In September, The Goin Crew went to The 32nd Annual EAIE Conference and Exhibition that took place at Fira Barcelona Gran Via, in Barcelona, Spain and what an event it was! Unsure of what The EAIE is about? It’s one of the largest European member-lead organizations that provide a platform for innovators and enthusiasts in Higher Education (HE) with the purpose of letting people  come together and exchange knowledge and network. The platform is also about learning new ways in tackling HE internationalization challenges.With this year’s theme being “The future in full color”, it aimed to break barriers on the tools used for internationalization and display a vivid and inclusive picture of our shared future. Of course, at Goin’, we are ALL about inclusion!

Conference Days

With over 6,300 participants from over 90 countries, 200+ exhibitions and only 4 days to get the message across,you could imagine the level of excitement everyone had, especially considering this being the first in-person event after a 2 year hiatus due to the Covid19 pandemic. The Goin’ Crew were also ready to set the stage; we were ready to express our ideas on a grander scale. It was a pleasure to connect with old and new colleagues and partners in the industry. No longer being introduced through a screen, it was easy to grab a coffee on the go and sit down and chat with different people. The days were full and in the evenings there were many receptions to attend. We joined the Opening reception, the Inclusion and Diversity & Marketing and Recruitment Reception, The Speakers Diner, The Orange Party & the Keystone reception among others. All of this while also enjoying the beautiful city of Barcelona! 

Bridging the Social Gap

On the final day, our co-founders,Lars and Cornelis, together with our advisors Joachim Ekstrom from Uppsala University and Menno Kramer (representing Jessica Winters) from Utrecht University took the stage to present our session “Bridging the social gap to boost the end of the recruitment funnel”. The room was filled with many curious minds looking to learn more about Goin’. Amongst that being our  We were overwhelmed by the interactions and questions we received from the attendees.Many people even came to discuss more with us afterwards.  We still remember the very nice feedback that went straight to the Goin’ heart: “Different” and “Modern”, “A meeting between people with a very personal touch.” We were definitely very proud to be a part of the EAIE community,while being together with some of our partners and friends from Uppsala University, Utrecht University, The University of Groningen and many more.

Unexpected Moments

Something that really caught us by surprise was the amount of recognition we received during and after the sessions. During our session, The University of Groningen stood to express their satisfaction with the platform, while  representatives of Pavia University highlighted the difference between Ambassadors-led and Student-led Community building platforms. Letting everyone know that we are indeed working towards a common goal; helping students and universities through different phases of their journey. It was even more surprising to hear Goin’ be mentioned during the Metaverse session by Joachim, Alejandra Otero, partner at NEO Academy and Michaelangelo Balicco, director of Cattolica University! An unexpected, but welcoming surprise. 

Exploring Barcelona

While our days were filled with eventful moments inside the conference, it was still a pleasure to have some moments to see the beautiful city of Barcelona. Walking around the Ramblas and Marina area were great moments to unwind from the activities. It was also definitely a pleasure to share some drinks at the EAIE reception at the RedFish Restaurant, a remarkable seafront venue. Not to mention, our HRM lost his phone in the taxi! (sorry JT, at least we got it back :D). 

Final takeaway

Our main goal for attending EAIE was to make an impact, let people know what’s goin’ on at Goin’ and increase the awareness and importance of building a community for university students. So after hearing so much positive feedback from the attendees at the conference, we think it’s safe to say that we got that message across. While this was our first, it most certainly won’t be our last! EAIE will host its 33rd Annual Conference in The Netherlands at our neighboring city Rotterdam in 2023! We look forward to attending the conference next year and to welcome everybody to our beautiful home country!\

Who are we?

We want to create meaningful social opportunities for students to make them more successful in life. The future of education is hybrid. For Gen Z, the hybrid experience is not new at all and hybrid friendships have been around for years. At Goin' we improve the hybrid student experience by connecting your students the ethical way. A student-led way, effective in establishing meaningful hybrid friendships at your university to make students more successful in life.