What if you spent months planning a huge event, only for it to be impossible? In the highly competitive world of college recruiting, admit weekends have taken on an outsized role due to COVID-19, and universities have had to cancel or postpone annual, sought-after events. Learn how Reid Peifer, Partner and Chief Creative Officer at Modern Tribe helped an Ivy League university find their breakthrough moment to create a virtual admitted-students weekend and a commencement celebration using WP Engine and WordPress.

1. BRAND BREAKOUT

2. Press Ahead:
HOW MODERN TRIBE HELPED TAKE
UNIVERSITY EVENTS GO VIRTUAL
Partner & Chief Creative Officer
Modern Tribe
@reidpeifer
Reid Peifer
BRAND BREAKOUT

3. Reid Peifer
Partner & Chief Creative Officer
Modern Tribe
@ReidPeifer

4. We were supposed to have thousands of
prospective students on campus
for a critical event.
We have 10 days to pivot.

5. Agenda.
The story of how we
helped Stanford
respond to the new
environment and
press ahead.
The Challenge
Redefine Success
Optimize Workflow For Speed
Build For Flexibility
Outcomes

6. Virtual Admit Weekend Is A Go!
An admit weekend is a critical point in the user journey for
a prospective student choosing a college or university.
The weekend is full of activities and experiences to help a
prospect visualize their future at Stanford. They explore
academics, student life, and community culture.
By definition, it happens… in person.
The challenge.
ADMIT WEEKEND 2020

8. How’d it all happen?

9. Redefine success.

10. Objectives not deliverables.
HOW YOU FRAME THE PROJECT MATTERS
By starting with objectives you:
§ Create an opportunity for creative problem solving
§ Enable the best ideas to bubble up
§ Create a framework for decision making
§ Shift the focus to what you can accomplish, not what you can’t
§ Force a conversation around value

11. Commenceme
nt in the age of
Coronavirus.

12. “Make It Digital” is not a strategy.
‘Meh’ Goal: Better Goal:
Recreate as much of our Admit
weekend virtually
Create a compelling digital
experience that helps prospective
students create a vision of their
future at Stanford and encourages
them to commit to joining the
Stanford

13. Embrace constraints as opportunities.
MAKING THE MOST OF A DIGITAL EVENT
No headcount limitation Fewer barriers to participate In Sync & Async

14. Double down on what matters.
Meet or exceed the high-quality
standards and expectations of the
Stanford brand.
A continued commitment to
accessibility and inclusion in all
digital platforms.
WCAG

15. Optimize your approach for speed.
THIS ISN’T HOW WE NORMALLY WORK,
SO WE SHOULDN’T WORK NORMALLY.

16. “Accelerated timeline” is a misnomer.
IT’S YOUR METHODOLOGY THAT NEEDS TO ACCELERATE.
Your existing project approach won’t produce a successful outcome. What now?
§ Don’t contract your process—optimize it.
§ “Winging it” is a recipe for disaster
§ Over invest in communication
§ Challenge expectations around deadlines. Focus on objectives.

17. Break down the walls.
Democratize good work.
IT’S YOUR METHODOLOGY THAT NEEDS TO ACCELERATE.
Effective collaboration is how you get this done.
§ Treat your clients as team members
§ Make sure there’s a decision maker ‘in the room’
§ Embrace transparency
§ Everyone, regardless of role, can contribute solutions
§ People can have to contribute outside their normal duties
§ Make space for each other

18. Build a foundation for flexibility.

19. This project
actually started
in 2016.
Responding to crisis quickly requires a foundation built ahead of time.

20. https://125.stanford.edu/

21. Modular design & build systems.
A design system is a collection of rules, principles, and
patterns that can be used to create consistent experiences.
It is the system that outputs any touchpoint on your platform.
It isn’t worth squat if it’s not tied to your technology.

24. Attributes of a
healthy design
system.
§ Comprehensive
§ Consistent
§ Flexible
§ Achievable
§ Governable

25. Infrastructure that scales.
SCALING IS ABOUT MORE THAN PAGE VIEWS.
WP Engine enabled Stanford to
scale wide. Being able to spin up
new properties is an essential part
of a healthy platform.
Many organizations never would
have been able to simply get
through vendor onboarding or
procurement.
Any second we spend on
infrastructure is a second not
spent on the experience.

26. Interoperable.
Vimeo for
livestreaming
Stackla for
social integration
Slido for live
engagement
Streamtext for
Live captions

27. Outcomes.

28. On to the next adventure.
The same infrastructure and strategy is enabling us to take
this platform and scale it not only for admit weekend, but to
multiple graduation celebrations.

29. Thank you.
Partner & Chief Creative Officer
Modern Tribe
@reidpeifer
tri.be
Reid Peifer