Virtual Open Days That Turn Interest Into Applications
Design virtual open days that turn curiosity into confidence and guide students towards application.
Virtual open days attract registrations.
But engagement drives applications.
Virtual open days are now a core part of university recruitment to reach prospective students around the world. But registrations alone do not lead to confident decisions.
Students need opportunities to explore, interact, and ask questions before choosing where to apply.
Without the right structure, virtual open days become passive broadcasts rather than meaningful recruitment experiences.
WorkCast helps universities deliver virtual open days that keep students engaged and guide them towards confident next steps.
Everything You Need to Deliver Successful Virtual Open Days
Branded Virtual Open Day Experiences
Live Q&A and Moderated Chat
Allow prospective students to ask questions during sessions while moderators manage conversations smoothly.
Interactive Polls and Engagement Tools
Simulive and On-Demand Sessions
Real-Time Engagement Analytics
CRM Integration for Smarter Follow-Up
Sync engagement data directly with your CRM to enable faster, more personalised follow-up.
Expert Insights from Our Virtual Open Day Webinar
Short clips from our recent session exploring how universities design virtual open days that engage prospective students and drive confident decisions.
Watch the Full Webinar
Virtual Open Days That Convert
How Universities Can Attract and Engage Global Students
Why Universities Choose WorkCast for Virtual Open Days
Designed for structured, high-impact events
Not just webinars. WorkCast is built to deliver full virtual open day experiences with clear journeys, multiple sessions, and guided pathways.
Engagement that actually scales
From moderated chat to structured interaction points, keep thousands of attendees involved without overwhelming your moderators.
Built for global audiences
Support international students with simulive sessions, flexible access, and consistent experiences across time zones.
Insight that drives better follow-up
Capture real engagement data and connect it directly to your CRM, so your team can prioritise the right students at the right time.
Trusted by Leading Universities
Durham University
Durham University Business School exceeded their virtual open day registration target by 36% and reached a global audience, with 26.5% of attendees joining from outside England.
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen hosted virtual open days with over 2,700 registrations and saw a 14% increase in attendance, with 90% of attendees more likely to apply after attending.
The Open University
The Open University uses WorkCast to deliver accessible virtual events that help prospective students explore courses and make informed study decisions.
Explore More Virtual Open Day Insights
Practical guides, strategies, and examples to help university teams design more engaging virtual open days. Start with our most popular resources 👇
Virtual Open Days That Build Trust and Drive Student Progression
How transparent, interactive virtual open days help students feel confident and move towards application decisions.
How to Use Polling and Chat to Drive Interaction During Virtual Open Days
How simple, well-timed polling and live chat turn passive attendees into active participants, helping universities increase engagement and understand student intent in real time.
How CRM Integration Transforms Virtual Open Day Follow-Up
Your virtual open day shouldn’t end when the session finishes. Learn how integrating engagement data with your CRM enables personalised follow-up, helping universities prioritise high-intent students and drive progression to application.
WorkCast Offers Six Main Types of Virtual Events
Your virtual event, your way. We've meticulously designed our virtual events to suit your business needs while also looking ridiculously good.
Mini VE
Mini VE is the new way to create and run 'bitesize' virtual events with WorkCast. Mini VE is packed with essential features and your own branded master template that makes running your own virtual event faster and easier than ever.
With awesome branding options you don't need to compromise by running a bitesize virtual event.
University & College Virtual Open Days
Virtual Open Houses are the ideal solution for institutions looking to extend the reach of their event and open their doors to a global audience. They enable institutions to interact directly with prospective students via interactive features, such as live chat, Q&A, polls, surveys, webcasts webinars and more, which is proven to increase student applications.
Virtual Conferences
Virtual Conferences are revolutionizing the way companies interact with audiences by taking traditional conferences and hosting them online. WorkCast's virtual conference software gives you the power to do it too.
Similar to conventional conferences, virtual conferences are highly engaging and include a series of webinar sessions run by thought leaders in the industry who present to and interact with attendees.
Virtual Careers Fairs
A virtual career fair, or virtual recruitment event, is a virtual event that allows employers to connect with job seekers in a virtual environment, rather than a physical one.
Virtual job fairs offer job seekers the freedom and flexibility to interact directly with potential employers, so they can make more informed career decisions - all that’s needed to attend is a computer or mobile device with a good internet connection.
Virtual Trade Shows
A virtual trade show, or virtual trade fair, is a type of virtual event that allows exhibitors and visitors to interact in an online environment, rather than a physical one.
Virtual trade shows are considered the online equivalent of traditional trade shows, but unlike their physical counterparts, virtual trade shows are not limited by their geographical location. Visitors can attend virtual trade shows anywhere, anytime - all that’s needed to attend is a computer or mobile device with a good internet connection.
Virtual Benefits Fairs
A virtual benefits fair, or employee benefits fair, is a virtual event designed to help employers communicate and explain the benefits provided to their employees at scale through an interactive online environment, rather than a physical one.
Only 40% of employers help employees understand and maximize their work benefits. Virtual benefits fairs make providing this information to employees more affordable and scalable by removing the physical and time-based barriers associated with in-person training.
What University Teams Are Asking About Virtual Open Days
Keep sessions between 10 and 30 minutes.
Beyond that, attention starts to drop.
Shorter sessions also give students flexibility to join what’s most relevant, rather than committing to one long presentation.
Applications matter, but they’re not the full picture.
Look at engagement signals like attendance, viewing time, poll responses, questions, and post-event activity. Together, these give a clearer view of student intent.
Use engagement signals as guidance, not scripts.
If a student attended a subject session or asked about accommodation, reference that in your follow-up. It makes communication feel relevant rather than generic.
Simple changes have the biggest impact.
Start with a poll, encourage early questions, include student voices, and break sessions into shorter segments to keep attention high.
They work best as an early discovery stage.
Students explore options, ask questions, and build confidence before attending in person, making campus visits more focused and effective.
Yes. Our team works closely with universities to help design, set up, and deliver successful virtual open days, ensuring a smooth experience for both your team and your attendees.
Of course. You can request a free demo to see how universities are using WorkCast to deliver engaging virtual open days and improve student progression.

