When a student steps into a new school or a new university, he or she meets many things: new faces, new place, new schedule, new duties and a welcome pack.
But what is a memorable welcome pack?
For schools and universities, a welcome pack contains more than just branded products. Anything in the pack stands for the educational institution. The objective is to find something that is quite interesting, useful and meaningful after the student is no longer in the orientation session.
This is where LOCH comes into play.
As an innovator in designing personalised cosy, reusable bottles, LOCH has participated in more than one student welcome experience for various institutions like Harrow International School Dubai and Heriot-Watt University Dubai.
Why choose a reusable bottle? And why choose LOCH?
There are three important elements to the answer: functionality, identity, sustainability.
Something That Students Will Use
Many items are useful for a welcome kit, including pens, notebooks, tote bags, and information packs. But many of these things soon lose their usefulness after the first lecture or two.
A water bottle has a completely different story.
Hydration continues to be the integral part of a student’s daily life from a classroom to a library, a lecture hall to a meeting, and from a sports activity to home.
This is why a reusable bottle is among the few items from a welcome kit that might be incorporated into a student’s daily life.
We do not think that the welcome pack should be merely pleasant for the schoolchildren upon opening. It should have some functional features beyond the first impression of the first day.
This is exactly the reason why recyclable water bottles are so appropriate for the educational sphere.
Harrow International School, Dubai’s approach to implementing a more advanced welcoming kit.
Harrow International School draws from its solid traditions and values which give this educational institution a unique identity.
The institution utilizes both the traditions of Harrow School and Taaleem’s experience to implement teaching methods and values of courage, honor, humility, and brotherhood.
The LOCH bottles allow for accomplishing just that.
A bottle branded with a school name is now not only an object students receive and keep in the welcome bag, but also a piece of belongings they will carry with them on a daily basis.
This may seem like a small thing, but that little difference matters.
There is a difference between getting a school bottle and getting your own bottle from school.
With personalisation people can get that feeling of ownership.
Personalisation is especially of importance to younger students who find identification of their belongings easier and experience a more personal interaction with the item.
When that bottle travels throughout the school, to sports events, and back home, the school identity travels with it.
The Need for Practical Welcome Pack Items at University
The requirement for usable items in the welcome pack becomes much clearer in higher education.
Heriot-Watt University is fighting to make a mark in the international education industry. The university is based in Dubai, providing new students with the required initial support as they draw upon the university channels to pursue education in Dubai. The university explores its growing network of teaching and learning resources, preparing new entrants for their welcome week.
For an international student, a welcome pack is not simply a variety of branded materials but a welcome into new surroundings.
Throughout the day, students may be traveling from the classroom to the library, services for students, cafés, study spaces and extracurricular activities. A bottle fits right into this environment.
Now do you see why LOCH is a great fit for this environment?
It is not something new for students to understand. It is something they can include in their routine.
Fill. Carry. Refill. Repeat.
Easy, functional and durable.
Bottles from LOCH are manufactured with a certain aim in mind.
Using 18/8 pro-grade stainless steel, LOCH bottles come equipped with insulation technology, a sweat and leak-resistant design, a powder-coating finish, and a wide mouth that makes filling and cleaning easier.
Consequently, the bottle may serve as a product that is both functional and that can also serve as a branded merchandise item.
Moreover, due to the fact LOCH has several varieties of bottle sizes and colors, institutions of education can create their own unique products that correspond with their visual representation.
The bottle should not look like an advertisement.
Instead, it may simply look like a quality product promoting a college or university.
The difference between the two is quite significant.
Personalization Makes Promotional Items Being Treasured
When a student’s name comes into play it changes the way both the item and the experience are perceived; rather than receiving something generic, they can be presented with something made for them personally.
With personalization, institutions have an additional option to add some intention to welcome packs. Moreover, it makes students be more responsible for things they receive.
This concept has already been tested by LOCH and its partners.
For instance, the LOCH x RGS project gives students an opportunity to personalize their water bottles with their names and a contact number of the registered parent. The aim of the project is two-fold: unequivocal help to the unfortunate student whose bottle is lost and perhaps an incentive for the caring of their belongings.
While it may not seem significant, it can go a long way.
Small moments lead to sustainability.
Messages on the benefits of giving a welcome-back bottle are used to show the conflicting feelings toward a peaceful environment.
Sustainability does not have to start with grand campaigns.
Sometimes sustainability can mean swapping one disposable habit for another.
Instead of buying single-use plastic bottles multiple times during a school day, students can always choose to refill their water bottle and use it again.
For an educational organization, it provides an opportunity to make sustainability real.
In this way, not only are students told to make better decisions and act more responsibly, but they also get something that supports this behavior.
This is the concept behind the mission of LOCH, which aims to make a sustainable way of hydration practical, attractive, and convenient rather than compromising.
Why This Matters in the UAE
UAE is a unique place when it comes to hydration.
Students have to spend long periods moving from one environment to another, from classrooms to sporting places, getting to school and participating in after-school activities.
This makes hydration something that has to be considered daily, rather than occasionally.
One of the ways to achieve this is by using a reusable insulated Jug.
The beauty of this item is that it can be used regularly, making it necessary even during the academic year.
This is what makes the jug different from traditional gift giveaways.
Welcome packs do not need to be impressive; they need to be functional.
A welcome pack should meet all needs of students from the first day at school to classes and extracurricular activities till the end of the year.
A notepad serves its purpose when it comes to planning a student’s first semester.
A tote bag might be a good option for carrying their essentials.
A campus guide would aid in the exploration of a new place.
Finally, the bottle helps them develop a new habit or become part of their daily routine.
This is what makes LOCH a great option for educational partnerships.
The bottle is not replacing anything found in a welcome pack; it simply adds something needed by students.
When branded and personalized for the college, the item then becomes not just a hydration method but part of the whole experience for the student.
Meaningful presents can last a lifetime.
When a student opens their welcome pack before the first day at university, they may feel thrilled, anxious, or inquisitive about the future.
Years later, the same bottle may be seen on their desk.
The bottle may have accompanied its owner in the past, taking part in classes, exams, sports, group work, studying, or campus events. Later in life it may become one of those items reminding them of their first steps in life.
This is the importance of choosing a product that is suitable for everyday life.
When it comes to Harrow International School Dubai and Heriot-Watt University Dubai, using LOCH as an element of the student experience is not all about being able to put a logo on a bottle.
It means going for something practical, personal and staying true to the behavior that educational institutions want students to develop.
The best welcome does not always mean offering the largest amount of things.
