10 Reasons Enrollment Teams Choose EMG Workshops
Andy Lynch, here. Rick Newberry and I love getting emails from marketing and admissions professionals and Heads of School who are considering attending one of our workshops.
In most cases, they really want to come. But they’ve never experienced an Enrollment Marketing Geeks event before, and they want to make sure it’s a wise use of precious professional development resources.
We get it.
Whether you’re thinking about joining us virtually at GeekCon for The Family Journey™ Workshop or The Admissions Playbook Workshop, or traveling to Orlando for the Enrollment Marketing AI Summit, you want to know this won’t just be another good conference with a few decent ideas and a notebook that gathers dust.
So I thought it would be helpful to outline 10 reasons why an EMG workshop — virtual or in-person — is a smart investment for schools pursuing healthy enrollment.
Here goes.
1. Your team needs a plan. You need a plan.
Rick and I have had the privilege of working with schools of all shapes and sizes. In our experience, very few have a comprehensive, usable plan for recruitment and retention.
Most marketing and admissions teams are project-driven, deadline-driven, and event-driven. They’re juggling open houses, re-enrollment, website updates, board questions, and social posts. What they don’t always have is a clear framework with defined goals, meeting rhythms, timelines, and priorities.
At our workshops, we teach teams how to develop a Healthy Enrollment plan — one you’ll actually use. Whether we’re walking through the Family Journey™, building your Admissions Playbook, or exploring how AI can support your enrollment strategy, you’ll leave with clarity and direction.
Not theory. A plan.
2. We prioritize healthy enrollment, not just full enrollment.
“We’re full. Why would we invest in marketing?”
We hear this fairly often.
At Tassel, we talk a lot about healthy enrollment. Rick (Enrollment Catalyst) shares this perspective, and it’s embedded in everything we teach.
Healthy enrollment means attracting and retaining right-fit families — families who want what you do and value how you do it. It means strengthening culture, reducing attrition, and building long-term momentum.
Whether your school is not-so-full, sorta full, or beyond full, our workshops will help you think carefully about enrollment health over the long haul.
3. We organize your work around the Family Journey™.
There is tremendous value in organizing recruitment and retention around your customer’s reality.
At Tassel, we call this the Family Journey™: Awareness, Consideration, Decision, Evaluation, and Advocacy.
At GeekCon’s Family Journey™ Workshop, we go deep into this framework. At The Admissions Playbook Workshop, we apply it to the systems and strategies that move families forward. At the Enrollment Marketing AI Summit, we actually develop materials using AI tools to support each phase.
You’ll see real examples, practical applications, and updated tools aligned to today’s realities, including how AI is reshaping communication and responsiveness.
4. Team alignment is priceless.
A lack of alignment can be far more expensive than the price of attending a workshop.
When your team is aligned around an effective plan, using shared language and pursuing common goals, you reduce complexity and increase velocity. The approaches you’ll learn at GOTR will help your team avoid assumptions and miscommunication. (Think: fewer meetings).
5. You don’t know what you don’t know.
High-performing teams have a growth mindset. They’re curious about what’s possible.
It’s easy to get comfortable doing things the way they’ve always been done. Our workshops challenge that comfort in healthy ways, by introducing new strategies and sharing examples from schools getting traction. We talk candidly about what’s working and what’s not. And this year, that includes practical conversations about AI tools that can support your team without adding complexity.
You’ll leave thinking differently.
6. You can learn with and from other schools.
Good things happen when you get marketing and admissions professionals in a room — physical or virtual — and give them time to talk honestly.
At our in-person events, that might look like intentional breakout sessions and coffee-fueled collaboration. At GeekCon, it means sharing ideas through structured discussion.
You’ll “give help and get help.” Your experiences can help another school move forward, and their insights might unlock something for you.
We build the agenda to make that happen.
7. There is value in a change of scenery (even if it’s your home office).
Okay, yes. Orlando in November is a nice perk. But the change of scenery I’m talking about is bigger than palm trees.
There’s value in stepping out of your day-to-day work to focus on strategy. For some of you, that means getting on a plane and spending two days immersed in conversation. For others, it means blocking your calendar, closing your office door, and joining us virtually with full attention.
Both formats create space to work on your enrollment strategy instead of just in it.
That space matters.
8. One new enrollment can pay for a workshop.
You’ve probably heard that line before from other professional development opportunities. But our take is a little different.
We focus on attracting and retaining right-fit families. And right-fit families stay.
Let’s say you implement one idea that attracts a third-grade student who stays through graduation. What’s that worth in tuition revenue? $100,000? $150,000? More?
The ROI conversation changes quickly when you think long term.
9. The content is refreshed every year.
The core principles of the Healthy Enrollment Model and the Family Journey™ remain steady. But the tools, trends, examples, and conversations evolve every year.
In 2026, that means thoughtful integration of AI strategies that are actually useful for enrollment teams (not hype, not gimmicks).
If you join us virtually, you’ll also receive access to session recordings so you can revisit key concepts and share them with colleagues who couldn’t attend.
10. You’ll benefit from Rick and Andy’s experience.
Rick and I have been collaborating since 2004. We’ve learned with and from each other as we’ve helped schools gain traction in their local markets. We’ve seen high-performing teams and dysfunctional teams. One-person teams crushing it and large teams slowed down by internal politics. Boards that understand enrollment, and boards that don’t.
At our workshops, you benefit from the thousands of conversations that have shaped our thinking and informed our methodologies.
We’ve seen a lot. We’re happy to share what we’ve learned.
And… a BONUS Why: The Dad Jokes.
It wouldn’t be an Enrollment Marketing Geeks event without at least a few dad jokes and moments of nonsense.
Yes, even virtually.
Bring your sense of humor. We may stage a few laugh battles.
If you’ve read this far, thank you.
Considering a workshop?
If professional development is a priority for your team but you aren’t sure exactly what you need, send an email to workshops@enrollmentmarketinggeeks.com. One of our team members will follow up with you to hear more about your learning goals, then help you determine the best opportunity.
But if you’re ready to make the investment, I’d encourage you to register soon. Pricing increases as the dates approach, and we’d love to see you there.