Promoting RMIT at the

Australian International Air Show

RMIT University©

International Air Show – March 2011

Airshow program• Industry Days

Tuesday 1 March – Friday 4 March

• Careers and Skills Days: Professional Development Day

Wednesday 2 March, 9.30am – 5 pm

• Careers and Skills Days: Student Information Day

Friday 4 March, 9.30am – 3 pm

RMIT University©

RMIT Objectives

Objectives identified by RMIT’s Airshow Stakeholder Group

Brand presence and awareness

• Further establish RMIT as a contributor to the industry

Industry Engagement

• Highlight research capabilities with industry and indentify new opportunities through on site meetings, which increasing the University's corporate profile

Student Recruitment

• Enhance the University's image as a leading educational provider to the industry through major involvement in the Professional Development Forum and Careers and Skills Days.

RMIT University©

– Who are we talking to?

– Visitor profile

– Target audience

International Air Show – March 2011

RMIT University©

RMIT Major Stakeholders

– School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

– School of Engineering TAFE

– College of Science, Engineering and Health

– Global Business and Engagement (formerly GBD)

– Research and Innovation

– Flight Training

– Sir Lawrence Wackett Centre

RMIT University©

Your role as an RMIT Ambassador

– The face of RMIT at the air show

– Staffing the stand

– Inquiries

– Information

RMIT University©

What will people want to know about

– RMIT in general

– Teaching programs

– Research

What should we be promoting?

Inquiries

RMIT University©

– Engineering programs – one of the leading Victorian unis

– For more than 60 years, actively involved in Australia’s aerospace community

– RMIT’s Wackett Centre is the only Australian university centre authorised by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia

– With more than 750 students, RMIT supports the largest aerospace and aviation education capability in Australia

– Offers the widest range of aviation and aerospace programs in Australia

Aviation and aerospace at RMIT

RMIT University©

Items to highlight:

– Range of courses – over 700 programs

– Apprenticeships & traineeships

– VTAC preferences: 1st for TAFE; 2nd for Universities

– Dual sector & pathways

– Location (accessible, etc.)

– Not a traditional campus

– Overseas work placement opportunities

– Positive industry links & partnerships – students & grads are sought after

– Suggest talking to industry/prospective employers to see what they would recommend (to reinforce your points)

General Information about RMIT

RMIT University©

Other RMIT initiatives

– Flight Training

– Advanced Manufacturing Precinct

– RIIERP: RMIT International Industry Experience and Research Program

– Alumni

RMIT University©

What image do we want to create?

(dress, name tags, positioning, etc.)

Dress code -

Flight Training staff - uniforms

Other RMIT Staff - black RMIT polo shirt, black or grey slacks

Students - RMIT designed t-shirt, dark coloured denim or slacks and clean shoes

All staff must wear their RMIT name badges

Students will be given lanyards to wear as name badges

Our image and approach

RMIT University©

– Patience is especially important

– Speak clearly and face people

– Avoid raising your voice or sounding patronising

– Try not to assume or guess things about people

– A single word people may miss can make a vast difference

– Recognise that many visitors will not speak English as their first language

– Avoid using colloquialisms, abbreviations & long sentences

– Provide appropriate ‘wait time’ for processing what has been said to allow for translation from English to their first language, formulation of a reply & translation of the reply back into English

Challenging audiences

RMIT University©

1. Criticism of RMIT– acknowledge what has been said– use the fogging technique e.g. ‘If that was your

experience, then I can understand why…’– focus on current situation/improvements if possible

2. Cornering you to justify why RMIT is better than a competitor– don’t criticise another institute (e.g. ‘I’m not familiar

with…’)– focus on what RMIT offers– suggest talking to industry/prospective employers to see

what they recommend

Challenging Situations

RMIT University©

Try to

- Remember you're on display – you never know who's watching

- Familiarise yourself with the environment so you can answer general queries (toilets, water, etc.)

- Listen, encourage & ask questions (the best promoters are those who listen more than talk). Focus on people’s interests

- Be enthusiastic as enthusiasm is contagious

- Emphasise what RMIT offers & how RMIT is special

- Talk about what you/they can do, rather than what can’t be done

- Have a plan in place to cover what to do when you can’t answer a question

- End on a positive note

Best practice

RMIT University©

Avoid

- Eating at the stand

- Misleading people by giving an inaccurate representation of RMIT (don’t fib or bluff)

- Standing around in groups & talk

- Appearing disinterested

- Waiting to be approached

- Overwhelming people with too much information

- Using excessive technical language & jargon

- Making negative comments about other institutions

- Getting emotional/hooked in

- Arguing and getting frustrated or angry

Best practice