause-related asks, the factors you should consider before developing your case for support and King's experience of these asks in the UK and internationally.
Jennifer Cormack, deputy director of development, King's College London

A Common Sense Approach to Helping Everyone be Strategic with Social Media 'Stuff'
Social media is not at the realm of the marketing office alone. It can support and enhance your organisation at a macro- and micro-level, right down to playing a core role in supporting an individual's professional development. It can cut through all disciplines: fundraising, engagement, public relations, marketing, internal communications, training and development. As such, anyone and everyone can be doing it. But are they doing it in a way that actually helps the organisation and delivers benefits? Are they doing it at all? This session will look at the basics of how to approach social media strategically within any department and for any purpose, and how to get management buy-in to support it.
Tracy Playle, director and communications consultant, Pickle Jar Communications

10.00 - 10.45 Refreshment and Networking Break

10.45 - 11.45 Breakout Session 3 (choose one)

Small Shop or Scaling Back? Using Resources Effectively
How does a small alumni relations team work effectively with the growing demands on their time? Perhaps, like me, your one-person shop has an audience growing exponentially or you find you're now doing the job of a whole alumni relations team by yourself. We will examine the importance of a strong alumni strategy, methods of time and cost-effective communication, and strategies for managing expectations from both alumni and management.
Claire Grainger, alumni officer, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC)

Alumni Career Services: Making the Most of Limited Resources
We are all being asked to do more with less. Two universities share their experiences of offering career services with limited resources, including how collaborations across alumni, career, corporate relations and development departments can maximise your output and expand the career services available to students and alumni.
Alice Perry, head of alumni, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Hannah Larsson, project manager/career counsellor, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg

From Silverware...to Strawberry DNA: Creating Real Impact Through Events
Events play a hugely important role within an integrated communications and marketing strategy. This session will draw on the experiences and success of major events at the University of Birmingham - looking particularly at our flagship annual Community Day which now attracts in the region of 10,000 people and has proved to be highly successful for community engagement. The presentation will also look at the importance of event evaluation to inform future activity - as well as practical methods for carrying out meaningful research.
Kirsty Mack, head of stakeholder relations, University of Birmingham

Turning an Academic into an Ambassador
The University of Salford's 'energy house' was a major investment—supported by a PR campaign. The fully sized Victorian home was built in a lab, which can be climate tested with temperature, rain and wind. Communicating this message required the involvement of several academics who had to be turned into ambassadors for a complex, interdisciplinary project and even had to face the fearsome John Humphries.
Steve Waterworth, energy hub manager, University of Salford, and Jamie Brown, press and PR officer, University of Salford

From Zero to Hero: Creating Creative Campaigns
A practical session which will look at the design, launch and successful completion of a campaign through two case studies - University of Exeter and King's College London. The University of Exeter's Campaign - Creating a World Class University will close this summer one year ahead of time with over £24m and 8000 hours of volunteering time donated. King's College London's World questions|King's answers Campaign to raise £500m by 2015 is already half way to its goal. Come with your questions, we'll try and cover all the tricky issues like targets, gift tables, when to launch and recruiting a board.
Susie Hills, director of development and alumni relations, University of Exeter, and Gemma Peters, executive director, fundraising and supporter development, King's College London

Building the Business School Case in a Global Community
The panel will explore the position of business schools in higher education and the specific opportunities and challenges they face, including how to instil a culture of giving in alumni who have already paid significant attendance fees. With the global nature of a business school, developing support, demonstrating impact and delivering a meaningful alumni experience are all key areas. Ideal session for anyone building engagement and connectivity across borders.
Susan Balch, director of development, advancement, Nina Bohn, associate director, major gifts and Sarah Theobald-Palmer, associate director, alumni relations, London Business School

Marketing MBA Programmes: Managing the Message
The triple accredited Manchester Business School offers a full-time, 18-month MBA programme with c.140 students enrolling per annum. MBS also offers a 2.5 year, blended learning MBA delivered across the globe, including in Dubai, Singapore, Shanghai, Miami and San Paulo, taking approximately 700 students. Professor Ferneley will explore the challenges of marketing an MBA programme globally, specifically tailoring the marketing strategy for differing geographical locations and will discuss how to ensure the MBA marketing message accurately reflects the programme of study.
Elaine Ferneley, director, MBA and MPA programmes, Manchester Business School

Increasing Student Fees: Impact on Students' Attitudes and Expectations
In a post-Browne environment, student expectations are changing. Students who pay significant fees will have different expectations and attitudes towards their higher education experience—more conscious of their rights and expected service standards, less tolerant of shortcomings, more demanding, more litigious. This point was reinforced by the recent NUS/HSBC Student Experience Research showing that 65 percent of students would have higher expectations if they were expected to pay more.
Alex Bols, head of education and quality, National Union of Students

Leadership Change - The Implications for Development and Donors
Advancement has grown during the last decade, but it is still very much an emerging function and not always as deeply embedded as we want it to be. We are therefore presented with many challenges. Even the most established and successful offices face issues around staff retention, strategic direction and funding. When institutional leadership changes, we are faced with a range of issues and opportunities—from influencing the search process, handling donors relations and considering the positioning of the institution. This session will explore how to help your institution prepare for leadership change and what your department needs during this period of change.
Peter Agar, director of development and alumni relations, University of Cambridge; Lori Manders, director of development and alumni relations, University College London, and Tracey Lancaster, director of external relations, University of Birmingham

