IDP Education's First Users Group Workshop Brings Together International Education Professionals from the United States and Abroad

Online, July 6, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Forty-one university representatives met 13 of IDP Education's overseas leaders in Berkeley, California from June 20-22 for the organization's inaugural Users Group Workshop.

Attendees had the opportunity to learn more about IDP's counseling operations, gain firsthand market intelligence from the organization's senior leaders from Asia and the Middle East, and observe corporate overviews from the chief operations officer, Andrew Thompson.

Two of IDP's stated goals for this event were to showcase the breadth and depth of the knowledge of their overseas representatives, and to display a level of transparency and openness unprecedented within the student placement environment.

"I've been working with agents for 15 years," says John Harn of Pacific University. "This is the first time I've heard such a transparent analysis of marketing and processing issues."

The event consisted of classroom-style sessions with topics ranging from IDP's infrastructure to market intelligence and marketing advice for leading source countries, as well as breakout opportunities where university representatives interacted with each other and IDP's overseas leaders to discuss specific issues such as effective marketing strategies, overseas print and online needs, recruiting events, student mindsets, and more.

"It was heart-warming to see the schools talking to and learning from each other," says Mark Shay, IDP's North America director. "My hope is that they will begin to collaborate with each other to advance international education in their schools and throughout their regions."

The 41 attendees represented two-thirds of IDP Education's university partners. The Network representatives included regional directors of South Asia, Southeast Asia, North Asia, and the Middle East; country directors from Singapore, Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, and Saudi Arabia; and the company's foremost experts on U.S.-bound counseling, such as Luna Das, a former employee of USIEF in India. The event was hosted by IDP's 10-member U.S. university relations team based in Philadelphia.

Touted as one of the benefits of membership, the Users Group Workshop was open only to university partners. Registration for the organization's overseas road shows, a series of opportunities to meet with pre-screened student prospects in various countries, also opened during the event.

Shay expects more opportunities like this to unfold as the organization continues to grow and to maintain its claim as the world's largest student placement organization.

To learn more, visit www.usa.idp.com.