Strategic School
Marketing Retreats.
Finding time to write a marketing plan for your school can sometimes feel like Mission: Impossible.
That’s why School Marketing Manifesto has developed the Strategic School Marketing Retreats.
Designed to help you to craft your annual marketing plan and build your strategic expertise, our retreats provide a supporting, uplifting environment where you’ll be surrounded by peers facing the same challenges as you.
The 2025 Strategic School Marketing Retreat destination will be announced soon!
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Stunning locations where you can retreat from the busyness of school life.
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Connect with like-minded, creative and driven school marketers.
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Collaborate with industry experts from the school marketing space.
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Spend two days reflecting, forecasting, strategising and thinking big.
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Leave with your 2026 marketing plan, sorted.
No one gets school marketing like a room full of school marketers.
Here’s the thing: it’s hard to zoom out when you’re stuck ticking off last week’s to-do-list. At the Strategic School Marketing Retreats, we step away from the daily grind so you can look long-term at your big marketing goals.
You’ll come away with:
Next year’s marketing strategy, sorted.
A whole new perspective on your day-to-day.
A network of fellow marketers to lean on when things get hairy.
It’s part planning, part learning, part relaxing, and part having a really, really good time.
The highlight of every school marketer’s year
And no, we’re not talking about the first day of summer holidays. See firsthand what we got up to at the 2024 Marketing Retreats!
On the agenda
Sure, we’re escaping to a beautiful and luxurious location. But we’re doing it to work.
This is your chance to tick off big-ticket items away from the constant email pings, team members swinging by your desk, and the thousand tiny tasks you’ve got sitting on your to-do list.
So forget yoga and margaritas, here’s what you’ve got coming for you and your new school marketing besties at our upcoming Retreats.
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Arrive in the afternoon, settle into your room and relax before joining Bianca, our expert partners, and the other attendees for a fully catered Welcome Soirée. Here you’ll start building connections with other school marketers, which will set you up for the days ahead.
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Join us for a hearty breakfast before we get stuck into our first activities for the day! We’ll dive straight into Diagnosis, looking at the metrics that matter and analysing enrolment trends at your schools. Our comprehensive plug-and-play marketing plan template will do the heavy lifting so you can quickly identify areas of strength and weakness.
Then we’ll start work on your 2026 Marketing Strategy. By the end of this session, you’ll have five strategic objectives mapped out that will be your annual scorecard for 2026.
Once we’re done for the day, you’ll have free time to do what’s right for you — maybe you’ll go explore the stunning destination, or perhaps you’ll retreat to your room for some quiet time. We know everyone is different, so take this time to fill your cup.
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On our last day of the Retreat, we’ll have a series of highly strategic workshop sessions for you to choose from, so you can really dive down deep into areas that will help you in the year to come.
After lunch, we’ll return to our plans to identify the tactics that fall out of our strategic objectives and then you’ll have some precious time to consolidate.
Then, voila! You’ll not only have a draft marketing plan to share with your boss when you get back to the office, but a renewed sense of enthusiasm and momentum to finish the year strong and put your best foot forward in 2026.
Who should come?
As the name suggests, the retreats are designed for school marketers. But we’ve seen incredible results when you bring your team along too.
This means you can work on your marketing plans together, maximising your time and getting you ready to hit the ground running on your return.
In the past, we’ve had attendance (and five-star rave reviews) from:
Marketing Directors
Marketing Specialists and Coordinators
Registrars and Enrolments Officers
Business Managers (yes, really!)
Principals
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Our average rating from previous guests is 4.8 stars!
What People Are Saying
“The Strategic School Marketing Retreat offered a priceless chance to network and work together with other school marketers, in addition to allocating time to concentrate on strategic planning away from the daily school environment.
“The retreat was well-planned, featuring engaging activities and valuable resources for all attendees. It was fantastic to start work on my Marketing Plan for next year with the information and documents produced by Bianca and the team. It would be great to get back here again next year!”
Mitch Smith
Marketing Manager
Toowoomba Christian College
“I feel like I was able to achieve a month's worth of brain dumping in just one day. Thank you to Bianca Coleborn for guiding us through the development of our 2025 Marketing Plan. The Retreat provided the brain space and support needed to pull together all the data, thoughts and ideas that have been floating around in my head in an organised and concise way, away from all the noise of work.
“It was so good to have so many open conversations and proactively work on our marketing strategy. Unfortunately, it has also created a very long to-do list, but one I am excited to tackle. I also learnt that I don't have to do it all; I just need some people in my corner to help make magic."
