Smaller Spaces, Stronger Conversations: Reflections on College Outreach
One stage of fair season is coming to a close in Hanoi. Dozens of universities, hotel ballrooms, buffet brunches, brochure stacks, pennants, magnets, lines, questions, late night flights, and early morning shuttle-busses. Watching it all unfold for the 11th time now, has left me a little reflective about our practices.
Each fall, the cycle begins again: representatives fly into Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City ready to spend long hours in hotel ballrooms or school cafeterias. The pragmatist in me understands the design behind this system. Time, exposure, cost, and return are squished together in a hall to get the absolute best outcome possible, then onto the next and repeat. This works (to an extent), it achieves (to an extent), but it… has a few issues:
public school kids (the biggest yield pool for many) are rarely present
most students stop only at tables that they specifically intend to visit, meaning if you’re not already on their list, you might not even see them
Students often ask about deadlines, scholarships, and tuition, things easily found online rather than program fit or academic culture
A large percentage of the students in attendance are from the host school, which is not usually where you get the majority of your yield-kids from. No shade on the phenomenal hosts, but if most of your matriculated students in the last five years are from HNUE, CNN, and Ams… there’s a mismatch happening. Those kids don't even hear about these fairs.
I’ve come to believe that while fairs still have their place, they’re not my favorite way to help Vietnamese families connect with universities.
The Fair Experience
On the ground, the benefits and limitations are clearly related. Students queue up, squeeze in a 90-second chat, grab a brochure, and move on to the next table. Parents hover, unsure whether to approach or let their child take the lead. Some don't worry about that at all and absolutely dominate your time. Reps turn on their friendliest most extroverted personality, but the format pushes them toward delivering the same 30 talking points again and again.
Counselors and administrators are under pressure to deliver “engagement metrics”, more fairs, more attendees, more application numbers. We measure it in head counts, inquiry cards, clicks. If the goal is to increase brand visibility, fairs check that box. But is this resulting in the real engagement that you want? The seasoned recruiters among you know it when you see it…and I wonder how often you see it on the fair circuit here.
What I’ve Seen Work
Some of the most meaningful interactions I witness don’t happen in a hotel conference room. They happen in smaller, more intentional spaces, cafés, restaurants with private rooms, and at times my own office (I have a lot of livingroom style spaces full of couches and books). Venues which allow for genuine conversation, shifting the energy of the exchange.
So here’s my recommendation: think small. If your Admissions Dept is not yet building / maintaining connections with current students from here, do it. Know which city the majority of your kids are from, and which schools... this is data often underutilized. Those current students are most likely going to be eager to help. Their connections + the “interested students” list from your email-signup will give you a guest list that is intentional. Invite alumni, parents of current students, and prospective families. The rep holds centre stage initially, but then quickly the spotlight moves. Alumni tell stories about what surprised them when they first arrived on campus, what career preparations made the difference. Parents share information: how their kid has experienced campus, what programs and opportunities they’re taking advantage of, and how it’s going. Something special happens when parents of current students brag about their kid (they always do) – parents of potential applicants start to imagine bragging about their own teen. Students ask each other more honest questions that would never surface in a crowded fair. What emerges here is a level of authenticity which is unachievable in any other format, and one which will be noticed. The student leaves feeling more tied into a community. They sometimes even stay in touch with other people they met.
The representative is still there, moderating the evening, but the format decentralizes them. No matter how warm and approachable they might be, in Vietnam they're still viewed (at least partly) as someone in a sales role. In a culture where personal referral carries enormous weight, that dynamic limits trust. When the focus shifts from the rep to other Vietnamese families and alumni, the whole atmosphere changes. What families get isn’t a pitch, but a conversation with those at different stages of the journey. That carries a different kind of credibility. When alumni or current parents are centered in the conversation, it reassures families in a way no marketing material ever could. The admissions rep doesn’t disappear, but is redefined as a facilitator, creating space for local voices to lead.
This format doesn't generate as many names, but from what I've seen... it doesn't need to. Yield events connecting people are more successful, as well as more enjoyable. The kids who attend smaller events know more about the campus community they might join, and are therefore more likely to be satisfied with the community they find upon arrival. By shifting toward smaller, more authentic gatherings, there is an opportunity to show students their journey begins with personal attention, not standardization.
The pragmatist and the romantic
This approach only works when the two are married together. The pragmatist understands the constraints: institutions cannot design bespoke gatherings in every city on the recruitment circuit. Resources, time, and logistics demand efficiency. But the romantic sees what is lost when recruitment is reduced to tables and brochures; the chance for real connection, for trust built in small spaces. You don’t have to choose. You can keep the fairs, and the stack of pens. The best recruitment strategies make room for both: efficiency where it’s needed, intimacy where it’s possible. Conferences during the school day, cafe meet-ups in the late afternoon and early evening. Also… the model I’m proposing works if you have those alumni and current parents, if you have that email list. This isn’t for the early stages of annual or biannual recruitment in Vietnam. But I think it should be the goal.
As someone who has watched countless fairs come and go in Vietnam, I know the effort that goes into making them happen… and some of them work VERY well (usually small ones, which have a more coherent theme). Reps are incredibly dedicated. Students are nervous but VERY curious. Parents are hungry for reassurance, especially right now. But the format too often gets in the way of the connection everyone is seeking.
The times I’ve seen families leave truly satisfied, the times I’ve seen parents leave with an entirely different favorite school, the times I’ve seen and students leave genuinely informed…. these have always been in smaller, human spaces.
