A leadership masterclass on shifting from a "once-a-year" plan to a dynamic, scenario-driven culture. Learn how to build the institutional capacity for collaborative and timely decision-making.
Leaders face uncertainty — changing enrolment caps, funding formulas, and program shifts — but traditional forecasts are rigid and slow. Without a way to test “what-if” scenarios, it’s difficult to prepare for the future.
Relying on a single annual enrolment forecast creates blind spots.
Leadership teams need the ability to test scenarios and adjust assumptions in days, not months.
Plaid's workshops give you the chance to learn from their 30+ years of experience working with enrolment management and analytics teams from universities and colleges across North America.
"Plaid helped Postgraduate Medical Education at UBC transition from a spreadsheet based workforce planning system to a dedicated forecasting system which is accurate, intuitive and state of the art. It has transformed our operations[...]"
~ Rob Brackenbury | Senior Manager, Postgraduate Medical Education Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia
We'll help you determine if you have the data and technology to move on from spreadsheets, if your planning culture is ready for more than annual outlook reports, and what your options are for keeping scenario development in-house, outsourcing to a forecasting consultant, or finding a middle ground that saves you time and money but keeps you in control.
This workshop is designed to align planning, enrolment, finance, and academic leadership around a shared set of assumptions.
Take Away Artifacts
- A Board-ready scenario framing (what changed, what’s at risk, what options exist)
- A shared set of enrolment assumptions
- Forecasting Maturity Assessment (all participants)
- 1-page Strategic Roadmap (Leadership Team / Executive Team)
- A clear decision path for: build in-house, augment with tools, or outsource forecasting
Workshop Outcomes:
- The Modern Paradigm: Understand how collaborative, dynamic and on-demand enrolment forecasting approaches outperform and are replacing traditional spreadsheet-lag. We also discuss how emerging approaches — including machine learning and AI-assisted forecasting — are beginning to augment enrolment planning. The emphasis is on understanding where these tools can add value, and what institutional readiness is required before adopting them responsibly.
- Resource Audit: Evaluate if your data, technology, and team structures are ready for more than annual enrolment forecasting.
- The Scenario Mindset: Shift your team from comparing historical trends to the present, to modelling multiple enrolment futures, and be able to prepare for critical uncertainties (International shifts, policy changes, and labour market gaps).
- Advocacy Language: Learn key talking points to promote scenario-based enrolment forecasting to your leaders, peers, and planning committees.
Investment
Designed as applied professional development for leadership and planning teams.
Registration is available per person or as a discounted institutional bundle.
Unlike conferences or public lectures, each participating institution receives a customized maturity assessment. Leadership Team / Executive Team also receive a roadmap, and follow-up consultation.
Choose how you’d like to participate - as an individual leader, a leadership team, or a dedicated executive cohort.
Complete your forecasting maturity assessment, leadership alignment session, and strategic roadmap before fiscal year-end - so April decisions are scenario-ready, not reactive.
Individual Leader
Applied professional development
$395
per person
- Access to two live 1-hour interactive workshop sessions
- Forecasting Maturity Assessment (self-guided)
- Summary results report
- Workshop slides and templates
Best for individual leaders seeking practical insight they can apply independently.
Leadership Team
Built for institutional alignment
$1,750
per institution (up to 5 participants)
- Everything in Individual Leader
- 30-minute follow-up consultation (per institution)
- One-page Customized Strategic Roadmap
- Facilitated discussion grounded in your institutional context
Designed for institutions aligning multiple leaders around next steps.
Additional participants may be added for $325 each.
Executive Team
Dedicated institutional cohort
$3,000
private delivery (up to 10 participants)
- Private delivery for a single institution
- Two live facilitated sessions scheduled for your team
- Extended coaching (60-minute follow-up)
- Expanded Strategic Roadmap with deeper institutional analysis
Designed for senior leadership teams building scenario planning capability together.
All prices in CAD (CA$). Other currencies will be converted at checkout.
Comparable to a fraction of a single consulting engagement - or one delayed planning cycle.
Payment Options:
- Pay by credit card at checkout
- Please contact us if:
- You require an Invoice or Purchase Order
- Need to make a substitution?
- Require a refund. Refunds available until 1 week prior to workshop
These deliverables are anchored in your constraints - staff and technology resources, data availability, governance, and planning structures - not a generic best-practice model. Together, they outline practical next steps to move from static reporting to scenario-driven decision-making.
Built by practitioners with 30+ years supporting enrolment planning and forecasting across Canadian and U.S. institutions.
- Title: March 2026 Leadership Cohort
- Registration Window: January 23rd – March 6th.
