OpenApply Admissions Conference Vienna 2024: Recap

OpenApply held its 18th conference on April 19-20 at Vienna International School. We were thrilled to welcome over 78 attendees from 49 schools in 27 countries from all over the world.

The theme of the conference was Admissions, Adaptation and Automation, and the two-day programme was broken down into sessions led by Admissions, Marketing and Advancement Professionals, alongside workshops from the OpenApply team. As with all OpenApply conferences, our aim was to craft an event that fostered engagement, reflection, and interactivity, leading to meaningful dialogue among all participants.

Bringing together the international and independent school admissions community, the event facilitated an exploration of exciting emerging strategies for attracting, evaluating and admitting prospective students. From maximising efficiency and prioritising an effective family experience, to cultivating a safe and inclusive school culture, humanising the admissions process, and exploring the relationship between artificial and emotional intelligence, the two days were packed full of opportunities to learn, reflect, network and share best practices.

You can find an overview of the topics covered during the conference here, as well as videos from the first and second day of the conference below:

David Willows and Suzette Parlevliet from Yellow Car kicked off the first day with a keynote session highlighting their ground-breaking work helping schools worldwide stand out and be seen as truly different. They introduced us to ‘Experience Strategy’ and why it matters, whether you work in marketing and communications, admissions, alumni relations or development.
A panel consisting of Courtney Knight (International School of Paris), Tina Lackner, Chad Wood, Andrea Griego and Kathie Wade (Vienna International School) led a thought-provoking discussion around how VIS works beyond silos, to support a multidimensional admissions and student transition process. The panel explored how we can successfully advance admissions and inclusive education together.
Jon Hansen from Global School Operations (GSO) returned once again to share his unique perspectives on objectively helping schools create, maintain, and accelerate the evolution of non-educational foundations, and how to achieve the essence of stakeholder planning for a healthy student community.
Susan Peña and Jill Storey from Villiers School gave an insightful presentation on inclusion, explaining how a genuine commitment to fostering a safe and inclusive school culture, with equality at its heart and where diversity can flourish, is essential. They highlighted the importance of recognising, respecting and celebrating each other’s differences, asking important questions, having uncomfortable conversations, listening and learning.
Arjun Puri from Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, inspired and uplifted the room with his talk on how the admissions office is responsible for a cohort’s diversity, pluralism and inclusivity, and must ensure that candidates can showcase their abilities and characteristics so that our education system can help build a better tomorrow.
A panel consisting of Claudine Hakim (International School of London), Kilian Kröll (The American International School Vienna) and Julia Love (Safe Passage Across Networks) led a powerful and moving workshop on managing the emotional processes of globally mobile children and adults, which goes hand in hand with maintaining practical, automated systems. The session explored how we can ensure that our community members feel safe, welcome, seen, and taken care of.
Aimee Gruber and Joana Vaz-Pinto from TASIS Portugal discussed the development of the modern admissions office which also serves as a data, marketing, and research hub. They examined how the growth of international schools worldwide is driving schools’ responsiveness to the changing landscape and the evolving expectations of customers.
Courtney Knight from International School of Paris, spearheaded the debate around a topic on many people’s minds – Artificial Intelligence. Her informative talk shared ways in which a variety of AI tools can lead admissions and communications professionals down new paths of discussion, augment our EQ practice and offer a playful platform for our professional growth.
Raquel Silva and Claire Hutley from UWC Thailand conducted an illuminating workshop on the essential strategies and best practices that admissions, communications, and other support teams can adopt to enhance customer satisfaction.

We greatly appreciate the contributions from all of the speakers, and all resources are shared with the attendees after the conference.

What some of our attendees said!

“It was one of the best conferences in terms of content and organisation and tempo. I was a big fan of the length of the presentations and regular breaks – the 2 days went by in a flash.” – Piers Jarvis, International School of Paris

“Two days spent in the presence of professionals and inspiring people where I realised again why I love my job.” – Roswitha Kruijsse, International School of The Hague

“It was amazing to re-connect in person after my last conference in 2019 and to get to know so many new colleagues. I am looking forward to the next conference already!” – Valdonė Jakšienė – Vilnius International School

“Great way to get re-inspired, recharge and network!” – Francisco Mendez de Vigo, Aprendizes

“Refreshing and reenergizing. It felt like coming home.” – Julia Love, Safe Passage Across Networks (SPAN)

“Attending the conference has been transformative for me. Speaker and attendee discussions around topics such as diversity, equity and inclusion in education have been valuable. Listening to their perspectives and insights gives me a greater sense of confidence and purpose and a feeling of being equipped to advocate for these crucial causes within my own school environment.” – Praline Hudson, European International School of Barcelona

We thank everyone who joined us for being generous with their ideas and experiences, and we hope to see you at our next conference!