Check back in the Spring 2012 for information about the next Institute.

The 16th Marketing and Advancement Institute will make its first visit to Walt Disney World® Resort. Join us Wednesday and Thursday November 16-17, 2011. And stay an additional night if you choose to attend a specially-arranged half-day workshop presented by Disney Institute about Disney's Approach to Brand Loyalty.

Essentials for Attendees: The Institute will be in the Yucatan Room. Continental breakfast is available at 7:30 both mornings, and the program will be under way by 8. Wednesday we will meet over lunch, and will end the day by 5; lunch Thursday will be on your own, and we will end no later than 4. Friday morning’s brand loyalty event by the Disney Institute will run 8-noon, but in the Monterey Room, and will include an hour field trip; coffee etc will be available, but breakfast is not part of the DI program. All attendees have been sent their Disney room confirmation and registration number. If you have not received it, or you want to arrange airport transportation, extend your stay, or arrange for discounted park tickets, call Disney reservations at 407-939-1020. See you the 16th.

**** UPDATE **** (November 30, 2011): The Institutes are full. Check back next year.

(Schools booked to send one or a team include: Altamont, Andrews Osborne, Berkshire, Cambridge Montessori, Canterbury, Chandler, Children’s, Choate, Currey Ingram, Cushing Academy, Duke School, Durham Academy, ERB, Fairfield Country Day, Fay, Forman, Francis Parker, Hamlin, Hun, Hawken, International School of Amsterdam, Jackson Academy, Jacksonville Country Day, King Low Heywood Thomas, Kingswood-Oxford, Lakeside, Little Red School House, Louisville Collegiate, Marvelwood, Memphis University, Millwood, Newman, Nichols, Ratner School, SSATB, St. Andrew’s Episcopal, St. Edward’s, St. George’s of Montreal, St. Mary’s Episcopal, Taft, Tampa Prep, Upland Country Day, United World Colleges, Valwood, Webb, Westside Neighborhood, Wilmington Friends, Worcester Academy )

• In the Beginning
• About the Marketing and Advancement Institute
• Optional: Disney Institute Workshop about Disney's Approach to Brand Loyalty
• Sample Syllabus
• Register for the 2011 Marketing and Advancement Institute

In the Beginning

In 1994 the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) asked Kathleen Hanson and Jeff Wack to design and lead an institute for school administrators on the then novel (to schools) business discipline of marketing. The Marketing Institute for Independent Schools was born, and since 2000 has been produced and taught by Jeff and Kathy. The term "advancement" was added to the Institute title several years ago as some schools began to opt for that word to reflect integrated marketing practice. The fact is, wherever the school touches a customer, it is engaged in marketing and advancing the school. To date more than 1000 independent school administrators have attended the Institute, many of them more than once.

About the Marketing and Advancement Institute

The 16th Annual Marketing and Advancement Institute is intended for experienced school administrators interested in learning how marketing can enhance the advancement of private schools.

The Institute is designed with three goals in mind:

• To teach the discipline of marketing as it applies to schools.
• To encourage networking and shared learning among attendees.
• To allow school administrators to break away from the daily firefighting so that they can gain a bigger perspective on school priorities.

Our People

Jeff Wack and Kathy Hanson are the lead faculty of the Institute. Jeff earned his doctorate, and for twenty years taught graduate marketing at Yale; recently rotated off the board of NAIS; and has over a 25-year career consulted to nearing 100 educational institutions. Kathy was formerly Vice President for Advancement at Baylor School (TN) and a member of the CASE and TABS boards, and currently is a senior consultant in the schools practice group of Marts & Lundy.

Jeff and Kathy teach an Integrated Marketing Model that defines marketing as everyone’s job. Directors of admissions, communications, marketing, and development — often two or three from each school — comprise the majority of attendees; but each year, several board members, heads of school, and division heads also attend and add immeasurably to the discussions. The Marketing and Advancement Institute is comprehensive, interactive, and challenging, so brand new administrators may not find the Institute basic enough for their needs.

2011 Presenters Include:

This year Ken Mason, Director of Marketing at Westminster School, will again lead a segment on communications; Travis Warren, President of Whipple Hill Communications will address trends and uses of social media and e-communications.

