Unforgettable Moments from the OpenApply Admissions Conference in Bangkok: Here's What You Missed

OpenApply held its 19th admissions conference on November 9-10 at KIS International School in Bangkok. We were thrilled to welcome 77 attendees from 41 schools in 14 countries from all over the world.

The theme of the conference was Admissions, Adaptation and Automation, and the weekend was packed with inspiring sessions led by Admissions, Marketing and Advancement Professionals, alongside practical workshops from the OpenApply team. As with all OpenApply conferences, our aim was to craft an engaging and collaborative event that encourages reflection and leads to meaningful dialogue between participants.

Bringing together the international and independent school admissions community, the event facilitated an exploration of insightful strategies for crafting the family journey, rethinking norms, harnessing the power of community, aligning admissions with school identity, and lots more. There was an abundance of opportunities to learn, reflect, network and share best practices!

You can find an overview of the topics covered during the conference here, as well as videos from the first and second day of the conference below:

Arjun Puri, Dean of Admissions at Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, author and multiple TEDx speaker, kicked off the first day with a keynote session highlighting how we have a critical responsibility of building classrooms that focus on inclusivity, diversity and pluralism.
Anthony Fibleuil, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager at KIS International School Bangkok, discussed the power of community within international schools. He offered insights into how KIS strengthens its school community daily and how they utilise OpenApply to better understand families and foster relationships.
Will Forse and Kim Meaden-Kendrick from King’s College International School Bangkok shared how to achieve the right balance of being savvy with marketing your school and still ensuring the values of the school (and its mission) remain at the heart of the family journey.
Yoko Hatayama, Admissions Director/Coordinator at Osaka YMCA International School, conducted a thought-provoking workshop on how organisations often operate within a framework of established norms and fixed ideas about how work should be done, and how they can better balance the benefits of structure while embracing innovation, adaptability and resilience.
Langa Ndiweni, Director of Marketing and Admissions at Verso International School took a deep dive into aligning the admissions process with your school brand, setting the stage for everything that follows. She discussed various strategies and explored the contrast between the approaches of smaller, newer institutions and larger, long-established ones, highlighting how each tailors their admissions process to stand out.
Shawn Hutchinson and Miki Kobayashi, (Head of School and Director of Admissions and Marketing respectively) from Marist Brothers International School showcased the transformative power of collaboration in schools. Their session delved into aligning Admissions, Marketing, and Academic leadership to achieve unified goals.
A panel consisting of Langa Ndiweni (Verso International School), Michael Sawatsewi (Ruamrudee International School), Jaime Brown (St. Joseph’s Institution International) and Gautami Ramachandhran (American International School Chennai) explored the intersection of admissions, advancement and automation, and outlined a cohesive approach to admissions that can be tailored for your school.

We greatly appreciate the contributions from all of the speakers, and all resources are shared with the attendees after the conference.

What some of our attendees said!

“The conference was an incredible experience! I was captivated by every session, which were both informative and inspiring.” – Ni Kadek Ayu Kristiandayanti, Bali Island School

“Enriching and rewarding. I have gained valuable skills and knowledge.” – Daodeymie Duval, Rugby School Thailand

“I had a really good time networking with different people and the knowledge gained from the conference and networking is amazing.” – Farah Sabli, Jerudong International School, Brunei

“It was an excellent experience, and I had a great learning opportunity. All the sessions were very informative and engaging, without being lengthy, so we never felt tired or bored.” – Kiran Singh, Woodstock School

We thank everyone who joined us for being generous with their ideas and experiences, and we hope to see you at our next conference!