About the Episode
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About the Episode:
Recorded live at the AMA Higher Ed Symposium at National Harbor, Carrie Phillips connects with Jasmine Hunter, a first-time attendee and session leader. Jasmine shares her excitement for the event, strategies for maximizing the experience, and her passion for internal communications. Whether you're a conference veteran or first-time attendee, this conversation offers a vibrant, behind-the-scenes look at how higher ed marketers are showing up, learning, and growing.
Key Takeaways
- Conference prep is key: Start early, talk to your supervisor, and outline your goals to make the case for attending higher education conferences.
- Pick sessions with purpose: Focus on sessions that align with your role, personal interests, and long-term professional growth.
- Internal communications matter: Listening to your employees and tailoring messages to their needs is a critical internal comms strategy.
- Network before you arrive: Engage with peers on LinkedIn, in Slack communities, and through AMA webinars to build familiarity before the event.
- Branding + innovation go hand in hand: Sessions like “Define the Brand” help higher ed pros explore storytelling, branding, and how to incorporate tools like AI and VR into marketing.
Episode Summary
What should first-time attendees know before heading to a higher ed conference like AMA?
Jasmine’s top advice: Start planning early. Mark your calendar the moment AMA releases the save-the-date, then begin the advocacy process with your supervisor. Position the conference as essential professional development, not a nice-to-have perk. Jasmine also recommends engaging with AMA webinars and your local chapter to build familiarity with the community before the big event.
Beyond logistics, Jasmine emphasized the importance of intentional networking. Don’t wait until you arrive to start connecting—reach out to peers on LinkedIn, AMA’s Slack groups, and other communities to build connections in advance. That way, the conference becomes less overwhelming and more like a reunion of passionate peers.
How do you choose the right sessions to attend at a big conference?
Jasmine used a smart, crowdsourced approach. She asked professionals on both the agency and institutional side which sessions they recommended for her goals. Then, she cross-referenced suggestions with the official session list, noting which topics sparked interest and aligned with her goals. By marking everything in the conference app beforehand, Jasmine built a personalized schedule with intentional focus.
Her top pick? A session titled “Define the Brand”, which zeroes in on storytelling and modernizing branding with tech tools like AI and VR—a major interest of hers. She’s also excited about sessions on leadership confidence and salary strategy to level up her career.
Why internal communications is having a moment in higher ed
In addition to attending sessions, Jasmine is also leading an Idea Exchange on internal communications—a subject she’s passionate about. Her focus? Helping higher ed marketers rethink how they communicate with faculty, staff, and students through newsletters, surveys, and feedback loops.
Her hot tip for anyone who missed the session: Listen to your employees. Whether it’s a focus group, a quick pulse survey, or just open dialogue, great internal comms start with understanding what your people actually want to hear, how often, and through what channels. Jasmine encourages peers to challenge outdated strategies and rethink the value of biweekly, monthly, or quarterly communications in a way that genuinely serves the internal audience.
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