Marketing is Far Too Important to be Left to the Marketing Department
Higher education is undergoing a period of challenge as fiscal pressures enforce changes in the funding of our core activities, specifically education and research. Whilst the future is uncertain, it is highly likely that we might expect to see greater diversification of provision, in funding, organisational structures and market proposition. It is in this context that it is useful to think about the continued evolution of marketing with the sector. Many successful market-led organisations don't have marketing departments. To delegate responsibility for "marketing" to the marketing department is a risky strategy. We need to help support the creation of cultures that are responsive to market opportunity. The session will identify a number of challenges that will help the continued evolution and maturity of marketing within the sector.
Martin Holmes, marketing director, University of Leeds

12.00 - 12.45 Breakout Session 4 (showcase sessions)

 Maximising Major Gifts: Board Members as Partners
The strategic involvement of a board member can make the difference between a gift and a major gift. Board members are effective partners and can become an extension of your institution's professional staff. This session explores successful strategies to engage, prepare and deploy these valuable human resources. Participate in a discussion with two leaders of Graham-Pelton Consulting, who will share their experiences as professional, on-staff fundraisers and as consultants serving clients in the US, Europe and around the world.
Elizabeth Zeigler, president and managing director, Graham-Pelton Consulting, USA 
Jane Narich, director of global operations, Graham-Pelton Consulting

If You Can't Measure It, You Can't Manage It: How to Assess your Annual Fund and Produce Cogent Analyses that will Impress your Senior Management
Development offices face two challenges today: a desire to greatly expand the impact of the annual fund and a need to justify expenditure in a tightening budget. John and Hugh explain how to measure your annual fund for expansion that will deliver to target and how to broaden your measurements so that senior management understand the full impact of your annual fund and give it the support it deserves.
John Rux-Burton, global founder and managing director, Rux Burton Associates, and Hugh Langford, business development manager, Rux Burton Associates

Cultivation and Prospect Management: Providing the Tools to Support the Busy Fundraiser
How do successful advancement professionals consistently achieve their goals? They incorporate a strategic and collaborative process to effectively cultivate donors. This session will review the art of prospect cultivation. We will discuss the strategies of good cultivation and solicitation and the best methods to manage this information. We will also demonstrate tools with which advancement services can support the overall cultivation operation.
Barbara DeYoung, advancement industry advisor, Jenzabar, USA and Reed Sheard, vice president for college advancement and CIO, Westmont College

 Engaging Alumni Online: Key Factors in Successfully Building Your Online Community
The University of Passau Alumni Association is one of the largest alumni associations in Germany. Winner of the alumni-clubs.net "Premium D-A-CH" prize in 2010, the example will highlight how the association succeeds with its own alumni community. Particular attention will be paid to creating efficient administration of members, finances and donations, generating target audience communication materials, and promoting long-term alumni ties and involvement. The presentation includes practical examples from the University of Passau Alumni Community.
Alejandra Riedmiller, alumni coordinator, University of Passau Alumni Association, Germany and Christoph Herrlich, director, IntraWorlds, Germany

 Turning the Ross-CASE Survey into Investment in your Office
The Ross-CASE survey's clear message is that sustained investment in development activities correlates directly with increased income; data are highly persuasive on this front. Nicholas Gilby will introduce key findings and NatCen's data products. TJ Rawlinson will facilitate a short discussion about what benchmarking can do, including how to use data to make the case for added investment.
Nicholas Gilby, research director, income and work, National Centre for Social Research, UK, and TJ Rawlinson, director of campaigns and alumni relations, University of Bristol

Getting the Formula Right: Optimised Mobile Design + Considered Content = Success
Unquestionable evidence in the market is showing that mobile expectation is and will continue to increase globally. While you will have started thinking about how to engage with mobile opportunities, during this session, we will look at some best practice around the options open to you as well as how you can deliver and extend your mobile platform.
Nicholas Oliver, Creative Technology and Account Manager, Precedent

Google+ : The "Next Big Thing"?
Google has entered the social networking fray with its much hyped Google+ product. Is it worth jumping in early with your own alumni presence or will this fizzle out like so many other fads? This session will introduce you to Google+ and explain how they have tried to combine the best of both Facebook and Twitter. We will also cover the very latest news, developments and predictions to help you make an informed decision about how much a part Google+ should play in your future social networking strategy.
Daniel Watts, managing director, Aluminati Network Group

 Business Engagement: The Essential Lessons
The Business Engagement Index, designed in partnership with the University of Warwick and in association with CASE Europe, and sponsored by the Telegraph Media Group, is a highly practical way for universities to assess their success in engaging business. It draws on extensive evidence gathered during the last five years by a range of experts. We will review the initial outcomes, drawing conclusions about the state of engagement across the higher education sector using a framework of eight key success factors.
Martin Bojam, managing partner, 360AdsFab and Diana Watson, research and planning director, 360AdsFab

 Know Thyself to Recruit the Students You Want: How CRM is Changing the Game 
Competition to attract the right students has never been more intense. Hear from the University of Leicester (2011 Heist Awards for Best Digital Platform for Student Recruitment) and Edge Hill University on how CRM has been crucial in improving their student recruitment. While each unique, both universities share a critical starting point: CRM is about vision and strategy, not just technology and tools, and knowing who you are is vital to attract students you want.
Helen Pennack, head of marketing communications, University of Leicester; Liam Owens, head of student recruitment, Edge Hill University and Roy Bayfield, head of corporate marketing, Edge Hill University
 
The Future of Newspapers
Digital media has distorted the 'traditional media' market and is putting the business model of print publishing under enormous pressure. Discover what we believe is the future of newspapers and the opportunities for advertisers. James Lancaster, classified sales director, The Telegraph

12.45 - 14.00 Lunch with Exhibitors

Please go to the Wednesday Afternoon Programme webpage for the afternoon's breakout sessions

CASE Europe reserves the right to amend the programme at any time.