Hi Jack,
We run school tour about 3 times a term and have about 60 families come along for Secondary and about 15 for Primary. We have staff members from the Senior Leadership team conducting tours (4 for Sec and 1 for Primary). We sign them in, give a name badge, they gather with selected students who assist on tours. The Principal gives a short introductory talk and then they divide into groups (colour coded) for the tour which goes for about an hour. Th registrar welcomes them at the start and is available for questions when they return from the tours.
We have tried a few things over the years but have settled on this as it works very well for us. There is a fantastic buzz in the air and it creates a sense of urgency when they see how many people are here. The tours always book out well ahead of time. They also absolutely love having the students on the tours who give their honest and frank answers to questions. Nothing scripted. Works like a charm and we get excellent feedback.
In between our big Tours, I (registrar) offer personal tours which are also very effective in leading to applications.
