Update on the College Fair in SL

The virtual world of Second Life was the venue for an international college fair which attracted an estimated 9-12,000 visitors over the week long event. The fair which began on 16 November brought together 37 educational institutions from North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific to provide opportunities for prospective students to explore the many programs on offer and get to know more about the institutions represented. Visitors to the college fair came from many countries, with the majority (47%) from the United States, and significant numbers of attendees from the UK, Germany, Spain, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.

The first day consisted of virtual seminars given by representatives of some of the institutions, with the remainder of the weekend available for individual consultations with college representatives. Universities and colleges were able to create informational displays about their institutions and meet informally to talk with visitors. The organizers (University of Kentucky, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and Johnson & Wales University) said that attendance was strong throughout the fair period and their survey of participants indicated that, ‘representatives appreciated the large display size, the quality of the displays created by each institution, the opportunity to “network” with other educators involved in Second Life, the presentations, and the support provided by fair organizers.’

The School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University was pleased to take part in this innovative event, and to join other institutions such as Cornell University, Georgia State University, Ohio State University, University of Florida and the University of West Scotland. As an experiment in promoting ‘real’ educational programs in the virtual world it was definitely of value, and something to consider repeating in the future, particularly in attracting overseas students to the university.