Who Attends The NAFSA Annual Conference?
It is important to consider the annual conference audience as you begin submitting a proposal.
The annual conference typically attracts over 10,000 professionals from over 100 countries within the field of international education, both from the United States and abroad.
In attendance are international education leaders and service providers from the private sector including rectors, vice presidents, provosts and deans, international education and exchange administrators, NGO leaders, English language program administrators, those working in admissions and recruitment, and student and scholar advisers.
Attendees are interested in a wide range of topics that include immigration, education abroad, student and scholar advising, country and region specific trends, management and strategy, recruitment and marketing, international exchange agreements, internationalization, research, intercultural communications, and orientation programming.
On average, around 35% of annual conference attendees are based outside of the United States.
Attendees represent international education professionals at all levels of expertise: 69% of attendees have more than five years of experience in the field, with 42% having ten years or more. It is important that session and workshop content goes beyond the basics in order to appeal to the large number of experienced annual conference attendees.
The key audience you are targeting for your proposals is organized around Knowledge Communities and a Shared Interest category. Be sure to select the correct audience for your proposal:
| Knowledge Community | Target Audience Roles Include |
| Education Abroad |
Program development staff; college/university-based education abroad advisers; directors of education abroad offices; resident directors, overseas faculty and staff involved in international education; faculty running education abroad programs; recruiters for outbound students; education abroad providers; and education abroad advisers in secondary schools. |
| International Education Leadership |
International education professionals engaged in visioning, coordinating and building commitment for internationalization, including senior international officers, experienced leaders in international education, senior campus leaders, and others in similar positions. |
| International Enrollment Management |
International enrollment management professionals involved in international marketing and recruitment, foreign credential analysis, placement, English language preparation, admissions, enrollment, and advising of inbound students. |
| International Student and Scholar Services |
U.S. college/university-based international student advisers; international scholar advisers; campus and community programming staff; international scholar advisers; U.S. immigration practitioners. |
| Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship |
Faculty involved in intercultural/international education scholarship; professionals interested in applying theory and research to practice; graduate students/post-docs; researchers; intercultural trainers; and cross-cultural counselors. |
| Shared Interest |
Anyone attending the conference who works in international education or has an interest in the field; individuals whose interest spans across Knowledge Communities. |