Invitation to Virtual Exhibition on UK MBA courses 2013

The British Council is delighted to invite you to join our Virtual Exhibition on UK MBA Courses 2013 in China.

What’s the Virtual Exhibition?

Virtual Exhibition provides an online platform to showcase UK educational excellence with a variety of online and offline resources.

The British Council China has organised digital campaigns or virtual exhibitions for eight years. The previous virtual exhibitions have successfully demonstrated the value and attraction of this new online initiative, and have proved a big success in terms of volume and ROI. In addition, the Virtual Exhibition has created positive impact in the Chinese overseas study market in the past several years. Positive reports have also been made on local key print media and specialty websites. Media monitoring suggests that a 76 times return on promotional investments have been achieved.

You may wish to experience our previous virtual exhibition which attracted more than 516 thousand page view within one month in 2012 with the subject of Arts and design (http://edu.sina.com.cn/a/20121015ukartshow/index.shtml)

MBA Education in Mainland China

China, with one of the world’s fastest growing economies, is in desperate need of managerial talent. For multinationals, domestic Chinese companies, and local start-ups, securing talent is a major and persistent problem. Especially hard to come by are MBAs - the skilled, professionally-trained managers needed to fill critical leadership positions.

With demand for management talent outstripping supply, a rising number of universities began to offer MBA programmes either independently or in joint ventures with overseas institutions. The number of Chinese schools offering MBA programmes has grown 20-fold since 1991.

The numbers of Chinese applicants for MBA degree programmes continues to grow. 2010 saw a 24% growth over the past year and in 2011, the number reached a record high of 90,000.

For UK business schools looking to enter the Chinese market or expand here, the competition is fiercer than ever before. However, there is still a wealth of opportunities available to UK institutions in this market. As more Chinese schools send their faculty overseas to learn to develop programmes, conduct case studies and teach, top business schools in the UK can meet the demand for such high-quality faculty training programmes.

In addition, to elevate their status and global competitiveness, many Chinese business schools chose to partner with other leading international institutions, mostly in Europe and the US. There are currently around 20 joint venture (JV) MBA programmes in China that have been approved by Ministry of Education.

The demand for UK MBA programmes is also increasing and the trends reflect a potential need for UK universities to further introduce their cutting edge and high quality MBA education, and enhance Chinese public’s awareness on the features of UK MBA programmes. To achieve this goal, British Council China will hold the Virtual Exhibition on UK MBA Courses 2013 to promote the strength of UK MBA education as well as to provide a targeted promotional channel for UK higher education institutions.

What to Expect?

Your exclusive online and offline benefits will include:

• A broader-than-ever e-platform based on sina.com - the number ONE Chinese web portal focusing on education sector.
• A well-established Education UK followers group on Sina Weibo (Chinese Twitter), with a figure of 62,000 followers including students, parents and agents
• Visa application instructions exclusively for potential students, including online Q&A, online-chat with Entry Clearance Officers, supported by Home Office
• Cooperation channels accessible by potential local partners, such as schools and agents.
• Various event promotion channels including online channels such as Sina Weibo, WeChat, and offline promotions by British Council China’s education market development colleagues
  
  Furthermore, this digital campaign offers a more affordable, accessible and cost-effective channel to those who have a limited marketing budget yet need to raise their profile and reach a larger audience. Compared to traditional offline promotional events, this digital campaign is:
• Geographically diversified
  Institutions can reach target audiences outside the major cities who may be academically and financially qualified for studying abroad, but unable to attend a face to face event.
• Convenient
  Institution representatives will be able to sit in their own offices in the UK and make contact with Chinese audiences in a timely and effective manner without travelling to China.
• Measurable
  Institutions will receive a statistical report on the traffic to their “stand” and the promotion and media coverage details after the event.

What we need from you?

Once enrolled, you will be required to:

• prepare and send us materials in text (.doc), PowerPoint (.ppt), photos (.jpg) or videos (.avi)
  • Information about your institution including a brief introduction, competitive advantages, and unique selling points. Supplementary information such as scholarships, Chinese alumni’s stories and experience sharing would be highly attractive to netizens
  • General information of costs, application process, recruitment criteria, scholarships, etc.
  • Photos, PPT, videos that could better showcase your excellence and competitive advantages
  • All information should be translated into Chinese or with Chinese script so as to be more eye-catching.
• Handle enquiries and messages left by the visitors efficiently. It will be more efficient for Chinese staff to handle the enquiries in Chinese. You should plan to staff your institution’s online community accordingly.
• Alumni online video interviews may be arranged during the virtual exhibition if you could recommend your Chinese alumni to us.

Participation Rates

The cost of participation in the exhibition is £1,000 per institution. The minimum number of participating institutions is 10 and the maximum is 30. You may also choose special promotion and services as listed below:

Participation Fee - GBP 1,000
Flash banner * - GBP 500
Translation Fee - GBP 50 (per 1000 Chinese characters)

Please kindly note the prices are EXCLUSIVE OF VAT
* Flash banner promotion slots are limited to 4 only. Applications will be accepted on a first come first served basis and listed in alphabetical order on the website.

Important Dates

Deadline for registration: 31 July 2013
Deadline for submitting materials for translation: 30 August 2013
Deadline for submitting materials: 13 September 2013
Virtual Exhibition Opens: 14 October – 8 November 2013 (four weeks)