From the Nominator

March 16, 2020, Canada enters lockdown. The Faculty of Engineering's year-long preparations for the critical University of Waterloo March Break Open House (MBOH) on March 21 are now moot. MBOH is Engineering’s primary in-person event that allows prospective students to make a commitment to our programs. For many, it will be the first time they set foot on campus, and truly understand the impact of accepting an offer of admission. At this event, the undergraduate recruitment team has the sole opportunity to convert the highly sought-after students from mere possibility to firm acceptance. While we are Canada’s largest engineering and architecture school, other top universities are vying for the same talent. 

As the world reels with uncertainty, and all university staff, faculty, and students are sent to work from home, the recruitment team immediately understood that to achieve the objective of confirming around 2,000 of the approximately 4,000 prospective students who received offers, we needed to go fully digital. With only five days before MBOH, the team initiated a digital strategy that included 22 “showcase” videos scripted, recorded virtually via Zoom, and edited featuring faculty, department heads, alumni, and current students with messages of encouragement and clarity for prospective students. What was formerly a one-day event is now the deployment of bespoke digital content including 59 video messages distributed over two months.  

The caveat is we didn't lessen our stringent requirements despite the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. The result: A new way to convert students that saw us exceeding our target rate by 117%.

From the Judges

Wow. An excellent example of an in-person to virtual pivot with limited time to make the transition. To make a last-minute decision to move to a virtual platform in one week, and have a final project that's so detailed and comprehensive is more than impressive. Very well done.