Government Continues Partnership With EMS To Extend Reach Of Student Finance Tour

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The Student Finance campaign is reaching thousands more sixth formers with vital information on university grants, as the government extends its highly-successful roadshow promotions tour.

Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, United Kingdom., January 23, 2012 - (PressReleasePoint) - The Student Finance campaign is reaching thousands more sixth formers with vital information on university grants, as the government extends its highly-successful roadshow promotions tour.

Event Marketing Solutions (EMS) have been working with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to deliver the initiative, informing sixth form students about the upcoming university fee reforms from September 2012 and the support available to help them participate in higher education.

So far, the event roadshows have visited approximately 1900 schools and colleges, and has reached more than 150,000 students and parents in an ambitious schedule of visits. Due to end in early January, the tour has now been extended to February 3, to allow those schools and colleges who were unable to host an earlier visit to take part too.

The tour followed a rigorous recruitment and three-day training programme to brief and prepare 39 recent graduates as student finance presenters to visit schools and colleges in a specially adapted mobile trailer. Each visit sees the presenter delivering an informative talk as well as a Q&A and one to one session. Students, parents and teachers complete a survey before and after each presentation to enable BIS to fully evaluate knowledge and perception shifts. Impressively, from the results collated to date, 95% of the students asked felt that they understood more about the new financial support available after having received the presentation.
 
Managing the campaign is EMS’ experienced education team, who have a proven track record of highly successful roadshows for BIS’ Aimhigher education campaign. They are backed by a full-time EMS student finance team whose key focus over five months has been to manage the database and logistically-complex schedule of the 39 presenters as they tour the country in a bespoke exhibition trailer.

EMS Client Services Director Justin Isles said: "We are delighted to work with BIS into February to hopefully reach 25,000 more sixth formers at a vital time in the run up to student finance applications.  This two-week extension will allow us to visit more than 250 schools and reach upwards of 190,000 visitors – far exceeding our ambitious target, in what has been a hugely successful, high-profile campaign. It’s further proof of EMS’ ability to manage logistically-demanding, high calibre roadshows that ensure key personnel are in the right place at the right time, every time to deliver our clients’ campaigns."

Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said: "No one should be put off applying to university because they don’t have the information about the new student finance system. Students need to know that most new undergraduates will not pay upfront costs, there will be more financial support for those from low-income families and everyone will make lower monthly loan repayments than they do now once they are in well paid work."

Key facts
+    Five-month tour of English schools and colleges (September to February) on behalf of Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
+    Delivered by 39 student presenters, recruited and trained by EMS
+    EMS former Aimhigher team utilising 9 years of experience to manage logistically intensive campaign
+    Backed by EMS student finance team managing database and tour schedule

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Notes to editors
+    Event Marketing Solutions Ltd (EMS) plan, supply and implement international vehicle based roadshows tailor-made to clients’ needs - this enables them to engage directly with their customers.
+    EMS own and operate the largest and most versatile fleet of exhibition trailers in Europe and use their roadshow experience to put clients’ products and services directly in front of their target audiences - wherever they are in the world

For further information, please contact: Ruth Devlin 07896 125764, email ruth@judgeandhoward.com or Kate Price at EMS, 0151 350 1509 email kate.price@eventms.com

Ref: EMS-HS-230112