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Mission Control / Higher Education and Nonprofit

7 Must-Attend Higher Ed Marketing Conferences in 2025

Fine-tune or revamp your institution’s marketing strategy this year with insights from industry experts.

A group of people seated in a seminar room, facing the speaker at the front who is standing near a podium and a flip chart. The room is bright with large windows in the background letting in natural light. Attendees appear to be attentively listening.

By Kyle Crafton

With multiple audiences, conflicting institutional goals and a long path to conversion, higher education marketers are always up against a unique set of challenges — and the current climate of declining enrollment and state funding only amplifies the issue. Industry events are essential for staying ahead of the game, but not all conferences are created equal. Here are seven not to miss in 2025.

1. Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s (CASE) Editors Forum 2025

March 18–20, 2025 | Austin

Join us at this year’s Editors Forum conference, where the discussion will focus on creative ideas and inspiration. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to chat with fellow editors about story ideas and compare notes. Plus, you can expand your peer networks, including editors, freelance writers, design/printing/paper/digital vendors and more.

Highlight: Come to meet fellow creatives. Stay for The Magazine Exchange, breakfast roundtables and the evening “Dine-Arounds.”

2. University of Illinois Web Con

April 3–4, 2025 | Virtual

The 25th annual Web Con showcases web technology and tools for content producers, designers, web developers and more. As an entirely virtual conference, this event offers useful information to higher education marketers at all levels without requiring travel.

Highlight: Web Con goes beyond tactics and covers the human side of tech-heavy professions, covering topics like work/life balance, burnout and neurodiversity in the workplace.

3. 2025 Alumni Professionals of Texas (APT) Conference

April 27–29, 2025 | College Station, Texas

Now in its 50th year, the APT Conference welcomes alumni relations professionals from across Texas and neighboring states, with attendees coming from public and private universities, community colleges and medical schools. This year the event will be held at Texas A&M University.

Highlight: Because of the conference’s specific geographical focus, attendees have the opportunity to network and learn from other professionals facing similar regional challenges.

4. eduWeb Summit

July 15–17, 2025 | Portland, Maine

This year will be eduWeb Summit’s 20th in the business, and the event now draws attendees from 16 countries and all 50 states. Through in-person collaboration and a thoughtfully crafted agenda, the conference aims to move higher education professionals from theory to action in every sphere of their work. Enrollment, the student journey, the alumni experience, AI, analytics, web design and strategy — it’s all on the table.

Highlight: eduWeb invites participants to share challenges they are facing prior to the event so that these actual, expressed needs can be factored into the program planning.

5. Council of Alumni Marketing and Membership Professionals Annual Conference (CAMMP)

July 22–24, 2025 | Ann Arbor, Michigan

Focused on raising the national profile and reach of alumni relations, the annual CAMMP conference brings together affinity program managers, alumni relations marketers and alumni business development staff to network with fellow alumni marketing professionals while also gaining fresh insights to bring back to campus.

Highlight: Conferences expose alumni relations professionals to trends, tools, theories and technologies that can make their work more effective and help them respond to challenges.

6. Digital Collegium 2025 Annual Conference

Sept. 28–Oct. 1, 2025 | Online & Grand Rapids, Michigan

Formerly known as the HighEdWeb Annual Conference, the Digital Collegium Conference offers more than 100 diverse sessions for higher education professionals across departments. The event focuses on providing insight and solutions to the unique challenges facing digital teams at colleges and universities.

Highlight: The hybrid setup makes it easy to participate online if you can’t make it in-person.

7. AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education

Nov. 9–12, 2025 | National Harbor, Maryland

For over 30 years, the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education has provided opportunities for higher ed marketers to network with peers and school up on the latest research in the field. The symposium boasts a comprehensive selection of exhibitors and roundtable discussions. Plus, it’s an opportunity for Professional Certified Marketers to get continuing education units.

Highlight: Session topics speak to timely issues and challenges facing higher education. Last year, sessions covered AI, creating inclusive workspaces, the “Search Cliff,” and marketing to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, to name just a few topics.

We Understand Higher Ed Marketing

We can help you reach your target audiences with quality content and engaging website design. See our work with University of California, Berkeley, University of Arizona, Washington University in St. Louis and more.

SEE OUR WORK

A person with glasses and a short beard is sitting indoors, focusing on something in front of them. They are wearing a long-sleeved shirt and are in front of a neutral background. The entire image has a yellowish tint.
Kyle Crafton Chief Executive Officer

Kyle’s career experience spans the media landscape, beginning as a magazine publisher and later as CFO and publisher of MediaBistro.com. He served as the publisher and GM of the Curbed Network, now part of Vox media. In 2010, he swapped New York City for Arizona and dove into agency life, leading digital initiatives — design and development, interactive marketing, UX and search — and working with clients such as Nationwide Insurance, Charles Schwab and NASCAR.

Kyle has taught courses on digital media entrepreneurship and the business and future of journalism at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. He feels at home among the many Chicago ex-pats in Phoenix. His passions include cooking, college basketball and spending time with his (significantly more talented) creative director wife, his tween children and his dog.

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