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Our app is also used for events in scientific institutions. Julia and Patric from the TUK tell us how LineUpr was used during the open day at the TU Kaiserslautern. Among other things, they tell us how they handled the app and how they are preparing themselves for the challenges of digitalization.
LineUpr: Hello Julia and Patric. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Please introduce yourselves and the Open Day.
Julia: Hello. Thanks, for this opportunity. My name is Julia Väth and for the last two years, I have been responsible for marketing in the university’s communication department of the University of Kaiserslautern. And that’s Patric Kleine. He supports us as a student assistant in technical matters.
We used LineUpr for our Open Day last spring. It is designed to give students, teachers, and parents an insight into campus life. Through presentations and lectures, visitors get to know our study programme. Besides, various university groups present themselves. If you do not know what you would like to study, you can also seek personal advice on campus.
LineUpr: Who are your target groups with this event and what do you want to achieve?
Julia: We want to reach high school graduates and their parents. They should come to the campuses and get to know our study programme.
LineUpr: How much time and work do you spend on planning the event?
Patric: About half a year. We start planning the event already in late summer. From this point on, we are working on the content and organization of the event.
LineUpr: How do you reach the high school graduates and inspire them to come to the open day?
Julia / Patric: First and foremost we try to reach the students through their teachers in the schools. We send flyers and posters with all the essential information. Many schools make a trip to a university once a year. Also, the schools are obliged to visit a professional open day. Our study information day is considered to be such an event.
Last year, we also advertised on the radio and in the social media channels. Advertising also plays an important role, for example with posters in buses and in cities in the region, but also with advertisements in various magazines and school newspapers.
LineUpr: Do you also use printed products? If so, which and why?
Julia / Patric: As I said, we distribute flyers and posters in the schools and in the surrounding area. In addition, we print folded maps that serve as information material during the study information day. Thanks to the app, we were able to reduce the circulation here drastically. I think that printed products cannot be completely gotten rid of. A flyer between textbooks or a poster in the break room is often unconsciously noticed. They then contribute to a recognition effect.
On the day of the event, LineUpr was a great help in presenting the wide-ranging programme in a clear manner.
LineUpr: How do you use the app before, during and after the event?
Patric: We also used your app in 2017 and 2018, mainly during our Open Day.
Before the event, there was the planning: gathering information, entering spaces, locations and events and connecting with the map in the app, so that users do not have to search too long for the right place. We also listed the most important contacts in the app. Finally, we had to adjust the matching pictures and the design.
On the day of the event, LineUpr was a great help in presenting the wide-ranging programme in a precise manner. Mainly because we have a lot of programme points that run parallel to each other. During the event, we also informed visitors about current changes and also pointed out places for meals, etc.
After the event, we also evaluated the “likes” of the individual programme items in the app and made them available to the lecturers.
LineUpr: Was it difficult to convince the university to use an event app?
Julia: No, not at all. A student council of the TUK had already used the app for an event. That is how we learned about it. After that, we dealt with it ourselves and compared different providers. After considering the various functions and prices, no convincing was needed.
LineUpr: What do you think, how will your event change in the future through digitalization and other factors? How do you prepare for it?
After looking at the various features and prices, no convincing was needed.
Julia: The advertising possibilities are sure to change. Perhaps it will be possible in the future to record lectures from the open day and to make them available later or parallel digitally available. By and large, however, the event will continue to take place like this. This is about presenting the university life as an experience for the students and that is not possible only through digital means.
LineUpr: Finally, a personal question: What is the strangest thing you experienced as an organizer?
Patric: Once a speaker just did not come to do his presentation. Then the managing director of another department took over the lecture and really excited the audience. Maybe that was the better solution.
Thank you both for the great interview. If you want to know more about the TU Kaiserslautern, have a look at their website or their profiles on Twitter and Facebook.
We look forward to your open day next year.
