Eight Ways to Make the Most Out of NACAC 2018

For enrollment professionals across the country, the NACAC National Conference is a major highlight of the year. The conference not only kicks off the fall recruiting season, it also offers tremendous opportunities to refresh, refocus, catch up with colleagues and, perhaps most importantly, learn some new things.

Are you heading to Salt Lake City on Sept. 27? Here are eight ways to make the most out of NACAC 2018.

1. Learn and Share

The conference is fully packed with educational opportunities with a slew of sessions offered in every imaginable higher education topic. Be sure to venture out to the special interest group sessions and learning lounges.

Also, be sure to stop by Capture Higher Ed’s session — “The End of Stealth: Introducing the Capture Prospect” — on Friday, Sept. 28, in the Learning Lounge. Dr. Thom Golden, Capture’s senior vice president of data science, will discuss how the bulk of conventional thinking in modern enrollment management is built upon the flawed belief that an institution does not have enough interested prospective students to meet its enrollment goals. Capture knows better. Earlier this year, we introduced Capture Prospect, which opens up a whole new world of prospective student right there on your university’s edu. site.

2. Catch Up with Colleagues

Admission professionals often spend more of their waking hours with their colleagues than anyone else. NACAC is an opportunity to connect with colleagues from days past! Some folks may switch sides of the desk, or sides of the business, yet we are all still in this great profession together. Enjoy your time reconnecting with old friends as well as making new friends.

3. Check Out the Host City

NACAC truly has a knack for choosing host cities with lots of excitement. At some point, if your schedule allows, explore beautiful Salt Lake City while in town for NACAC 2018. Without this conference, many of us would never have walked down Bourbon Street with our colleagues in New Orleans, cheered the Padres on to victory in San Diego, or marveled at the Toronto skyline.

4. Be Sure To Vote!

Your votes for NACAC candidates make a difference. The process for being a candidate is extensive and time-consuming, so take the time to meet them, research and make a considered vote.

5. Introduce Our Profession

Do you remember your first NACAC conference? It can be overwhelming! Help out the newbies. The conference is a great place to welcome the newer professionals and demonstrate the various paths to which the profession may lead. If NACAC 2018 if your first conference, don’t miss the First Timers’ Orientation at 10 a.m. Thursday.

6. Visit the Exhibit Hall

This is where you go to visit with vendor partners (and potential vendor partners) to learn new cutting-edge technologies and trends in the field. In the same vein that we encourage our prospective students and parents to explore at a college fair, take some time to do the same at the exhibit hall. (Don’t forgot to stop by Capture’s booth — 312.)

7. Experience the Counselors’ College Fair (CCF)

While we love representing our colleges and universities, we also like visiting with one another. If your institution is fortunate enough to have more than one team member at NACAC, then take a few minutes to visit your colleagues at other institutions. A relatively captive audience exists during this two-plus hours of the college fair. Be sure to reconnect and meet colleagues on the same side of the desk.

8. Be Social

The conference presents an array of socializing opportunities including the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) luncheon, affiliate membership meetings, the welcome session, the conference social and many more. Also, be sure to visit with your vendor partners.

Speaking of that, Capture will host a fun opportunity Friday evening (Sept. 28). Join us for Capture’s Happy Hour from 7–10 p.m. at Finca, a Spanish tapas restaurant near the convention center. Email Jessica Daves to let us know you will be joining us.

Here’s wishing you a productive NACAC 2018. Enjoy Salt Lake City!