The British Council China is delighted to invite UK institutions to join our Media and Communications Roadshow and Media Campaign 2017, each designed to promote the UK’s educational opportunities in media and communications.

Introduction

The media industry is one of fastest growing industries in the world today and China is no exception. In fact, the media and communications industry in China has seen explosive growth, developing at a much faster pace than that of the overall economy. Recent research shows that the growth of China's media industry in 2015 amounts to 12.3% with an overall market size of GBP 127 billion. With 1.3 billion people moving quickly forward in this new media age, China has become the largest mobile phone market in the world, and is home to the second-largest Internet-using population. As a result, a huge amount of investment has flowed into the sector, notably TV & film, the Internet and mobile media. Against this backdrop, media and communications professionals are highly sought after by employers in a variety of sectors. Furthermore, recent years have also witnessed double-digit growth rate of the average salary in the media and communications industry

As the media and communication sector in China becomes ever more dynamic and diversified, degrees in the field of media and communication studies are also growing in popularity. As a world-leader in the sector, the UK and its universities are viewed as some of the ideal partners for progressing China’s own media and communications education. The UK's high quality research and teaching excellence in media and communications covers a wide range of specialist subjects – from journalism studies to digital media, games and interactive media to marketing and advertising, and TV& film to cultural entrepreneurship. A common emphasis on the development of students' transferable skills such as analytical and creative skills, could attract prospective Chinese students aiming for a bright career in the global arena. 

The Roadshow

Previous faculty -specific roadshows run by British Council China have been a resounding success. Continuing on this momentum, the Media and Communications Roadshow 2017 is an ideal opportunity for UK universities to showcase their media and communications related degree courses and directly engage with prospective students. We therefore invite UK universities to nominate academics to visit host institutions in China, deliver demonstration classes and interact with students to discuss degree opportunities in the UK.  Where possible, we will also arrange face-to-face meetings with local schools/universities to discuss partnership opportunities in the areas of joint teaching and research.*

The focus of these events is to facilitate interaction and create synergies between visiting universities and host institutions.  Interested universities will be invited to join a conference call with British Council staff to discuss opportunities and desired outcomes, in order to tailor the programme to meet UK universities’ needs where possible.

* Programmes and events may vary slightly between host institutions.

Media Campaign

An advertorial on UK's media and communications courses will be released on print and digital media platforms. The advertorial will foreground the UK's media and communications courses, featuring academic insights and student experiences, as well as soft promotion of participating UK institutions.

NB. This will not be a dedicated promotion for one institution as all UK institutions participating in the media campaign will be featured.  Participating institutions may be approached by journalists for information to feature in the advertorial.  A discounted fee is applicable for universities also taking part in the Roadshow.

Joining instructions

UK institutions who are interested in these opportunities should complete the application form and send it to Ms Mandy Deng (mandy.deng@britishcouncil.org.cn) as an attachment by 5 June 2017.

For the roadshow, please note that a minimum of two participating institutions at each session are required for the roadshow to be organized, and a maximum of four institutions will be represented per session. The British Council China retains the right to cancel a certain session of the roadshow if the minimum participation number is not met.

For the media campaign, a minimum of three UK institutions are needed to launch the promotion. The British Council China reserves the right to cancel the media promotion if the minimum number is not met.

Please note that places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Requirements

University representatives attending the roadshow are expected to be well prepared in providing an introduction to their institution as well as up-to-date information on the application process and course content.  Depending on the audience profile for each session, event content will be expected to cater to school and/or university students looking for in-depth information on studying media and communications in the UK.  Participation is limited to two representatives per UK institution.

UK institutions who sign up for the media campaign are encouraged to provide the below contents to give the advertorial a wider perspective:

·        analysis on the subject

·        course introduction

·        quote from academics

·        quote from alumni or current students

·        copyrighted high resolution photos

Participation fee

For the roadshow, the British Council China will charge a participation fee of £350 (exclusive of VAT) per host institution visited, which will cover programme planning, promotion, coordination and comprehensive briefings for the visiting UK universities, as well as logistical support during the sessions. The participation fee does not cover international or domestic travel, accommodation, subsistence or freight.

For the media campaign, the British Council will charge £2, 500 (exclusive of VAT) per institution, which will include:

• One advertorial on 5 key national media outlets with clipping report
• One tweet on British Council’s Education UK Weibo
• One post on British Council’s Education UK WeChat

A discounted fee of £2, 200 (exclusive of VAT) is applicable for UK institutions who are signing up for the roadshow.

Visa

A visa will be necessary for UK passport holders to participate in the roadshow.  The British Council can provide invitation letters to participants who require a visa, but it is the responsibility of the applicant institution to follow the correct procedures.

Further information regarding visas for China can be found on the website of the Chinese Embassy in the UK (http://www.chinese-embassy.org.uk/eng/visa/).