Half-Year Highlights: Celebrating 448 Studio's Journey of Innovation and Impact

Hello, wonderful people! I can hardly believe it's been six months since my last update (truth be told, I think it’s even longer). In this update, we'll dive into our latest projects, clients, and plans for the future. So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and let's get into it!

New Clients & Exciting Projects

Over the past six months, we've had the pleasure of working with some fantastic institutions, including the University of Glasgow, University of Cambridge, Heriot-Watt University, and many more. Our work has spanned across a range of projects:

• Social media strategy and social audits
• Content creation, copywriting, and content management workshops
• Supporting content management workflows
• Social media advertising
• Reporting and demonstrating academic impact
• Supporting academic communities with research communication
• Events both in-person and online using Forumm

A special shoutout goes to the brilliant team at 英国赫瑞瓦特大学 , with whom we've been working on social media strategy, and 英国剑桥大学 , where we’ve been running a series of workshops on content creation and copywriting. We've also enjoyed crafting a campaign reporting framework for our friends at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) , and we're eagerly preparing for the upcoming international virtual event, Think Student Live, hosted by Net Natives.

Some friendly words from Amy Mollett and Michelle Watt :

448 Studio bespoke workshops, tailored to our Cambridge University team's needs, not only enhanced our skills in content planning, video creation, and social media, but also fostered excitement and community within the team."

Amy Mollett, Head of Social Media, University of Cambridge

448 Studio's expertise, collaboration and enthusiastic approach in crafting a comprehensive social media strategy through meetings, workshops, and community building exercises have been an important part of our plans for enhancing Heriot-Watt University's communications and engagement.

Michelle Watt, Associate Director Communications and Engagement, Heriot-Watt University

Another noteworthy project is our collaboration with Kingston Business School , where we've been working on a social media strategy and supporting their recruitment and community building efforts. We’ve also had the chance to work alongside Middlesex University helping them refine and shape their Open Days and events.

448 Academy & Hilary's Magic Touch

Our very own Hilary Young , Director of Partnerships, has been on fire! She's been busy refining our workshop curriculum and hosting over 30 workshops for almost 600 attendees. From early-stage academics to senior faculty members, Hilary has been sharing her expertise and helping institutions build their social media presence.

We've already wrapped up some fantastic projects. Highlights include supporting UCAS ' customer experience team, delivering a workshop on social media content and strategy for the University of Bristol Enterprise Services, and running a full-day social media advertising workshop with the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow.

We've also had the privilege of working with the South, West & Wales Doctoral Training Partnership , mapping out a series of workshops for them. And let's not forget our second two-day social media 'bootcamp' for the Work in Progress Enterprise programme at 英国兰卡斯特大学 and another ‘bootcamp’ for academics at the 英国利兹大学 too.

Forumm: Founder Community & The Future

So, let's get to the juicy part – the future of Forumm! We're shifting gears and focusing on alumni engagement. Why? Because we know Forumm can make a massive difference in this area, helping universities create memorable virtual events that strengthen alumni connections and boost donations.

Now, let me introduce you to our Founder Community programme! It's an exclusive club, limited to only 10 institutions, where members get to experience the full potential of Forumm for a whole year. And of course, there are perks: dedicated support from our fabulous team, early access to new features, and custom development to cater to their specific needs.

Honestly, we're buzzing with excitement about this new direction for Forumm and can't wait to see the fantastic achievements our Founder Community members will unlock. If you're intrigued or keen on joining, let me know!

Fun Times & Podcast Chats

In between all the hard work, we've had some fun too! I had the pleasure of being interviewed on two podcasts recently, discussing the future of events, Forumm, and our four-day work week initiative. It's always a delight to chat about topics close to my heart.

The whole 448/Forumm team had a blast at CASE Europe Glasgow, where Hilary spoke about the importance of social media in academia, and I joined Michael O'Neill (Cornell) to discuss virtual and hybrid events. We also had the chance to catch up with our friends at Revolution Viewing and FindAUniversity during a drinks reception, marking the first time our entire team was together in the same room since founding Forumm in 2021.

In addition, we showcased Forumm at Simon Bailie 's Digital DNA Glasgow event. Simon sits on our board of advisors and is a huge supporter of what we're trying to achieve at Forumm. Plus, we managed to take our Forumm branding home – a nice added bonus!

And let's not forget our office pup, Samwise, who turned five and celebrated in style!

Looking Ahead

As we move forward, our primary focus remains on the education sector. We'll be expanding our 448 Academy offerings and continuing to build our event hub, Forumm. A huge thank you for your ongoing support, we're excited for what lies ahead!