FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Holly Lazzaro
College Fair Automation by TRC
29 Emmons Drive, Suite F10
Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: 609-720-1885
http://www.collegefairautomation.com
info@collegefairautomation.com
College Fairs Nationwide “Go Green” With Electronic Data Capture of Student Information
Princeton, NJ—October 27, 2009—Every year, hundreds of thousands of high school students attend college fairs seeking information about colleges, universities and other post-secondary institutions. These fairs offer a convenient, efficient venue for college bound hopefuls and admissions representatives to gather information about each other, seeking the perfect fit. While colleges and universities spend marketing dollars on glossy, informative brochures, students may come to the fairs a little less prepared, so most college admission representatives ask them to fill out an information card. That is, until now.
In 2007, NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) rolled out a pilot program where the students actually pre-register for the fair online. With the support of the high school counselors, thousands of students now take the time to fill out a form once. This form includes all the information typically requested by admissions representatives during conversations at the fair. “The online registration process creates a bar code that the students bring with them to the fair,” says Steve Cooper of College Fair Automation by TRC, the technology provider for the NACAC fairs. “The college reps use a pocket size scanner to scan the bar code and capture all the information. It streamlines the process for students and colleges and improves the traffic flow of the whole fair.”
After the fair, students return home with stacks of brochures, business cards, even virtual tours on DVD. College representatives, likewise, return with important information on students that made an impression. In the past, this information was collected on hundreds of cards that were then converted into some useable format. Dealing with the cards after the fair was almost as unhappy a task as dealing with them at the table.
“Two to three days after the fair, the colleges have all their leads emailed to them in an excel spreadsheet, so they can start the follow up process right away,” Mr. Cooper explains. “For the college representatives, the benefit continues even beyond the experience at the fair.”
“The technology allows for more meaningful contact and conversation with prospective students who don’t have to waste time filling out contact cards in written form,” applauds Philip Berry a frequent NACAC attendee from Pennsylania College of Technology, “and the elimination of errors resulting from illegible handwriting is invaluable.”
While the automation of student data is more efficient for everyone, the solution is also timely: by eliminating thousands of information cards, NACAC has created a more environmentally friendly college fair. Going forward, that’s becoming more and more important, both for image and for funding.
Newcomers to the college fair circuit may never know just how good they have it.
For information:
Contact: info@collegefairautomation.com
Phone: 609-720-1885