Open events are where a college makes its best impression. Students and parents leave inspired, then go home to a pile of prospectuses, a generic follow-up email and an application form they will "do later". For many, later never comes.
Oaklands College set out to change that by using WhatsApp for college recruitment. Working with Flowella and Discover Digital, the college built Flowella: Future You, a WhatsApp-based information, advice and guidance tool[2] that lets students explore careers, get course recommendations and apply on the day. The result: Gold for Innovation & Creativity at the College Marketing Network's FE First Awards 2026, presented in Birmingham on 2 February 2026[1], and a 160% increase in same-day applications highlighted in the judges' feedback.
This case study explains how it worked, what the judges praised and what other further education colleges can take from it.
"Genuinely exemplar… original, strategically aligned, and delivering clear, measurable impact."
FE First Awards 2026 judges' feedback
Further education open events have traditionally relied on the same toolkit:
Students leave motivated, then get distracted. Intent fades, and so does conversion. The college has done the hard work of getting a young person through the door, but the journey stops at the exit.
Instead of asking students to go home and apply later, Oaklands moved the open event journey onto WhatsApp, a channel students already use. Future You was built with Flowella and connected to the college's HubSpot CRM.
Students could:
No app to download, no portal to log in to and no forms to re-type. Responses flowed into HubSpot, giving the college a single record of each student's interests.
Traditional prospectuses ask students to choose a course. Future You asks them what future they want, then shows which courses lead there. The judges singled out this careers-first prospectus model as best practice, and it is the reason the tool works as genuine information, advice and guidance rather than another marketing message.
The judges highlighted one number above all: a 160% increase in same-day applications. They also recognised:
| Stage | Traditional open event | With a WhatsApp journey |
|---|---|---|
| Capturing interest | Paper forms, typed up later | Answers captured on the student's phone |
| Guidance | Course-led printed prospectus | Careers-first, personalised recommendations |
| Questions | Email the college and wait | Ask instantly in WhatsApp |
| Applying | Online, at home, later | On the day, before they leave |
| Follow-up | Generic email to everyone | Tailored follow-up from HubSpot |
"Winning three awards is an incredible achievement and a real testament to the creativity, ambition and dedication of our marketing team."
Peter Hudson, Director of Admissions, Brand & Customer Innovation, Oaklands College[3]
The College Marketing Network's judging panel[4] praised the entry for:
They also noted the role of the CRM:
"The integration with HubSpot demonstrated sustainability and long-term value."
FE First Awards 2026 judges' feedback
That is the difference between a clever campaign and lasting infrastructure. Because the journey is connected to HubSpot, it can outlive a single event and keep improving.
The judges said the project has "clear potential to inspire other colleges". Five lessons travel well:
The judges suggested one area to develop: deeper quantitative mapping between student engagement and specific career-path choices. We are already building that layer.
For Flowella, the award is not a finish line. It is a foundation.
Future You shows what happens when a college meets students where they already are: more same-day applications, better guidance and data the admissions team can act on. If your open events inform but don't convert, the same approach can work for you.
Book a Flowella demo and we'll show you how a WhatsApp journey could work at your next open event, or start a free trial and build your first Flow from an existing HubSpot form.
Colleges can also buy Flowella through G-Cloud 15 on the Digital Marketplace. Read about Flowella on G-Cloud 15.