Bobbi Rentell
Communications & Community Relations Manager
John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School
“Attending the School Marketing Manifesto retreat was a game-changer for me. It wasn't your typical conference—it was hands-on, practical, and incredibly impactful.
“I walked away with a complete marketing plan, new industry connections, and a renewed passion for my work. The sessions were insightful, especially the focus on blending human interest with cutting-edge digital strategies. I highly recommend School Marketing Manifesto for any school marketer looking to elevate their approach and drive real results.”
Kathryn Doyle
Communications & Community Engagement Manager
Fairholme College
School Marketing Manifesto alumni
You came, you saw, you raised the bar. It’s time to clock back in for your annual marketing reset.
There are new challenges around the corner, and we want to make sure you have everything you need to face them.
With past favourites, fresh faces, and the tried-and-tested know-how you need to build on what you started, our Retreat is your opportunity to take your 2026 marketing to the next level.
We’ve built an entire new program to help you make the most out of a return visit in 2025 - we’re just putting the finishing touches on it, then it will be making its way to your inbox.
We can’t wait to see you again this year!
We’ll do the heavy lifting for you
Our Retreat locations are thoughtfully chosen to pull you out of firefighting mode, help you relax, and get you thinking about the big picture.
Previous destinations have included the Crystalbrook Byron, Peppers Noosa Resort & Villas and the Lancemore Mansion Hotel in Werribee.
We’ll spend dedicated time mapping out the year ahead using our tried-and-tested marketing plan which covers everything from unpacking enrolment data, scheduling budgets, understanding your audience and allocating resources effectively.
It’s incredibly practical, actionable and (best of all) easy for your leadership team to understand. If you come prepared, we estimate you’ll leave with your marketing plan 85% complete, with just a few gaps left to fill in once you’re back at your desk. Sound good?
At the end of every Retreat, we see our guests leaving with their spark reignited.
FAQs
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Absolutely. We’ve designed the 2026 Retreat in two streams: one for our returning alumni and another for our newbies. While our new attendees will spend the bulk of their time developing their plan for next year, you’ll have dedicated time to refresh your plan and participate in some intensive sessions designed to stretch your strategic abilities. Plus, our content, discussions and expert talks will all be new to put you in the best possible position to tackle the challenges that 2026 will throw your way.
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All Retreat participants will enjoy the following as part of the package price:
Two full days of professional development
Two nights accommodation
All meals from Sunday dinner until Tuesday afternoon tea (excluding Monday dinner - that’s your time to explore/reset)
Comprehensive digital and printed materials to develop your marketing plan
Plus, of course, friends for life, a clear plan for the future and a renewed sense of enthusiasm!
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That’s a great question! This is not a large conference with hundreds of people. In fact, the maximum number of attendees present will be 50.
Instead of the two days being dedicated to listening to others speak (there will be some of that), the majority of the time will be dedicated to doing something (your marketing plan) and leaving with something to show for your time out of the office.
You’ll be heading home after the two days with a great big item — your 2026 marketing plan — ticked off your to-do list, which just doesn’t happen at conferences.
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Of course! It’s up to you how much time you spend at the Retreat. You’ll be offered all the tools and guidance you need to complete your plan, and if you find that you have some time to go exploring, that’s entirely up to you. (I’m not your mother.)
Having said that, everyone had such a great time collaborating and connecting at our previous Strategic School Marketing Retreats that we’ve always had 100% attendance during the planning sessions.
The only exception to this was when our guests had to step out and deal with something back at school - note to schools: leave them alone so they can get the most out their experience!
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We hope you do not need to cancel your participation at the Retreat, however, if cancellation takes place the following will apply, as per the Retreat Terms and Conditions.
Cancellation of a booking by you must be made in writing. It is up to you to cancel your booking. We will not regard a booking as cancelled unless and until written notice is received by us.
On cancellation, the following charges will apply:
More than 60 days’ notice prior to the Retreat starting date, and 75% of the Total Fee will be refunded (the Fee minus your 25% non-refundable deposit).
More than 34 days' notice and 50% of the Total Fee will be charged.
34 days or less before the scheduled Retreat starting date, and the Total Fee will be charged (100%) unless you are able to transfer to another participant, at our sole discretion.
Please be aware that if you cancel once the Retreat commences or you do not attend, you forfeit all fees. Late arrival may also result in a forfeited fee.
Keen to join the fun?
The destination and venue for the 2025 Strategic School Marketing Retreat will be announced soon.
Given the small nature of these retreats, they do sell out quickly.
If you’d like to be notified when it goes live, put your name on the waitlist (there’s already quite a few on there!).