Gecko

2025 On-Demand
Sessions

Thank you to our partners, clients and the whole Gecko team for a day of informative sessions, networking and fun!

You can relive the action by watching the session recordings below.

Gecko Session

Keynote: The Next Generation of Student Engagement

Matt Lanham, CEO & Founder
Gecko

Gecko CEO Matt Lanham shares this year’s record platform usage, the rapid impact of AI on student engagement, and what’s coming next for Gecko. From new conversational capabilities to personalisation at scale, Matt highlights how Gecko is evolving to help institutions automate more, work smarter and deliver stronger student experiences.

Key takeaways

  • AI is evolving fast with new tools for personalised video, audio and messaging that scale far beyond manual creation.
  • Context is key as Gecko brings chat, events and student data together to power more relevant and timely communication.
  • Significant upgrades are coming including AI voice calling, agent-driven automation and better support for parent and agent communication.
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GECKO x partner Session

Market Intelligence: In Conversation with Ruth Swan

Jonny AW, Customer Success
Gecko
Ruth Swan, Associate Director Global Prospect Experience & UK Student Recruitment
Heriot-Watt University

Ruth Swan from Heriot-Watt University joins Gecko's Johnny Atkinson to unpack the major pressures shaping UK and international student recruitment. They explore shrinking applicant pools, shifting government policy and rising competition, and highlight how institutions can respond through stronger insight, tailored engagement and more agile ways of working.

Key takeaways

  • Competition is increasing fast as demographics shrink, international sentiment shifts and high-tariff universities push further into domestic recruitment.
  • Students choose on emotion as much as logic - community, belonging, fit and personalised engagement now matter as much as cost or course quality.
  • Professional services must lead the shift by using data, building trust with academics and championing agile, insight-driven decision-making.
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Partner Session

How to Win at Clearing

Martin Smith, University Admissions Office Campus Manager
Ulster University

Ulster University’s Martin Smith shares how the admissions team transformed clearing and wider applicant management by moving from paper forms to automated, streamlined workflows in Gecko. He shows how forms, labels, workflows and personalised communications have replaced manual processes, improving speed, accuracy and applicant experience across the full admissions journey.

Key takeaways

  • Automation saves time by removing manual clearing tasks and streamlining decisions.
  • Applicants get clarity through instant updates, personalised emails and simple next steps.
  • Small improvements scale as the team expands Gecko from clearing into interviews, offers and registration.
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GECKO Session

Driving Innovation Through AI & Product Strategy

Jonny Richardson, Head of AI
Jonny AW, Customer Success
Gecko

This session lifts the lid on how Gecko’s product and AI teams are driving innovation, from merging chat into the main platform to new ways customers can shape development through product meetings. It also explores AI trends, bot performance insights and practical ways institutions can get more value from conversational AI.

Key takeaways

  • The chat merge unlocks faster innovation by bringing all products onto one foundation with shared features and unified data.
  • Customer feedback directly shapes the roadmap through 1:1 product meetings, clearer prioritisation and strong CS–product collaboration.
  • AI usage is rising fast with bots handling more complex conversations, showing high satisfaction and offering new opportunities to improve student support.
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Partner Session

Refining & Refreshing Your Platform

Becca Herne, Student Recruitment Manager - Operations
University of Law

Rebecca Herne from the University of Law shares how her team refreshed and streamlined a sprawling Gecko setup to create consistent forms, cleaner templates and more joined-up event communications. She shows how cultural change, small system wins and smart automation have improved efficiency while still giving students a more personalised, human experience.

Key takeaways

  • Consistency matters - unified forms and templates make everything easier.
  • Teams adapt quickly when they’re supported and encouraged to experiment.
  • Automation saves hours , freeing staff to focus on students.
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GECKO x partner Session

The Success Mixtape: Gecko’s Top Hits of 2025

James Mann, Senior CRM Developer
Edinburgh Napier University
Rebecca Bloodworth, Deputy Head of Student Recruitment
Manchester Metropolitan University
Clare Doherty ,Assistant Director of Admissions - Admin, Systems, Ops
St. Andrews University
Jonny AW, Customer Success
Gecko

This fast-paced wrap-up session spotlights standout customer successes from 2025 — from rapid chatbot launches to major time savings, smart use of portal, automated journeys and cross-team collaboration. Institutions share what worked, what scaled, and how Gecko is helping teams deliver smoother, more efficient and more personalised student experiences.

Key takeaways

  • Small teams can scale fast with shared tools, simple processes and cross-team buy-in.
  • Chatbots and portal drive real impact - saving hours, improving clarity and boosting student confidence.
  • Automation frees teams up to focus on engagement, not admin.
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GECKO DEMO

First Look at Gecko’s New AI Calling Feature

Jamie Crampton
Gecko

This live Gecko demo gives a first look at our new AI Voice Calling feature — currently in beta — showcasing how institutions can handle enquiries, bookings and follow-up tasks through natural, human-like phone conversations. The session shows how quickly an AI caller can be built, how smoothly it handles real questions, and how it automatically sends personalised email summaries after each call.

Key takeaways

  • AI voice calls handle real conversations - answering questions, checking details and guiding students.
  • It’s fast to build - the demo bot was created in under 60 seconds.
  • It completes tasks instantly - such as sending email summaries after the call.
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