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Create to innovate to differentiate: Virtual Expo 2021

12 May 2021 | Story Ilze Bakkes

The COVID-19 outbreak in South Africa and the subsequent national lockdown severely impacted the usual physical open day mass-marketing tactic. At the same time, it provided an opportunity for the Department of Student Recruitment Services (SRS) to be super creative and agile in promoting the UFS offerings to the target audiences.

Once a year, the UFS invites prospective learners and parents to visit our campuses for a taste of campus life. But for many interested students, especially those living remotely or abroad, a site visit is not always practical. Furthermore, the 2021 open days on the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses were again cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 Virtual Open Day proved that breaking from the traditional recruitment tactics and moving into the virtual domain was not only bold and innovative, but also offered more engagement and communication opportunities with prospective students. Building on the insights and success of COVID-19 response engagements, the Department of Student Recruitment Services has once again developed an immersive virtual experience for prospective students.

Ilze Bakkes, Chief Officer: Integrated Marketing and Innovation from the Department of Student Recruitment Services, says: “We listened to the needs and wants of our prospective students and staff. Therefore, the 2021 Virtual Expo will have undergraduate, postgraduate, and international student recruitment foci, offering more and relevant information in a visual, multi-layered, and digital way.” Information is presented through videos, photos, downloadable PDF brochures, and links to marketing material and the online application platform.

A challenge during the physical open day is the lack of time to engage with faculties or that not all the information could be obtained. The Virtual Expo is live now click here and can be visited until 30 September 2021, when applications to study undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in 2022 close. The Virtual Expo offers a professional, easy-to-navigate and hassle-free digital experience of the academic, social, and cultural life at the UFS on all three campuses – in the convenience of the visitor’s own space and time. Subtexts for videos enable differently abled visitors to enjoy the content, and data-sensitive visitors can download the PDF versions of videos.

Applications to study in 2022 are already open. To apply, click here (link to online application). For important closing dates, download the UFS Undergraduate Prospectus

For information on the Virtual Expo, contact Ilze Bakkes at +27 51 401 9028 or bakkese@ufs.ac.za.

News Archive

Our democracy is not in a good condition

2013-03-28

Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, Senior Research Professor on Trauma, Forgiveness and Reconciliation and Prof Andre Keet, Director of the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice during the live broadcast of the NRF lecture.
Photo: Supplied
28 March 2013

“Our democracy is not in a good condition.”

Those were the words of Prof Andre Keet, Director of the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice at the University of the Free State (UFS), on the eve of Human Rights Day on 21 March 2013.

Prof Keet participated in a lecture series of the National Research Foundation (NRF), the Science for Society series, which was broadcasted directly on SAfm from the UFS.

The topic for the lecture was racial reconciliation and social cohesion in the context of racial inequality.

“South Africa is the most unequal society in the world. According to the latest census results, there are still major inequalities in the distribution of wealth, with the average income of black South Africans one sixth that of white South Africans.”

Prof Keet said that reconciliation and social cohesion is not possible while major racial inequalities still exist.

He asked the question: “If reconciliation is merely linked to an apology and forgiveness, is it possible to reach reconciliation which can change social structures and practices?”

Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, Senior Research Professor on Trauma, Forgiveness and Reconciliation, also participated in the lecture.

Click on the link to listen to the full broadcast. http://iono.fm/go/safm

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