Jeff and Kathy cover an ambitious curriculum at a lively pace, avoid over-scheduling, and hold the event at locations attendees can enjoy. The number of participants has traditionally been capped at 65; however this year we have chosen a larger venue so that we will not have to turn down the many we did last year.

Optional: Disney’s Approach to Brand Loyalty Workshop Friday, Nov. 18th 8 AM -12 NOON.

The Marketing and Advancement Institute has long talked about the importance to service businesses like schools of managing organization-customer touchpoints. In this, Disney is a master, so we are taking advantage of our location to offer at an additional fee a Friday morning Disney Institute Workshop about Disney's Approach to Brand Loyalty. We will be benchmarking Disney best practices, methodologies and real-life lessons in the area of loyalty to think about lessons and implications for independent schools and the relationships with constituencies on which private schools depend for success — namely parents and alumni. From the session description below you will see that it bears directly on schools’ institutional marketing goals around reputation, recruiting, relationships, retention, and revenues.

How is brand loyalty created? How do you achieve that level of brand loyalty which brings customers back, that leads to a purchase or a recommendation to a friend? Brand loyalty is a reciprocal relationship that begins with the business, not the customer. Disney has learned that it takes integrating our brand, our experiences, and the relationship between our Cast Members and our Guests in order to prove our loyalty to our Guests. This integration must take place while simultaneously demonstrating appreciation for our Cast Members.

Through Disney’s Approach to Brand Loyalty you will explore how to: align your product/services to the expectations of your customers; analyze and improve your customer’s experience by delivering on your brand promise; develop employee interactions with your customers which leads to customer loyalty and satisfaction, identify opportunities to expand beyond your organization’s core products and services, and design an action plan that promotes loyalty in your organization.

Sample Syllabus for the Marketing and Advancement Institute

The Marketing and Advancement Institute’s curriculum varies somewhat each year depending on how the independent school marketing environment has changed, but the following sample syllabus provides a basic outline of the topics typically covered.

Specifics about the 2011 Marketing and Advancement Institute
The Institute will delay the onset of winter with a visit to the Sunshine State.

When:
Wednesday November 16 and Thursday November 17, from about 8AM to 4PM both days.

Where:
DisneyWorld, Buena Vista, Florida.

Tuition:
Tuition is $1195 through September 10, 2011. Additional members of a school’s advancement team are encouraged to attend for $995 each.

Hotel and Amenities:
The host site is Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. A conference fee of $405 has been negotiated with Disney that covers:

• Hotel room and taxes for Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and option to extend one’s stay at the Institute’s discounted room rate
• Continental breakfasts and breaks on Wednesday and Thursday
•  “Welcome to the Institute” lunch on Wednesday
• Transportation to/from Orlando Airport via Disney's Magical Express® Transportation

In addition participants, and family/friends who may have accompanied them, are eligible for discounted rates on Disney park tickets.

Optional: Friday Morning “Disney’s Approach to Brand Loyalty” Workshop
Attendees may opt to enroll in this Friday morning event led by a Disney Institute facilitator. The workshop is limited to Marketing & Advancement Institute participants as the content will be shaped for private schools. The cost is $425, plus $175 room rate for Thursday night stay-over at the Resort.

Cancellations Policies:
Cancellations are accepted through July 31 2011 without penalty; 50% of tuition and 100% of conference fee will be returned for cancellations made August 1-September 15 2011. After September 15, 2011, tuition and conference fee are transferable for use by any other member of a school’s staff but is not refundable. Although the Marketing and Advancement Institute has always sold out and a waiting list is the norm, Management Institutes, LLC reserves the right to cancel the MAI in the unlikely event of insufficient enrollment.

Register now:

Click on the register now button to your right or click here to register for the Marketing and Advancement Institute and, if you choose, the Disney’s Approach to Brand Loyalty workshop. Once your registration has been processed, you will receive a confirmation email, and Institute fees are due. Upon receipt of your check, we will confirm by its receipt by email and will include a link to a Disney-hosted site at which you may 1) add hotel nights, 2) purchase discounted park tickets (can also be done on-site at the Institute, and 3) arrange for airport transportation.

To request more information about the Marketing and Advancement Institute, click here.