Connecting Opportunities Worldwide: Unveiling the Success of Our 22/23 Trade Missions

Amidst challenges and triumphs, BONARD organized 14 trade missions that entailed more than 3,200 business meetings worldwide. Of these, six missions were held online, while the rest took place in person at various locations across Europe, Asia, and LATAM.

Embracing In-Person Engagement

After a period of three long years, we were delighted to re-embrace the joy of in-person interactions, unrestricted and without any limitations. We embarked on every offline trade mission cherishing the invaluable power of face-to-face connections. Throughout this journey, our devoted team of five, under the exceptional leadership of Lenka Kubasova, Recruitment Solutions Director, showcased unwavering resilience, ensuring the delivery of top-notch events that left a lasting impact:

"Despite facing many logistical challenges, be it numerous postponements of some of our trade missions or tackling new realities within the MICE industry, we have managed to deliver 14 events over the past academic year. Each trade mission enriched us, and invaluable experiences allowed us to further develop and improve our processes and services. Seeing the international education professionals coming back together and meet face-to-face has been a rewarding experience, leaving us excited for upcoming missions in 23/24."

Lenka Kubasova, Recruitment Solutions Director

Nurturing Global Partnerships

Trade missions serve as a platform for our esteemed partners to engage in B2B matchmaking with key industry professionals. A valuable partnership with the Canadian Assoc. of Public Schools International (CAPS-I) led to five remarkable trade missions. This collaboration enabled publicly funded school districts/boards from CAPS-I to establish essential connections in Italy 🇮🇹, Vietnam 🇻🇳, South Korea 🇰🇷, Thailand 🇹🇭, and Mexico 🇲🇽:

"We’re very proud of our very long-standing relationship with BONARD, with about more than 25 events under our belt together. BONARD is one of the most experienced providers of bespoke agent trade mission type of events."

Bonnie McKie, CAPS-I

Opening Doors for Asian Students

Asia has taken centre stage for our partners, including CAPS-I, IPSEA, Colleges and Institutes Canada | Collèges et instituts Canada (CICan), EduNova Co-operative Ltd., and IALC International Association of Language Centres (IALC).

Working together, BONARD and these organizations have taken focused steps to engage #studentrecruitment agencies in this vibrant region. Our primary objective has been to establish strong connections between our partners and exceptional agents operating in Asia.

This initiative has had remarkable results, fostering new #partnerships between educational providers and Asian agencies and thus bringing Asian students closer to enriching their academic experiences in selected #studyabroad destinations.

During our trade mission for IPSEA in Tokyo, our Recruitment Solutions team was joined by Igor Skibickij, COO of BONARD. With experience of living in Asia and establishing BONARD's presence there, he expressed genuine joy about being able to approach the event from a unique perspective:

"Being part of this in-person trade mission was an immensely gratifying experience. It allowed me to engage with educational professionals and agents on a personal level, gaining unique insights into the world of international education. Having lived and worked closely with the Asian market, this event reaffirmed the significance of face-to-face interactions and the value of forging lasting connections."

Igor Skibickij, COO of BONARD

Igor Skibickij on Linkedin: #japan #tokyo #networking #recruitment #educators

Highlights reel from our recent IPSEA Trade Mission to #Japan #Tokyo with Miroslava Hajickova. From arrival, to venue preparation, seminar program, one-on-one meetings, networking, receptions, lunches, breaks and some sightseeing.

Laying the Path for LATAM Students

Our trade missions in LATAM, delivered for CAPS-I, OASDI, AAPS-I, and EduNova, went beyond business matchmaking. We gained unique insights from local agents and recruitment professionals that revealed promising trends, including Canada's 🇨🇦 rise to become one of the top three preferred study destinations:

"Thank you so much, BONARD, for organizing such an incredible event. The agents were of such high quality and standards, knowledgeable and experienced. These events make our job much easier. I've made some very good connections."

Pam Baji, AAPS-I, Past-Chair / Calgary Board of Education, Manager

Looking Ahead

As we look back on the accomplishments of our global trade missions, we are excited about what lies ahead.

In 2023/2024 we are looking forward to trade missions in Japan 🇯🇵, Italy 🇮🇹, Germany 🇩🇪, France 🇫🇷, Mexico 🇲🇽, Brazil 🇧🇷, and Hong Kong 🇭🇰.

None of this would be possible without the support of our partners or the dedication and expertise of BONARD’s Recruitment Solutions team: Lenka Kubasova, our Recruitment Solutions Director, Ivana Luptakova, Miroslava Hajickova, Silvia Slobodnikova, and Lenka Hudcovicova.

Looking ahead, we are eager to continue building strong partnerships, exploring new markets, and creating educational experiences for students worldwide.

Let's continue building bridges and shaping the dreams of aspiring international students together! 🌎🎓🌟