Outreach communication and event-based marketing strategies at MACES

Abstract

The BBA program requirements at BRAC University include a practical internship to acquire real-life experience and to learn how organizations work. I have done my internship in Study Abroad with MACES, a well-known international education consultancy that helps Bangladeshi students to study higher education in foreign countries. During the three-month internship, I was closely involved with the Customer Outreach and Marketing departments, and my duties involved CRM data management, outreach communication, event management, digital content support, and market research.

MACES is a firm that was founded in 2007 and has developed a good reputation for transparency, ethical counseling, and student-oriented advisory services. The organization has over 200 partners in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Sweden, and Dubai. It also organizes massive events like the Japan Roadshow and the International Education Meet, where students can meet the representatives of the university directly (ICEF Monitor, 2023). The strategic focus of MACES on outreach calling, personalized guidance, and relationship-based marketing is also a factor that adds to the credibility of the company in the education consultancy industry (The Daily Star, 2024). Modern CRM systems, digital marketing campaigns, and properly organized communication practices support the operations of the consultancy and guarantee accuracy and efficiency in counseling students (EduCtrl, 2024).

Through my internship, I was able to have a hands-on experience in making 100-120 outreach calls per day, finding student queries, data management, and helping to plan university-oriented events. The successful organization and hosting of the seminar Graduate Study for a Global Career: 10 Factors to Consider at BRAC University was one of the greatest achievements that helped me to improve my event management, communication, and teamwork skills. My experience as a subordinate to my organizational supervisor made me realize the need to be accurate, professional, and empathetic when handling different groups of students. The experiences helped me to use theoretical knowledge acquired during my marketing and communication classes in practical organizational activities, especially in such areas as digital engagement and customer relationship management (Kotler and Keller, 2016).

This report will give a summary of MACES, a description of the tasks I was assigned, an evaluation of their marketing strategies, and a reflection of the challenges and growth I have gained during the internship. On the whole, my internship experience at MACES has helped me to enhance my communication skills, understand the education consultancy business in Bangladesh better, and helped me grow personally and professionally.