Entourage Yearbooks

Yearbook advisors from around the country gathered last week to discuss the future of the yearbook industry at the two-day S.Y.T.E. (School Yearbook Technology & Education) workshop hosted by Entourage Yearbooks. This is the first workshop held in the S.Y.T.E. series, and the second professional development event that has been offered by Entourage this year. The workshop was organized to highlight the fact that the technology involved in the process of organizing yearbooks has evolved substantially over the past few years and the creative process has been amped with the inclusion of the new options, such as EDOnline’s QR code generator, a site that links parents to the book, and more advanced software that includes an online curriculum.

Entourage planned the workshop with the intention of providing a forum where yearbook advisors would be able to share experiences and strategies which will “inform how they go forward integrating the yearbook into their community”, according to Sara Aniano, one of the S.Y.T.E. organizers. Discussions focused on the ways that advisors can use technology to push the limits of creative possibilities and increase yearbook sales. The discussions focused on several trends in the yearbook industry, such as using social media as an important resource for the organization/announcement of yearbook promotions, with the added benefit of increasing student involvement. Educators today seem to agree that with the influence of social media, students are more and more focused on making sure that they themselves are perceived by the outside world in a positive way, and that this technological transition will affect what makes yearbooks attractive to students.

Overall, the S.Y.T.E. workshop series has been a great success, and Entourage continues to be inspired by the collaboration that occurs between yearbook advisors. The next workshop in the S.Y.T.E. series will be held in February of 2016. For more information on the S.Y.T.E. workshop series, or how to attend future workshops, contact Sara Aniano at sara.aniano(at)entourageyearbooks(dot)com or 888-926-6571, ext. 38.