OpenApply Portugal 2025: Where Empathy Meets Impact

OpenApply held its 20th conference on April 25 & 26 at TASIS Portugal. We were thrilled to welcome around 50 attendees from 37 schools in 21 countries from all over the world.

The theme of the conference was Empathy Elevates Education, and the two-day programme was broken down into sessions led by Admissions, Marketing and Advancement Professionals, alongside workshops from the OpenApply team.

Community engagement has always been one of our key pillars at the Faria Education Group and our goal with the OpenApply conference aimed to create an engaging, reflective, and interactive experience that encouraged meaningful discussions among all attendees.

The OpenApply Portugal event focused on the pivotal role of empathy, inclusion, and collaboration in school admissions and advancement. Professionals explored how these elements foster inclusive school communities that value every voice and strengthen connections among students, staff, families, and alumni, ultimately driving innovation and progress.

The two-day event facilitated learning, reflection, networking, and the sharing of best practices. Key discussion areas included School Community Collaboration, Data-Driven Admissions Decisions, and Innovation and Transformation in Schools.

You can find an overview of the topics covered during the conference here:

Arjun Puri from Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad explored how leveraging empathy and authentic storytelling can enhance stakeholder engagement, foster inclusivity and diversity, and empower admissions professionals to shape equitable, representative school communities with soul. The approach at Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad resonated well with the attendees on a personal approach to admissions, which is core to their community there. ❤️

Aimee Gruber from TASIS Portugal let us in on the story of how they transformed a former shopping mall into a thriving campus and demonstrated how a modern enrollment management team and partners like OpenApply have been essential to the school’s remarkable growth and resilience throughout the challenges of the pandemic and a competitive market. 📈

Susan Peña and Jill Storey from Villiers School gave an insightful presentation on inclusion and belonging, 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. 🌈

Thaísa Pessoa from TASIS Portugal led an interactive session which equipped school admissions, communications, and leadership teams with practical tools and strategies to craft a data-driven, audience-focused content plan that aligns messaging with their enrollment goals, ensures consistency, and boosts engagement with both prospective and current families. 📸

Francisco Vigo from Letras Práticas shared his experience on helping school admissions teams balance data-driven decision-making with empathy to create inclusive, fair, and community-centred admissions processes that use analytics not only for efficiency but to genuinely understand and support each student’s unique story. It was enlightening to explore how admissions teams can leverage data in new ways to support their work — all while remaining empathetic to the needs of families. 📊

Catalina Gardescu’s compelling session guided admissions teams on engaging with neurodiverse applicants and families with empathy, honesty, and respect, offering practical strategies to foster trust, uphold inclusion, and reflect the school’s values with transparency and compassion. 🔎

Robert Berting from American School of Barcelona showed us how admissions teams can foster strong connections with prospective parents by cultivating empathetic and tactful relationships with diverse internal stakeholders – blending their unique perspectives to cook up a smoother enrollment process that’s truly a recipe for success. 🧑‍🍳

Soeiman Dias from Chadwick International led a collaborative job-alike session that brought together alumni relations and admissions professionals to share best practices, challenges, and innovative strategies for enhancing alumni engagement, communication, event planning, and support for school initiatives. With valuable insights and practical ideas for schools at any stage of alumni network development being shared, it was truly inspiring to see how committed this community is to strengthening ties and driving growth throughout the sector, as the roles of alumni and development professionals evolve globally. 💡

Together with the panel, consisting of Claudine Hakim, (International School of London), Wendy Ratcliff (Hurlingham School), Robin Berting (American School of Barcelona), Arjun Puri (Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad), Catalina Gardescu, Gonçalo Santos (International Sharing School Taguspark), and Francisco Mendes de Vigo (Letras Praticas Lda), we discussed the vital role of empathy and understanding in fostering meaningful connections with parents, students, and colleagues, emphasising the importance of maintaining human connection despite increasing AI-driven automation. Participants reflected on recent and future challenges in balancing technology with personal engagement, highlighting the need for support in navigating these issues, and how technology and software can be leveraged to enhance, rather than replace, empathetic communication and relationship-building in school admissions and community engagement.

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!

“Motivating, encouraging, reassuring.” – Petra Douglas, Bavarian International School

“It was great as always to re-connect with fellows from previous conferences and to get acquainted with new faces working in the same field.” – Valdonė Jakšienė – Vilnius International School

“My experience was enriching, warm and very satisfying.” – Praline Hudson, European International School of Barcelona

“Wonderful experience and fantastic opportunity to meet likeminded people with great knowledge and passion for education and admissions.” – Francisco Mendez de Vigo, Letras Práticas

“ Incredible. I loved every second of it.” – Manuel Roggow, Children‘s International School Moss

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

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting school communities globally, we are excited to be organising our first-ever OpenApply event in Africa! 🇰🇪 This workshop is your opportunity to explore practical strategies and tools to boost enrolment, enhance alumni engagement, and elevate your school brand – all through data and collaboration. Supported by the team at the International School of Kenya.