Having seen the positive benefits of Wilfrid Laurier's Brantford campus on that city's development the city council of Niagara Falls is considering placing a university campus in their downtown. They hired a consultant to conduct a study that confirmed that attracting a university to establish a downtown campus would have a very positive economic impact. However, the study did not investigate the level of demand for a downtown Niagara Falls campus.

How would you recommend city council go about collecting the data necessary to determine if a campus in downtown Niagara Falls would attract a sufficient number of students to be viable. Council does know that business programs are the number one attraction for high-school graduates today, but still need adequate numbers for the campus to have the desired impact. The big question is whether or not they can attract enough students to make the idea viable. Identifying demand would also help them in making appeals to different university's to locate a new campus in the Falls.

Assume the role of a marketing research consultant. You have been asked to provide a brief recommendation (1-2 pages) on how you believe Niagara Falls city council should go about getting this information.

Identify the key issues/challenges in acquiring the information.

How would you advise the city council of Niagara Falls to determine if there are enough people willing to attend a downtown campus to make the idea viable?