The education provider can always ask AREA for advice as we have agents in a lot of cities and they know which events are good.

The PIE: How can providers get the most out of them?

AR: In general it’s important to have some representation in country when you are going to a fair. If you do not have anyone who will follow up the contacts you make, it will be difficult for you to do it from your home country. I’d also say that the biggest benefit of going to such events is branding. So if you want to make an impact, it makes sense to deliver targeted seminars at fairs and these should be well prepared and advertised.

“It could be that if you participate in a fair there are ten similar fairs on the same day”

The PIE: You say providers should be preparing for such seminars six months in advance. That’s quite a long time isn’t it?

AR: Not really. Nowadays, students prefer to search for information online and they have so many events to choose from. So they should be 100% sure that if they go somewhere it’s worth visiting, and sometimes it’s difficult to get the right audience to see your seminar. Preparing in advance allows the agency representing you to put out enough targeted advertising or to promote it to students who come into their office.

In my experience, when you know an event is coming up in two to three months you can promote it to clients who may be undecided about where and what they are going to study. The students, if interested, also have time to do some research and will ask better questions when they attend the seminar. Admissions interviews may even be scheduled around the time of the seminar for added impact.

The PIE: What’s happening in the Russian market at the moment? Which products are popular?

AR: The Russian market is growing rapidly and has really climbed over the last year. Right now about 50,000 study overseas. There could be more because the potential is huge. All sectors are growing, especially higher education. At the moment the main destination is the UK, because it’s close and because of the quality of education and variety of the programmes. Most people have the perception that the British education system is the best one. Other favourites are Switzerland, Germany and France.

At the moment the main destination is the UK, because it’s close and because of the quality of education

But North America is also very popular; the US especially for work and travel programmes, although unfortunately these aren’t so easy to access any more. Canada meanwhile has become number one in secondary education, because more and more Russian parents realise that it isn’t so far and the quality of programmes is great. In fact, many clients have moved from secondary study in Europe to Canada and the US. North America is also growing for HE because the post study employment opportunities are so much better than in Europe.

The PIE: Are you seeing a greater number of juniors studying abroad?

AR: Yes. Junior programmes are one of the most popular products and agents are focussing on them. Short term programmes like English summer camps also have a knock-on effect, allowing families to investigate the education system and culture of a country. Many may then choose to send their kids to high school there if they like what they see.

The PIE: And work and travel?

AR: These are also in high demand. Work and travel programmes in the US were really popular, but they now have a limited quota of foreign students they accept. They have also been popular in Canada, although unfortunately we do not know the government is going to scrap them. But I think work and travel will grow in popularity because these days it’s not enough to have good qualifications. Most employers want to see graduates who have work experience, and if it’s global even better.