Unconference event on digital student recruitment – 26 June 2025
We’re hosting a half-day unconference on Thursday 26 June. This will be a great opportunity for colleagues with an interest in digital aspects of student recruitment to come together for discussion, learning and networking.
What: Digital Student Recruitment Unconference – like a mini conference but delegates are in control
Where: The Outreach Centre, Holyrood Road
When: Thursday 26 June 2026, 9:00 to 13:30
Book a place (University staff login required)
What’s an unconference?
Wikipedia says: “An unconference is a participant-driven meeting. The term “unconference” has been applied, or self-applied, to a wide range of gatherings that try to avoid hierarchical aspects of a conventional conference, such as sponsored presentations and top-down organization.”
Wikipedia page on unconferences
So in essence:
- People assemble around a given theme or shared interest
- Attendees make pitches for things they’d like to share or join a discussion on. (Or indeed, something that they’d like to learn about even if they don’t feel they have anything in particular to contribute).
- Facilitators group like topics together and assign them to slots on a pre-defined timetable
- The sessions run along the timetable that has been created during this introductory session
Sounds a little strange but it really does work. I’ve attended a few of these now, and about 18 months ago our team helped host a sector wide unconference.
Our team’s experiences with unconferences: read more blog posts
A facilitator arranges pitch summaries into the timetable for an unconference I attended in Sheffield in 2023.
Who is this unconference for?
If you work in university student recruitment, and have an interest in digital-related matters this event is for you.
You could be:
- A web publisher or website manager
- A contributor to the degree finders
- A social media specialist
- An online events manager
- A software developer
- A digital service manager
Or maybe you’re just interested in the digital space and want to learn more.
We are bringing together colleagues who are invested in understanding and improving digital experiences for our prospective students.
Book a place (University staff login required)
Why you should attend
Unconferences are democratic. The programme for the day is created by you, the delegates.
The format gives you the chance to explore the things that you really care about, and build new connections with colleagues who have similar skills and interests.
You might propose a session because:
- You’ve got a topic you’re really keen to discuss with like-minded colleagues
- You’ve got a challenge that you think others might have experience of or skills in
- You’ve got a presentation you’d like to share or a workshop you’d like to run
Or you might not know anything much about a topic and would like to create a space for people to come together around it while you sit back an listen to others.
Just because you propose something doesn’t mean you need to be an expert and you don’t need to commit to leading a session.
So even if you’re relatively early on in your career and don’t feel you have a lot to share, you can still help to set the unconference agenda.
Book a place (University staff login required)
Schedule
We’re still planning so some elements of timing could potentially change a little. But if they do, they’ll be minor adjustments.
- 9:00 Unconference kick off
- 9:10 Session proposals
- 10:00 Break while the programme is finalised
- 10:15 First session starts (50 min)
- 11:15 Second session starts (50 min)
- 12:15 Third session starts (50 min)
- 13:05 Unconference close (15 min)
Refreshments
Unfortunately, we can’t cater the full event but there will be tea and coffee provided at the break at 10.
If you can’t do without your morning fix, why not head to Levels Cafe first which is right next door to the Outreach Centre?
Make a day of it – more learning and networking sessions from Communications and Marketing
Once the unconference concludes, you could take the opportunity to have lunch with colleagues and new friends. Maybe head into Holyrood Park to stretch your legs?
It’s worth hanging around as we have more sessions happening in the afternoon:
- 14:20 CMA briefing session
- 1500: Marcomms Social media takeover
CMA briefing session
Heather MacBain (Head of Marketing) is working with colleagues in Legal Services to provide a briefing on what the recent changes in legislation mean for our marketing and student recruitment practices.
This will be an in-person session hosted at the Outreach Centre.
Marketing and Communications Forum – social media takeover
Our usual monthly event for the marketing and communications community is happening the same day, with the focus this month being on social media.
This will be an online event, but why not hang around for a watch party with colleagues? We’ll be broadcasting this session from the main room at the Outreach Centre.
Quiet space for working
If you need to dip out at any point, or just don’t fancy any particular session and want to get some work done, we’ve booked extra space for quiet working.
About the Outreach Centre
If you’ve never been to the Outreach Centre before, it’s a lovely space and perfect for our events.
Why are we running an unconference?
The Prospective Student Web Team are committed to ongoing improvement of online experiences for prospective students. But we can’t (and don’t want to) do it alone.
We want to help bring our colleagues together, to share best practice and facilitate better collaboration across the University to meet the challenges we share.
And we all know budgets are tight in higher education at the moment. We want to provide an opportunity for professional development and networking which is free and easy to get to. The only cost is your time.
Join us!
So join us, experience the unconference event format and explore common challenges with like-minded colleagues.
What: Digital Student Recruitment Unconference – like a mini conference but delegates are in control
Where: The Outreach Centre, Holyrood Road
When: Thursday 26 June 2026, 9:00 to 13:30
Book a place (University staff login required)
More about unconferences: read more blog posts from our team
