Hotelschool The Hague organises events for the business network of the educational institution, but also events for the students. Think about open days, selection days and the graduation ceremony. Mark Hermanns is an event professional at Hotelschool The Hague. In this interview, he explains what important role events play in the marketing mix of the Hotelschool and how Momice helps him with his daily work.
Events in the student journey
According to Hermanns, events of the Hotelschool play a major role in the journey students make. “During the open days, they change from interested to potential students. We determine who is really going to study at the Hotelschool during the selection days. The graduation ceremony is the moment they can officially call themselves alumni.”
The event professional went through the selection day himself as well. “It is a very exciting day. To be honest, I don’t remember much from that day because I was so nervous. Everything was so well-arranged that day, but that has to be the standard for every event. Take the graduation ceremony, for example. Students often invite a lot of family and friends. We want to ensure they positively look back on their study. This makes it an important event for the entire organisation.”
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Business events are part of the marketing mix
The Hotelschool cannot focus on marketing too strongly. Advertising or campaigning, for example, is out of the question. In order to build up a network with companies nevertheless, the Hotelschool also organises business events. “This way, partners from the industry will learn what the educational institution stands for, get to know students in an accessible way and will create feeling for the Hotelschool. We organise events together with an external partner of guest. In those cases, the school is the meeting location, so that visitors literally go back to school. Students take care of these events: from front office and reception, to the kitchen and service.”
Together with the location in Amsterdam, Hotelschool The Hague annually organises 180 business events. The event officer thinks it is very beneficial that students learn how events work in real life. “This way, they learn what hospitality means: being one step ahead of the needs of the visitor and thus exceed the expectations. We try to give practical experience, since it is so important.”
Hospitality in times of digitalisation
Hermanns notices the alumni of the Hotelschool are very popular on the labour market. “Even though we live in a time of digitalisation, our diploma stand for a certain standard. We are a hospitality and business school for a reason. We educate the managers of the future, who place great importance on hospitality. That’s what makes them popular in less obvious sectors – such as real estate or at an office like EY or CBRE – as well. Those companies already get to know our students during our events.” Thanks to the ever increasing network, the Hotelschool increases the opportunities for students. This way, events contribute to the value of the diploma and study.
“We don’t only engage with the business market to provide a platform for our students. The goal is also to look for organisations to collaborate on content. Think of a ‘case company’ to develop a concept in a certain period to provide lessons and examples from the practice.”
Read more about co-creation and collaboration here!
Momice optimises the start of the customer journey
Digitisation plays a major role in events, says Hermanns. “A meeting in real life will still differ from a meeting in an online environment. That is why the guest experience is so important. How memorable is an event when you watch it through streaming? At the same time, teachers investigate how you can recognise someone or their emotions digitally when someone visits an event. It is an exciting and dynamic field.”
According to Hermanns, tools are another part of the digitalisation of events. “Momice plays a huge part in our events in this. The software provides us a nice platform to invite guests and exchange information. That is why it is often the start of the customer journey. You get an opportunity to make a first impression, so we are happy the software helps us to do this optimally.”
“The marketing colleagues think our invitations look very good, which is a nice compliment. The support of events is growing among colleagues, because they see how professionally they are being organised. Without Momice, we wouldn’t be able to organise events such as the open days and graduation ceremony as easily.”
Conclusion
Because the Hotelschool cannot advertise, a creative approach to the marketing mix is necessary. Events not only help to shape a network of business partners, but also ensures that students gain practical experience. Momice plays an important role in the digitisation of events and optimises the customer journey of Hotelschool The Hague.
