This is deliberately more than a study tour. The wider programme combines international insight, leadership development, peer exchange and opportunities to build relationships with senior leaders across countries and institutions.
For Assemble, the opportunity has been to work alongside CASE and Favier Strategy to help translate that ambitious proposition into a coherent experience, connecting how the programme is positioned and promoted with the participant journey and the detailed planning required to make complex international programmes work.
That creates a very different challenge from filling places at a traditional conference or event.
The proposition, communications and recruitment journey all need to feel appropriate for a senior audience. The value of committing significant time away from an institution needs to be clear, while the experience itself needs to deliver the quality of access, insight and peer exchange promised from the outset.
There is considerable complexity behind the scenes too. International study tours bring together multiple institutions, meetings and locations alongside faculty, participants, hosts and programme partners. Planning needs to begin well in advance and connect recruitment, applications, communications and logistics into one seamless participant journey.
CASE remains the owner and convenor of the programme throughout, with Assemble Events and Favier Strategy contributing complementary expertise alongside the CASE team to support its development, promotion and delivery.
Our role has been to work alongside CASE and Favier Strategy across the wider journey rather than focusing solely on what happens during each study tour.
That includes supporting the strategic foundations for future cohorts; thinking through audiences, positioning and messaging; helping develop the application and participant journey; planning marketing and recruitment activity; supporting participant communications; and contributing to partnership and sponsorship planning.
Recruitment is an important part of that work. For an audience at this level, conventional event marketing is unlikely to be enough. The approach draws on CASE’s networks alongside faculty, previous participants, advocates and targeted communications to build awareness, demonstrate the value of the experience and reach the right people.
The participant experience begins long before anybody boards a plane. Every interaction, from the first encounter with the programme through application, selection and preparation to the study tour itself, contributes to expectations of what follows.
Those relationships are an important part of the experience. Participants travel together, learn together and build connections across institutions and countries, creating a cohort experience rather than simply a programme of visits.
Assemble supports the practical participant journey around this, from recruitment and communications through to detailed study-tour planning and delivery. With a small senior cohort, the detail matters. Clear communications, carefully considered logistics and responsive support allow participants to concentrate on the conversations, relationships and insights the programme has been designed to create.
It is a good example of where meticulous delivery sits quietly behind the experience. When everything works as it should, participants can focus their attention entirely on the programme rather than the logistics surrounding it.
For Assemble, the programme also demonstrates the breadth of support we can provide.
Our involvement isn’t confined to event logistics. Working alongside CASE and Favier Strategy means considering how positioning, recruitment, communications, participant experience and delivery connect, and helping turn those individual elements into one coherent journey.
Just as importantly, it is a partnership that plays to different strengths. CASE brings ownership of the programme, its global network and deep understanding of the advancement profession. Favier Strategy and Assemble bring complementary expertise to support that ambition, working alongside the CASE team rather than around it.
For Assemble, it is precisely the type of work we enjoy: combining our understanding of higher education audiences with the practical experience of delivering complex international programmes, while contributing as one part of a wider partnership.
That creates an opportunity not simply to repeat a successful format in different locations, but to keep learning and evolving. Each destination brings different institutions, perspectives and leadership conversations, while each cohort provides insight that can help shape the experience for those that follow.
It also creates the potential for relationships to extend well beyond individual study tours, as a growing international community of participants develops around the programme.
As the programme evolves, CASE remains firmly at its centre as owner and convenor. Assemble Events and Favier Strategy continue to support that ambition with complementary expertise, helping ensure the experience remains relevant to the senior audience it serves.
For Assemble, the partnership is a strong example of what can happen when our involvement begins long before participants arrive at an event. Positioning, recruitment, communications, relationships, planning and delivery all contribute to the eventual experience.
The study tours may be the most visible moments in the programme, but their value comes from the wider journey around them and the connections, perspectives and relationships that participants carry forward.
More from the project.
In their words
“Launching Here, it will happen in UCL’s bicentenary year was a defining moment for our university. We wanted to do more than announce a campaign. We wanted people to experience the ambition, optimism and sense of possibility at its heart, and to feel inspired to be part of what comes next. Assemble played an important role in helping us realise that ambition. Their creativity and production expertise helped translate our vision into experiences that were bold, engaging and unmistakably UCL, from our flagship launch at the British Museum to celebrations with our international community.
The response from our alumni, donors and friends has been wonderful. We’ve created real energy and momentum around the campaign, and Assemble’s contribution helped us begin this important chapter in a way that felt both ambitious and deeply human.”
“The U21 Annual Network Meeting and Leadership Summit was a cornerstone of the University of Glasgow’s 575th anniversary celebrations, bringing together global leaders to address the key opportunities and challenges shaping the future of higher education. Throughout the planning and delivery of the Summit, Assemble played a pivotal role combining strategic insight with creativity, professionalism, and exceptional attention to detail.
Their team integrated seamlessly with colleagues across the University, taking the time to understand our ambitions and helping us deliver an event that reflected both the University’s global reputation and impact, and the significance of our 575th anniversary. Their collaborative approach, expertise, and commitment to excellence were instrumental to the Summit’s success. I would not hesitate to recommend Assemble to any institution seeking a trusted and highly effective event partner.”
