Up first, we’ll give you your own custom RSVP site, which students and families can use to tell you if they’re interested in your meeting, as well as whether or not they’re able to attend. Once you have your RSVP site, it’s time to start spreading the word about your meeting!
Cast a wide net
The more people who know about your upcoming trip, the more buzz will be generated around your school and community. But how do you go about spreading the word to as many people as possible? We’re so glad you asked.
Many Group Leaders find success building a team of teachers who can help promote their meeting. When choosing which teacher(s) to reach out to, ask yourself these questions:
What other educators/community members value educational travel?
What clubs/extracurricular would have members interested in this opportunity?
Could my principal or another administrator support my promotion efforts?
Who would be a great potential chaperone for my tour?
Additionally, you should make sure to invite as many students as you can. Limiting your invitations to a small group could leave you with a much smaller meeting than you expected. Plus, students could end up feeling left out. Here are a few ways you could let students know about your meeting:
Send personalized invitations to students that you think would really benefit from your tour
Hang posters around school (we’ll send you them, don’t worry!)
Reach out to a student who is especially excited about your tour, and see if they can help get the word out to other students.
Finally, make sure to take a look through all of the tools and resources EF provides to Group Leaders as they go through the tour planning process. And of course, reach out to your Tour Consultant with any questions—they’ll be there to help you every step of the way.
Get your students excited
You already know your tour is going to be incredible—so make sure your students know it, too. Besides, if your students are genuinely excited about your tour, they’ll be much more inclined to get their parents or guardians to go to your meeting. Feel free to get creative with how you generate excitement, or use some of our tips:
Think about past lessons or educational games where students were really engaged, and use these same activities to share information about your tour
Update your syllabus or lesson plans to add details about your tour itinerary
See what EF-provided tools and resources we’ve found especially helpful in getting students excited for travel
Connect with parents directly
When promoting your tour, think about the existing ways your school’s clubs and teachers communicate with students and parents. For starters, think about how you connect with parents about important classroom updates. Do you use an app, send emails, or create take-home flyers? All of these can work just as well for your informational meeting.
You can also think about how your school communicates school cancellations to your entire district. Is there a texting service? A phone tree? An email? Put these to work, too.
Finally, consider how your school shares information about upcoming events, such as homecoming. Whether your school uses a digital flyer system like Peachjar, school-wide announcements, or anything else, you can use these same tactics to spread the word about your meeting.
As always, reach out to your Tour Consultant with any questions.
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