“You have one market with young students completely ‘English-ready’ asking for different things,” said Marcia Mattos, head of international education, at a seminar sponsored by the Association of Language Travel Organisations (ALTO) held during the ICEF Dubai workshop. “On the other hand you have a mature market wanting general English with some differentiation.”

“If you’re just selling general English you will die. The clients now need something different”

She added: “As a school you need to ask yourself if you’re ready to answer the needs of these two markets. If you’re just selling general English you will die. The clients now need something different.”

According to Mattos, the market is divided into two client groups: 14-19 year olds looking to do combined courses, long stays and university preparation; and the largest cohort, 25-45 year olds short on time but after good results and executive English.

“You have to be very careful in finding the niche and communicating with them well,” she revealed. “It’s not just ‘we work for students who want to travel’; you have to separate the markets. Young students, university students, professional students all have completely different needs,” she said.

Brazil is still an agent-oriented market with word of mouth the most important form of advertising, she added, which is why institutions must be ready to invest their time to be in the country, get to know the markets, and build relationships.

Brazil is still an agent-oriented market with word of mouth the most important form of advertising

“You have to be there and know the people who work with you. Just to arrive with your brochure isn’t enough. It’s how you communicate with and support your students and the results you can show them,” she said.

STB has grown to be one of the country’s top agencies, with 70 offices in Brazil and one each in Australia and New Zealand. In 2012 it had some 60,000 clients.