- Session Options:
- Option 1 - March 3 (10am-1pm PT; 1pm-4pm ET)
- Option 2 - March 19 (10am-1pm PT; 1pm-4pm ET)
- Audience: Presidents, VPs, Provosts, Planners, Deans, and SEM and IR Directors.
After registration, here's what happens: (1) receive receipt + calendar hold, (2) complete a short maturity assessment one week prior, (3) join one live session; and, for Leadership Team or Executive Team: (4) receive your roadmap + follow-up booking link.
Past Clients
From large research universities to rural community colleges, polytechnics, and education support and service providers, we've worked with over thirty different organizations across North America.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this relevant if we already produce enrolment forecasts?
Yes — this workshop is about scenario agility, not replacing your existing forecast.
Most institutions can produce a baseline forecast. The challenge is building a fast, repeatable scenario capability leaders can use when assumptions change.
- Test multiple plausible scenarios (not just one “best estimate”)
- Make assumptions explicit and easier to update
- Compare scenarios quickly and communicate implications clearly
- Reduce reliance on a single person or an annual cycle
You’ll leave with a practical way to assess your current forecasting maturity and a roadmap to improve speed, collaboration, and decision-readiness.
Who is this workshop for?
Designed for senior leaders and planning professionals in higher education.
Typical participants include Presidents, Provosts, Vice-Presidents, Deans, and enrolment or institutional planning leaders.
It’s especially valuable for institutions looking to move beyond once-a-year forecasting toward more dynamic, scenario-driven decision-making that can adapt to policy, funding, and market shifts.
What is included in the workshop fee?
Two live sessions + practical tools and takeaways you can reuse internally.
- Two live, interactive remote workshop sessions
- Workshop slides, templates, and digital materials
- Forecasting Maturity Assessment for every participating institution
Institutions participating at the Leadership Team or Executive Team level also receive a one-page Customized Strategic Roadmap and a follow-up consultation tailored to their context.
No travel or accommodation costs — the workshop is fully remote.
What if my team wants to join but I've already registred as an individual?
Please register your team and we'll refund your original purchase.
Who else from our institution should attend?
This works best with a small cross-functional group (3–5 people).
Scenario work breaks down when assumptions, data, and decisions sit in different parts of the institution. We recommend including representation from:
- Strategic Enrollment / SEM (targets, recruitment strategy, conversion assumptions)
- Institutional Research / Analytics (analysis, forecast production, interpretation)
- Academic Planning (capacity, program mix, growth priorities)
- Finance / Budget (planning timelines, sensitivities, constraints)
- Registrar / Student Systems (definitions, key metrics, operational realities)
If you’re unsure who to include, start with the people who own assumptions, produce analysis, and make decisions. We’ll help you refine roles and participation during the workshop.
How does this relate to budgeting and finance?
This is not a budgeting workshop — it’s about building collaboration that makes scenarios usable in planning cycles.
Budget processes are often where forecasting bottlenecks appear (handoffs, unclear ownership, inconsistent definitions). Rather than trying to build financial models in a short session, we focus on helping you clarify:
- Who needs to be involved so scenarios are trusted and adopted
- Where bottlenecks tend to occur (data access, approvals, ownership, definitions)
- What collaboration model fits your institution (centralized, distributed, or hybrid)
- Which inputs matter most so teams don’t debate everything at once
The outcome is a shared understanding of roles, handoffs, and next steps to make scenario work practical inside real planning and budget timelines.
Do you offer pricing for groups or multiple participants from the same institution?
Yes — teams are encouraged.
Our Leadership Team option is a flat institutional fee for up to five participants, with additional participants available at a reduced rate. For larger groups or senior leadership teams, we also offer a dedicated Executive Team cohort delivered exclusively for your institution.
Will there be a recording?
Selected portions of the workshop will be recorded. Plaid-led framing segments will be recorded and shared. Open discussion and scenario exercises are not recorded to encourage candid conversation.
Can this workshop be delivered privately for our institution?
Yes — the Executive Team option is designed for private delivery.
This includes dedicated delivery for your institution, scheduling flexibility, and extended follow-up support. If your group exceeds the recommended size for interactive discussion, we may suggest splitting participants into multiple cohorts.
Can attendees from outside Canada join?
Yes!
In fact, we'd love to have you join us and share your experiences.
Refund Policy
At Plaid Analytics, we are committed to providing a high-quality experience.
Refunds are offered until 7 calendar days prior to the start of the workshops, less a $50 administration fee.
If you have attended a workshop and are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us. Requests are reviewed case-by-case.