Student Communications 2026

Speaking Opportunities

Volunteer to be CASE speaker

Volunteers are at the heart of everything CASE does. They drive CASE's direction, develop and share knowledge about the profession and deliver services to their peers. 

CASE conferences are designed and developed by volunteers who are CASE members, education leaders, and other experts willing to share knowledge and expertise, and would not happen without their support.

Submit your interest here
Submit Here

What we are looking for

The CASE Student Communications Conference 2026 will once again bring together professionals from across the sector who shape, deliver and strategically lead student-facing communications.

Previous delegates told us how much they valued sessions that offered clear takeaways, practical insights, and transferable learning.

We welcome proposals that are:

  • Relevant to the daily realities of student communication work
  • Practical, offering frameworks, tools or approaches others can replicate
  • Evidence-led, showing impact through insight, analytics or evaluation
  • Reflective, sharing challenges honestly and explaining how you overcame them
  • Transferable, with lessons that apply beyond one specific institution
  • Student-centred, showing how the work supported or elevated student needs
  • Innovative, exploring new ways to reach, engage and support students

Attendees also expressed a desire to hear from a wider range of institutional types, including smaller teams and institutions working with limited resources.

Our co-chairs have identified some of the pain points that will be at the heart of this year's Student Communications conference

These pain points can guide or inspire your submission:

Doing more with less – Resourcing is a universal challenge across our sector 

Storytelling that lands – Delegates want to build narratives that resonate and engage across diverse student cohorts

Cut-through in an age of information overload – How to reach students who are overwhelmed with messaging 

Navigating devolved or complex structures – Achieving consistency and brand alignment while working with multiple semi-autonomous teams

Communicating difficult or sensitive topics – Breaking bad news and prioritising students in crisis communications

First impressions, belonging and transitions – Communications that support student onboarding, belonging and progression 

Channel challenges beyond social media – Strategies for email optimisation/Intranet / SharePoint communication/CRM-lite or CRM-free solutions and reaching hard-to-engage groups

We encourage proposals aligned with or inspired by the themes above. Sample topics may include: 

  • Student voice, co-creation, and closing the feedback loop
  • Engaging disengaged students
  • Cut-through in a noisy information environment
  • Breaking bad news and communicating difficult topics
  • Working effectively in devolved systems
  • Low-budget or resource-light innovation
  • Email best practice and tools
  • Intranet / SharePoint communication for student audiences
  • Transitions communications (new starters, returners, final-year, pre-graduation)
  • Brand consistency across departments/faculties
  • Belonging and community-building through comms
  • Supporting students without making political statements
  • Making strategy meaningful and actionable 

Why volunteer to be a speaker?

Demonstrate your own work or your team’s work in improving student communications and the student experience

Work on your professional development and network with peers and leaders from across the sector

Support CASE’s vital work in advancing education to transform lives and society

Collaborate with, and receive expert guidance from, our conference co-chairs in planning your session

Submit your interest here
Submit Here

Please note that companies can only submit sessions for this conference through this channel if they are partnered with an institution (such as a university, school, or charity).

For alternative session and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Cristina Marochi at [email protected]