From Intimate Visits to 5,700-Person Weekends: How Universities Are Doubling Yield and Eliminating Agenda Chaos with Mobile Event Technology

Planning admitted student events with multiple programs, campuses, and academic colleges creates overwhelming agenda complexity.

Two universities — Northeastern handling 5,700 attendees over six days and Indiana Tech managing smaller-scale visits — both faced the same frustrations: constant "where's the agenda?" emails, expensive last-minute reprints, and confused families.

‍

This webinar reveals how both institutions solved these challenges using the same mobile event strategy, with dramatically different scales but equally impressive results.

Combined Results By the Numbers

• Northeastern: 5,700 attendees, 3,600+ app downloads, zero negative agenda feedback.
• Indiana Tech: 94% staff time reduction (400 hours to 25 hours).
• Indiana Tech: Yield increased from 40% to 82% after implementation.
• Both: Spending less on annual app subscription than previous printing costs.

What You'll Learn

In this 40-minute webinar, Leilani (Events Assistant at Northeastern University) and Casey (Client Success Manager at Guidebook) share dual case studies of mobile event transformation, including:

‍

Northeastern's scale challenge: 2,000+ students across complex programs

• Coordinating students admitted to Boston, Oakland, and global study abroad entry programs.
• Managing 10 academic colleges across Friday/Saturday/Sunday weekend formats.
• Fielding 50+ daily emails with half asking "can I see the agenda?"

Indiana Tech's efficiency transformation: 370 hours saved

• Reducing preparation team from five people to two staff members.
• Cutting total prep time from 400 hours to 25 hours (94% reduction).
• Spending less on Guidebook subscription than printing costs for single event.

Paper agenda problems: shared frustrations before implementation

• Northeastern: Unable to share schedules ahead causing constant email inquiries.
• Indiana Tech: Team of five spending 400 hours over months preparing materials.
• Both: Expensive reprinting when last-minute room changes or session updates occurred.

Personalized navigation: solving the complexity problem

• Creating tracks for different colleges, entry programs, and audience segments.
• Enabling My Schedule feature for students to build three-session agendas from dozens of options.
• Northeastern stat: My Schedule used more frequently than full schedule view.

Pre-event engagement: reducing day-of confusion

• Northeastern: Sending Slate email triggering massive download spike weeks before arrival.
• Sharing complete schedules in advance so families can plan their day.
• Including WiFi passwords, parking codes, campus maps eliminating "where do I?" questions.

Staff efficiency gains: time and cost savings

• Indiana Tech: 94% time reduction from 400 hours to 25 hours total.
• Northeastern: Building guides in quarter of previous time using year-over-year templates.
• Both: Eliminating graphic design bottlenecks for last-minute printed updates.

Yield impact: quantifiable recruitment results

• Indiana Tech: Direct correlation showing yield increase from 40% (2022) to 82% post-implementation.
• Northeastern: Zero negative survey comments about agenda (previously consistent complaint).
• Both: Event experience becoming recruitment differentiator and selling point.

Real-time adaptability: day-of-event flexibility

• Making instant agenda changes when sessions move rooms without reprinting.
• Northeastern: Updating parking garage codes or WiFi passwords in real-time.
• Using push notifications for weather changes or location updates.

Implementation best practices: lessons from both institutions

• Northeastern: Taking 5-10 minutes during all-attendee sessions for live app walkthrough.
• Keeping 20 backup paper agendas for technology issues (down from 2,000).
• Working with marketing teams weekly to maintain brand standards and messaging.

Who Should Watch This Webinar

• University admissions teams managing admitted student events at any scale.
• Higher education event planners seeking staff efficiency improvements.
• Recruitment professionals wanting to increase yield through better experience.
• Institutions struggling with complex multi-program, multi-campus event logistics.
• Colleges considering transition from paper to mobile event management.

Northeastern University Results

Event Scale:

• 2,000+ students across six Boston Welcome Days (two consecutive weekends).
• 5,700 total attendees including 3,700 family members and guests.
• Additional events: Preview Day (680 students), Early Decision programs (370 students).

Outcomes Achieved:

• 3,600+ app downloads exceeding one-per-student plus guest goal.
• Complete elimination of "where's the agenda?" emails (previously 50% of daily inbox).
• Zero negative survey comments about agenda confusion or navigation.
• Guide building time reduced to quarter of previous manual process.

Indiana Tech Results

Efficiency Transformation:

• Team size reduced from five staff members to two.
• Total prep time decreased from 400 hours to 25 hours (94% reduction).
• Annual Guidebook cost less than printing expenses for single event.

Recruitment Impact:

• Yield rate increased from 40% (2022) to 82% after Guidebook implementation.
• Continued yield improvement as team refined approach over subsequent years.
• Direct correlation demonstrated between event experience and enrollment decisions.

Featured Speakers

Leilani Potgieter is the Events Assistant at Northeastern University's five-person admissions events team. She manages Guidebook implementation for all admitted student programming, handles prospective student communications, and coordinates Boston Welcome Days serving 2,000+ students across six intensive days each spring.

‍

Casey Johnstone is a Client Success Relationship Manager at Guidebook, specializing in higher education clients. With previous student affairs orientation experience, she partners with colleges and universities to optimize event technology, sharing best practices from successful implementations like Indiana Tech's 94% efficiency improvement.