Your Open Day Starts Before a Family Enters the Classroom
An international school open day is not simply a tour. For many families, it is their first physical experience of the school.
They notice the welcome at the gate, whether they can find the registration desk, how clearly the programme is explained and whether the information they take home answers their questions. Long before a parent speaks with the head of school, dozens of small details have already communicated something about the institution.
Many of those details are printed.
The Difficult Part Is Not the Main Brochure
The admissions brochure is normally planned well in advance. The less obvious materials are the ones that multiply during the final week:
- Directional signs from the entrance to registration
- Campus maps and tour routes
- Event programmes and presentation schedules
- Name badges for staff, student ambassadors and visitors
- Information sheets for different year groups
- Application folders and enquiry cards
- Department posters and classroom signs
- Roll-up banners for reception and presentation areas
- Branded notebooks, pens or tote bags
- Acrylic brochure holders and registration displays
Each item may be straightforward by itself. Together, they become a project involving several departments, changing attendance estimates and one immovable date.
Then somebody moves the Early Years presentation to another building.
The old campus map is now wrong, three arrows point in the wrong direction, and the event begins on Saturday morning.
That is why open-day printing needs coordination, not just production.
Design the Visitor Journey on Paper
The best way to plan the materials is to walk through the day from a visitor's perspective.
What does a family see when arriving at the campus? Where do they register? How do they identify staff? What information do they need during the tour? Which document should they keep after leaving?
This approach prevents two common problems: producing beautiful items that nobody uses and forgetting basic pieces that visitors genuinely need.
For example, a premium prospectus may create the right first impression, but a simple, clearly designed campus map may have more practical value during the event. A folder can keep programme information, fee sheets and curriculum summaries together. A QR-code card can direct families to an enquiry form without filling the folder with documents likely to change.
Plan the permanent and changeable information separately. Your school story, educational philosophy and campus photography may remain relevant for several admissions cycles. Event times, staff names, fees and QR codes may not. Printing them as separate pieces can reduce waste and make future updates easier.
English Communication Across Several Departments
Open days are usually shared projects. Admissions provides the content, marketing controls the brand, academic teams prepare presentations, operations manages the space and leadership approves the final message.
When the printer communicates only through one bilingual employee, that person becomes an unnecessary bottleneck. Call2Print works with international teams directly in English, helping clarify the specifications for brochures, signs, banners, badges, gifts and displays.
You can send us a structured item list, individual department files or reference photographs. We review practical production details, identify obvious file questions and coordinate the agreed products under one project.
One Delivery Does Not Always Mean One Pile
Open-day materials are easier to use when packed according to location or purpose. Registration badges should not be buried beneath admissions brochures. Directional signs for Building B should be identifiable without opening every carton.
If packing or labelling requirements are discussed before production, materials can be grouped for reception, tour leaders, presentation rooms or different campuses. Delivery can be arranged to the school or another agreed Shanghai address, with a clear receiving contact.
The goal is not simply to deliver everything before the event. It is to help the team set up without turning Friday evening into an archaeological excavation through unmarked boxes.
Give Families Something Clear to Remember
Parents may visit several schools. After a day of tours and presentations, details begin to merge. Well-organised take-home materials help a family remember your programme, values, contact information and next step.
That does not require printing the most pages. It requires selecting the right information, presenting it clearly and producing it consistently.
Planning an Open Day in Shanghai?
Planning an open day or admissions event at an international or bilingual school in Shanghai? Send Call2Print your event date, item list, quantities, artwork status and campus delivery details.
We can coordinate admissions brochures, folders, maps, programmes, signs, banners, name badges, branded gifts and acrylic displays through one English-speaking local contact.