The event
Project Challenge Expo – Olympia, London (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)

The Brief
Our client, Management Events Limited, run the UK’s biggest exhibition for the people involved in project, programme and resource management. Project Managers from across every industry sector attend this event to locate suppliers of software, training and management solutions.

Whilst able to handle on the day event management themselves, the client came us to support them with

• Sales and marketing collateral
• Database development and direct marketing
• Online marketing and web sites
• Delegate registration and back office administration

The Challenges
The client wanted a complete overhaul of its registration process and was keen for as many processes underpinning the show to happen online.

Three separate sales and marketing campaigns were required to promote to sponsors, exhibitors and visitor delegates. Also, with a potentially vast market covering every industry sector creating targeted and focussed campaigns was important. 

The highlights

• Online registration system and event management database – we created a web site for the client which captures and stores online visitor registrations, provides automated responses for registrants, collects, collates and displays exhibitor information, provides an interactive press office, promotes seminar sessions, holds an archive of past presentations, provides uploadable advertising and branding opportunities for sponsors, exhibitors and media patners.
  
  The client has complete content management control of the site and is able to remotely access the information at any time.
  
• Web site for online promotion – The front end of the site described above acts as the online brochure for the event. Features include information about the programme, exhibitors, sponsors venue and accommodation.
  
• Email marketing – We hold and maintain the client’s customer and prospect databases and regularly create and send email announcements to promote the show. The data is continually updated and cleaned. We try to make the promotional copy fresh, informative and highly relevant to recipients. We track responses after each promotion to measure success rates.
  
• Database and list research – We regularly research markets to provide prospect lists for visitor promotion and for potential new exhibitor organisations. We ensure that the show is listed in all the major industry magazines, web portals and association newsletters.
  
• Telemarketing - We support seminar registrations by implementing calling campaigns.

The outcome
The client now has a highly sophisticated online marketing and registration process. Most of the marketing for the show and most admin functions now happen online. This has produced significant cost / efficiency savings. Marketing and operating costs are much lower. Visitor numbers have improved and exhibitor satisfaction has increased. Sponsor loyalty has also been positively affected.