In-Person Peer Learning Event.
Peer-to-Peer:
Marketing & Admissions
Responding to China’s Changing International School Market
Date: TBD, Saturday, Oct/Nov 2026
Time: 1:00-5:00PM
Location: TBD
Peer-to-Peer events have no cost to educators.
We are deeply grateful to [Host School] for hosting this event and creating a space for meaningful professional collaboration. Special thanks to our event sponsor, [Sponsor Name], whose generous support makes it possible for this Peer-to-Peer event to be free for all participating educators and school professionals.
Overarching Goal
By the end of this Peer-to-Peer event, participants will have a clearer understanding of how peer schools are responding to demographic and market shifts, communicating value in a changing market, as well as practical ideas for strengthening marketing, admissions and retention.
Who This Is For
This Peer-to-Peer event is for advancement professionals involved in:
Marketing
Admissions
Communications
Development
Alumni Relations
Parent engagement
School leadership and strategy
It is also highly valuable for Heads of School, Principals, Business Directors and senior leaders with responsibility for enrolment, school positioning, family experience and long-term sustainability.
Outcomes
Participants will leave with:
Practical ideas for strengthening marketing, admissions and retention
Strategies for improving family engagement and parent confidence
Fresh perspectives from advancement professionals working in different school contexts
New peer connections across the China international school sector
P2P Events
PeerSphere Peer-to-Peer (P2P) events are highly collaborative, peer learning experiences where professionals come together to share challenges, practical strategies and emerging approaches.
They provide:
A space to share challenges, ideas, resources and examples from real school contexts
A structured and flexible half-day experience with interactive formats
An opportunity for peer-to-peer discussion and knowledge exchange
A community-building forum connecting professionals across schools and regions
A setting where participants contribute expertise while learning from others
A chance to look beyond competition and strengthen the professional capacity of the sector
Meet your peers in Beijing
Keynote Speaker
Speaker Name
Title
Speaker Bio
We are pleased to welcome [Keynote Speaker Name] as our keynote speaker.
[Speaker Name] will open the event with a market-focused keynote on China’s changing international school landscape and what it means for marketing, admissions and advancement teams.
The keynote will frame the demographic challenge facing schools in China and invite participants to consider how schools can respond with greater clarity, confidence and collaboration. The session will connect sector data with practical questions:
What is changing in the China international school market?
How are foreign and domestic family profiles shifting?
What are parents paying closer attention to when choosing schools?
How can schools strengthen their value proposition without overpromising?
What does strategic enrollment work require from marketing, admissions and school leadership?
Breakout Rooms
Following the keynote, participants will join one of three breakout rooms, each designed to support a different aspect of marketing, admissions and advancement practice.
Finding and Converting the Right Families
Recruitment, Positioning and Admissions in a Smaller Market
This breakout focuses on how schools can better understand their prospective family market and sharpen the admissions journey. Participants will explore how schools are adapting recruitment strategies in response to fewer foreign families, changing domestic demand, and increased competition.
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Discussion may include:
How schools identify and reach right-fit families
What messages are resonating with prospective parents now
How admissions teams qualify, nurture and convert inquiries
The role of tours, open days, referrals, agents and digital channels
How schools explain value in a more price-sensitive environment
What data teams are using to understand why families inquire, apply, accept or decline
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Participants will leave with practical ideas for strengthening recruitment, admissions conversations and market positioning.
From Enrolment to Retention
Strengthening Family Experience and Parent Confidence
This breakout focuses on retention as a strategic advancement priority. In a changing market, keeping families may be just as important as recruiting new ones. Participants will examine how schools build trust across the family journey, from first impressions to onboarding, parent communication, satisfaction and renewal.
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Discussion may include:
What causes families to stay, hesitate or leave
How schools listen to current parents and respond to concerns
How admissions, communications and academic teams work together after enrolment
The role of parent education, community events and feedback systems
How schools support transition points between divisions or programmes
How to strengthen confidence when families are comparing cost, outcomes and school culture
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Participants will share strategies for improving family satisfaction, reducing preventable attrition and making retention a shared school-wide responsibility.
Telling the School Story with Evidence
Communications, Reputation and Strategic Differentiation
This breakout focuses on how schools communicate who they are, what they do well, and why it matters. As families become more cautious and competition increases, schools need a clear, credible and evidence-informed story.
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Discussion may include:
How schools define and communicate their distinctive value
What evidence helps families understand student outcomes and school quality
How to move beyond generic claims about “academic excellence” and “whole child development”
How to align leadership, faculty, admissions and communications around the same story
How schools use alumni, student voice, parent testimonials and graduate outcomes
How to communicate strengths honestly while acknowledging areas of growth
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Participants will leave with ideas for making their school story clearer, more trusted and more connected to the lived experience of students and families.
Event Agenda
1:00PM - 1:10PM
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PeerSphere will welcome participants, introduce the host school and sponsor, and frame the purpose of the afternoon.
1:10PM - 1:40PM
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The keynote will provide a data-informed overview of the demographic and enrolment challenges facing international schools in China, with a focus on what these changes mean for marketing, admissions, retention and strategic communication.
1:45PM - 3:15PM
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Participants will join one of three breakout rooms focused on recruitment, retention or school storytelling. Each breakout will include structured peer discussion, practical examples and resource sharing.
3:15PM - 3:45PM
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Participants will have time to continue informal conversations, connect with peers and visit sponsor materials.
3:45PM - 4:15PM
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The Marketplace will give participants an opportunity to exchange practical tools, resources and examples. Schools may share admissions materials, parent journey maps, open day formats, communication samples, retention strategies, referral approaches, or other resources that have helped their teams.
4:20PM - 5:00PM
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The event will close with a facilitated panel discussion featuring representatives from the breakout rooms and invited school leaders. The panel will surface key insights, unresolved questions and promising practices from the afternoon.
Learn with Peers at
XXX International School
Beijing
Name
Head of School / Principal
Why This Conversation Matters Now
The enrolment challenge facing schools in China is a strategic issue, a leadership issue and a community issue.
In a changing market, enrolment is not only about attracting families. It is about understanding them, serving them well, earning their trust, and telling a school story that is both compelling and true.