Global Forum Dublin
Council of Interntional Schools

VKOZ organized the annual Global Forum on International Admission & Guidance for and together with the Council of International Schools. Council of International Schools is a membership organization focused on international education. The members are also called members and are the participants in the Forum. They are really involved because the sessions are also given by them.

In 2023 we organized the Global Forum in the Irish capital Dublin. We rented the Convention Center Dublin for this purpose. From November 15 to 18, 900 international schools and universities from 72 countries around the world came together.

The program is similar every year, but we always try to improve and add elements. This year we had 46 sessions, including for the first time a 'wellbeing' session, a kind of meditation yoga, on Friday morning. There were also three fairs, three receptions: one called 'First timers', one reception in the Epic museum and a closing reception.

This year we also used the event app, where all the information could be found. We are also continuously expanding the app and this year we added an element: the speakers could use the app and hold a Q&A. Participants could put together their own schedule, view maps and find all other information about the event in the app. Participants could also connect, because everyone was in the app.

At the opening we had a keynote speaker (Katrice Horsley) from Ireland, but lives in Sweden. She is a storyteller and tells how you can use that in work or daily life.

This year we had a lot of extras! At the opening we had a keynote speaker (Katrice Horsley) from Ireland, but lives in Sweden. She is a storyteller and tells how you can use that in work or daily life.

For the first time we also had a quiet room, which could be used specifically for prayer or meditation, for example. The Trinity Bells, an acapella group of 15 girls from Trinity College, opened the closing with a typical Irish song and a pop song.

During the event we used sustainable and recyclable paper name badges (on the advice of VKOZ) and stickers with pronouns for the first time. This indicated how you wanted to be addressed.

During the closing ceremony, three awards were presented to people who have made a significant contribution to international education. We had divided the (network) fairs differently this year. For example, all international schools (divided into regions) were listed on one day, so that the universities can find them. The universities were divided over the other fairs, because the number became too large for one day.