British Council Qatar held their Study in the UK Exhibition was on the 16th – 17th March 2015.

It offered an opportunity for students, parents, teachers and others in the education field to meet representatives of 36 UK universities, Accredited English Language Schools and a selection of local scholarship providers in person to find out what the UK has to offer and available funding opportunities. The target audiences were primarily 16 to 21 year olds interested in higher education in the UK; professionals seeking to advance their careers; parents and key influencers.

The exhibition was very well attended by both UK universities and local audiences, and many took selfies with our Instagram cut out and tweeted to @BritFestQA and @qaBritish. The exhibition attracted over 1,000 visitors through a variety of marketing channels and activities, which complimented each other. We believe the key for the growth in visitors’ number from last year (around 500 visitors in 2014) is mainly due to starting the promotion plan of the event early 2 months prior to the exhibition and ensuring effective communication with school counsellors who are considered important influencers.

18th March was an optional day dedicated to schools visits. A visit to Al-Wakra Independent Secondary School for boys, who organised their annual college and career fair, sponsored by Qatar Steel targeted secondary schools students aged between 16 and 18 years old. In addition to meeting potential students, the fair provided UK institutions with a platform to network with more than 15 major scholarship providers. Al-Wakra’s school visit was followed by a visit to the College of the North Atlantic Qatar targeting diploma holders students interested in top-up degrees in the UK (2+2 and 3+1)