“We hired Assemble Events to manage the elements of our annual alumni weekend that required some real technical expertise. Emma worked tirelessly with our colleagues in the colleges and departments to ensure that they were up to speed with the technology and could confidently deliver a hybrid experience for their alumni. We couldn’t have done it without her!”
“Working with Emma and her team from Assemble Events is always a pleasure. Their calm, well-organised approach to their work and their planning is consistent, reliable, and reassuring. Their breadth of experience, operating nationally and internationally, is invaluable. We value our partnership with Assemble Events on the CASE Global Leaders Programme immensely.”
“Assemble Events came in to support our team during a really busy period. With their help, our whole new team was supported in taking on our summer graduation ceremonies for over 5000 students. Not only did they support the team, they upskilled them too. We were delighted with the support provided by Assemble Events. They provided us with expert guidance and advice, were reliable, efficient and always on hand in the lead up to the event and beyond. They helped us make sure each day of the event ran smoothly and that all stakeholders were managed beautifully.”
“Our longstanding collaboration with Assemble Events has been excellent and continues to grow year on year. The team plays a valued role in designing and delivering Alumni UK’s central online learning and development offer, particularly our Sector Spotlights, disability inclusion events and flagship annual festival, Alumni UK Live. Their professionalism, creativity and attention to detail, combined with a strong understanding of our objectives and global audience, help us deliver engaging, accessible and high-quality events. We greatly value their collaborative approach and commitment and look forward to building on this successful partnership.”
“We commissioned Assemble Events to help us map out the work required to develop our student recruitment events strategy. Emma took the time to understand the unique nature of our institution and through working with colleagues and existing data, Emma was able to synthetise our challenges and guide us through creating a realistic action plan to overcome them.”
“What sets Assemble apart is that they feel less like an agency and more like a trusted partner. They understand the higher education sector, they understand the audiences we’re trying to engage, and they care as much about the outcomes as they do the event itself. Combining strategic thinking, creative insight and exceptional delivery, they’ve built a reputation that makes them an obvious choice for universities looking to bring people together in meaningful ways. Quite simply, once you’ve experienced that combination of sector understanding, partnership and quality, it’s hard to see why you’d ask anyone else.”
“At LTU we have now had the absolute pleasure or working with Assemble Events for a number of key projects. We are looking forward to future opportunities to work with assemble and would recommend them to anyone who wants the highest quality of consultancy for all elements of the assemble portfolio.”
“It has been great to work with Emma on our campaign event planning. Her insight was particularly helpful whilst we were brainstorming ideas. We now have executive buy-in for an exciting programme of launch events that is tailored to our various audiences. Thank you Emma and Assemble Events.”
“Working with Assemble has been a genuinely collaborative experience. The Assemble Events team took the time to understand our objectives, our alumni community and the experience we wanted to create. They brought creativity and fresh thinking to the process, while remaining practical, responsive and focused on delivery. Their support helped us develop an event that felt distinctive, welcoming and right for the University of London and our graduates.”
“Working with Assemble Events, and Nikki specifically, not only provided the practical advice and logistical support that we needed during a busy time, but it was a pleasure to work with them. Communication was clear and the whole process was driven with energy and positivity. Ultimately, we had confidence in a well-planned trip, which ran very smoothly. Thank you!”
“Working with Assemble on the launch of UCL’s Here, it will happen campaign was a genuinely exciting experience. We had an ambitious creative vision and a complex programme to deliver, and the team brought the imagination, expertise and energy to help us realise it.
Throughout the process, Assemble combined brilliant creative thinking with impressive attention to detail, helping us translate our ambitions into engaging and memorable experiences. They challenged us constructively, worked incredibly closely with our teams and really understood what we were trying to achieve.
The result was a series of high-quality experiences that captured the spirit of UCL and created a real sense of excitement and connection among our alumni and supporters. We’re hugely proud of what we achieved together.”
“I had the pleasure of partnering with Assemble Events to deliver my university’s presence at a large international sustainability conference in Thailand. Assemble supported my project team by providing specialist event support and project management that allowed our team, operating across divisions and global campuses, to deliver a top-quality series of events engaging key cross-sector stakeholders.
Assemble brought both experience in overseas events management and a valuable network of international contacts that helped make a complex project run smoothly. Assemble helped us find excellent venues for in-person events, negotiate contracts with overseas vendors, manage online registration processes for public events, interface with conference organisers, and publish a sleek final report showcasing how the project met its KPIs.
The team was brilliant to work with, demonstrated consistent professionalism and kindness, anticipated potential obstacles before they arose, and calmly addressed and overcame challenges when they did arise. They were a delight to work with on all fronts.”
“The University of London has worked with Assemble Events and Emma over the past four years on a range of events, and Emma and the team have been fantastic to work with throughout.
Initially Emma and the team ran our graduations and associated events, working alongside a small team to deliver our graduation ceremonies as we recovered from the pandemic. This involved everything from strategic advice and planning through to the details and operational delivery of the ceremonies on the day – always with a smile, good humour and exceptional attention to detail to ensure the best experience for both our internal clients and our guests.
And Emma was then a trusted advisor as we developed our own internal events team, moving us from Assemble Events’ commissioned services to setting up our own in-house team, which is now flourishing. This involved guidance on the scope and help with interviews, and meant the new team had guidance and support throughout.
The service is fantastic, always customer focused, and I’d highly recommend Emma and the team to anyone who wants first class strategic advice and operational support to make their events shine.”
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