On the heels of the recent EduWeb conference hosted in the city of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Compassion, there’s much to unpack.
From making some great new connections to enduring an epic presentation fail, there were some moments from this past week that the ERI team will always remember – good, bad, insightful, delicious, sweltering hot, wondrous, and even a dash of humbling humiliation.
Getting a Taste of Philly:
As is my tradition with arriving in most new places, the first thing I did after checking into the Downtown Marriott was lace up my Hokas and take a leisurely jog through the city.
My run took me through the awe-inspiring courtyard of City Hall, up the iconic ‘Rocky steps’, past Rodin’s famous sculpture, ‘The Thinker’ and through the beautiful fountains of Logan Square.
While most of our time was enjoyed in the crisp sanctuary of hotel/conference center air conditioning, we did venture out for a few excellent meals at El Vez (best guacamole this side of Mexico), Steak 48 (excellent quality steakhouse), Ambrosia Ristorante (Albanian-owned traditional Italian restaurant) and Sonny’s Cheesesteaks (our target was ‘best non-touristy cheesesteak’). We also took a stroll through the Reading Terminal (among ‘the’ best food courts in the world), Chinatown, Rittenhouse Square, and the Arts District.
Perhaps the most awesome yet unexpected moment was strolling through Isaiah Zager’s Magic Gardens on South Street in the Bella Vista neighborhood. My colleague Jillian Cote and I had a few hours to kill before heading to our flight back to Portland, Maine and delighted ourselves to the enchanting parallel universe Zager created out of mosaic and other interesting artifacts and materials. The impact that his work had could be felt around the entire neighborhood and is a good reminder of the transformative power of public art.
Debut of ERI’s new booth and ‘Knock Your Socks Off’ Campaign
Over the past few months, the ERI team has been hard at work refining our own branding platform, elevating our visual brand, and establishing a new booth presence to help communicate what we do best with clarity and precision.
Thanks to the collaborative spirit of some of our incredible partners, including J Sherman Studio, Luke Brownell, Knack Factory, and p3 Maine our efforts resulted in a new booth design, video reel, printed piece, business cards, and ERI custom branded socks.
Seeing all of these elements come together in harmony for the first time at EduWeb in Philly was both gratifying and exciting.
The Art of Visual Storytelling (and the Art of Improv): A WooState Tale of Triumph and Tech Troubles
Collaborating with Maureen Stokes, VP of Communications & Marketing at Worcester State University, on “The Art of Visual Storytelling” at this year’s conference was an unforgettable experience. It was also a masterclass in adapting on the fly. Let’s just say, if there were an award for “Most Tech Troubles in a Single Presentation,” Maureen and I would have been the undisputed champions.
Audio glitches, internet outages, and disappearing slides? We had it all. But hey, they say laughter is the best medicine, and we certainly had a healthy dose of that. Maureen’s grace under pressure was truly inspiring, and Brian Piper‘s last-minute Bluetooth speaker rescue was nothing short of heroic.
Despite the chaos, sharing the incredible results of our work at WooState (137% increase in international applications, 30% in ALANA/BIPOC applications, and 11% in overall applications!) and learning from this “character-building” experience was invaluable. It’s a good reminder that even the most meticulously planned presentations can go sideways, and it’s how you adapt that truly matters.
So, here’s to the art of visual storytelling… and to the art of improv. And a special thanks to Maureen, Brian, and the conference attendees for rolling with the punches and making it a memorable experience.
NOTE: The timing of this Enrollify podcast titled ‘Failing Forward: Big Flubs of the Past’ featuring Mallory Willsea [Element 451] and Seth Odell could not have been more timely or well received. Also, this is officially my new favorite episode.
https://player.simplecast.com/4d22dd69-bd62-4667-be56-ebc92e4227c6?dark=false
Brian Piper’s Keynote: Unleashing the Power of Content Marketing in Higher Education
Brian Piper, Director of Content Strategy and Assessment at the University of Rochester, delivered one of the conference’s standout sessions. His insightful presentation covered the unique value of content marketing in higher education, emphasizing its role in achieving strategic goals and building trust with target audiences. Piper outlined effective content marketing strategies, including leadership buy-in, creating impactful content, and leveraging data for optimization. His talk left us eager to explore new AI tools to enhance our content efforts.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Brian present* and read his his weekly newsletter religiously, so I earmarked this as a priority session. Brian truly understands the core tenants of any impactful content strategy while expertly leveraging data, AI, and other best practices to elevate institutional brands.
*Shoutout to the exceptional AI Summit produced by Bart Caylor, his team at Caylor Solutions, and Troy Singer from the Higher Ed Marketer Podcast.
Activating the Albanian Connection
One aspect that many of the best moments in life have in common is a ripeness with serendipity. This was certainly the case when it came to celebrating the Albanian heritage of my business partner, and ERI’s President & Chief Creative Officer, Erjon Metohu.
In a crowded exhibition space, we quickly discovered that our booth neighbors on either side were also of Albanian descent. Ardis Kadiu, Founder & CEO at Element 451, was across from us, and to our right were the co-founders of Manaferra, Granit Doshlaku and Faton Sopa.
The serendipity continued when we met our hotel lobby bartender, also Albanian, who recommended Ambrosia Ristorante, an Italian restaurant owned by one of his close friends who was…you guessed it, Albanian.
The cherry on top was bumping into Granit and Faton on our way to the restaurant and having them join us for an impromptu dinner. As the only non-Albanian speaker at the table, I found this to be one of my favorite moments of the conference. The lively conversation and camaraderie with our new friends, paired with the owner’s generous hospitality—including special amuse-bouches and house-made limoncello—made the evening truly special.
This experience was a wonderful reminder of how unexpected connections can lead to enriching cultural and professional opportunities. We had a great time connecting with this international team headquartered in Kosovo, whose hustle, drive, and market intelligence truly resonated with us. We’re excited to see more of them at future industry events.
Discovering that EduWeb ‘25 will be hosted in Portland, Maine
At the conclusion of Allison Turcio*’s opening remarks, she invited the audience of around 300 people to guess where next year’s conference would be held.
As a proud ambassador of Portland and always eager to promote my beloved city, I seized the moment and shouted, “Portland, Maine!” Allison looked at me in disbelief and exclaimed, “Are you serious?”
This was a moment I’ll never forget.
A moment later, the ‘unveiling’ video played on the big screen, showcasing lobsters, lighthouses, and the distinctive charms of my hometown. As a Maine native who has had the privilege of calling Portland home for the past 10+ years, you can imagine my genuine elation when it was announced that EduWeb ‘25 will indeed be hosted in… Portland, Maine!
If you’re reading this, please accept this as your formal invitation to book July 15 – 17 in your calendars.
*Allison Turcio is a rock star in the Higher Ed marketing landscape, serving as Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing at Siena College, as well as 2023’s AMA Higher Education Marketer of the year AND host of Enrollify podcast, The Application.
