IDP Australia, in conjunction with the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) welcomed a wide field of delegates to the Australian International Education Conference (AIEC) in Melbourne on 9-12 October 2007. This year’s theme was ‘Quality and Outcomes: Fulfilling the Promise’ and put particular emphasis on the student experience, graduate outcomes and the business of international education.

The AIEC has been a hallmark event for Australian international educators. In recent years, Australia has exploded on the international scene as a proactive, highly desirable study destination. It should be noted that two of three sold out pre-conference sessions were entitled ‘How to structure and prepare an international marketing plan’, and ‘Business Intelligence: International education statistics’. At a time when European countries a looking for ways to bolster their international visibility and attractiveness, Australia serves as an interesting model.

Australian Education International, the government driven education promotion body of Australia, utilised the AIEC to launch the refreshed Study in Australian brand project, aimed at boosting Australia’s global education image. The brand is based on the new tagline, ‘Live Learn Grow’, and is designed to simultaneously highlight quality of education and quality lifestyle, two specific measures of the often exhausted term ‘quality’ to attempt to differentiate Australian higher education from its competitors.

The next AEIC will take place in Adelaide, 7-10 October 2008.

Conference website
Image of refreshed Study in Australia brand