CASE STUDY
Delivering the Workspace Design Show London – A New Approach for Enhanced Results
Workspace Design Show London is a trade show dedicated to the commercial real estate, workplace interiors, and design industry. The 2024 edition was the third iteration of the event, following two successful editions managed by another agency. This time, NJ Events & Marketing was responsible for delivering a refreshed marketing strategy to surpass the previous years’ results almost singlehandedly in a highly competitive market. The client had high expectations to build on the growing success of the Workspace Design Show brand, especially with the introduction of the event in Amsterdam in 2023.
This case study outlines how the challenges were overcome and how a new approach drove increased visibility, higher attendance, and more robust engagement for exhibitors and visitors.
Campaign Objectives
Increase visitor and exhibitor participation, with a specific focus on boosting attendee numbers to reach 4,000 unique visitors and 5,500 total footfall.
Exceed previous event results by creating a new, more dynamic approach to outreach and engagement.
Improve brand positioning in the competitive UK design and interiors market, where numerous design shows were vying for attention.
Drive value for exhibitors, ensuring they met the right visitors and generated profitable business leads.
Foster long-term relationships by focusing on both visitor and exhibitor retention for future editions.
Challenges
Highly Competitive Market: The UK market is saturated with design and workplace interiors shows, meaning it was critical to differentiate the event and ensure its unique value proposition was clear.
New Market Conditions: Post-pandemic trends like hybrid work environments, sustainability, and well-being in workplace design were reshaping the needs of exhibitors and visitors, requiring a new approach to messaging and positioning.
Economic Pressures: The event was taking place amidst a struggling UK economy, with rising costs and slow wage growth impacting business spending, particularly in commercial real estate and office design sectors.
Legacy of Previous Success: There was pressure to not only meet but exceed the results of previous editions, which were managed by a different marketing agency, despite having fewer resources.
Strategy
Data-Driven Audience Segmentation
The campaign began by diving deep into audience data, carefully segmenting potential visitors by job function and interest, such as interior designers, architects, corporate real estate managers, and HR heads. A clean database was built to ensure the marketing efforts were reaching the right people. Specific efforts were made to re-engage past attendees while targeting new prospects through tailored messaging.
Onsite Engagement and Experiences
To enhance the visitor experience, the show featured:
Workspace Design Talks attracted large audiences due to the quality of speakers and the relevance of topics.
Networking Zones, where attendees and exhibitors could connect and build meaningful business relationships.
The event app achieved a 49% adoption rate, providing real-time updates and facilitating easier navigation for attendees.
Strong Digital Marketing Campaign
The Google Search campaign generated 1,117 conversions, exceeding the target by 62%.
Facebook remarketing also performed well, achieving a 74% increase in conversions. The strategic use of paid channels ensured strong visibility in a competitive market.
Content-Led Marketing Campaign
A mix of digital and content-driven strategies was employed to ensure high engagement levels:
Email Campaigns: A series of targeted emails were sent to pre-registrants, past attendees, and new prospects. Personalized content, exhibitor highlights, and speaker features helped create a sense of exclusivity and urgency, contributing to a 49.3% pre-registration to attendee conversion rate.
Social Media: The campaign utilized Instagram and LinkedIn, achieving over 5.7 million impressions on Instagram during show week. The posts included exhibitor quotes, speaker announcements, and video highlights, building excitement around the event.
Exhibitor Marketing Tools: Exhibitors were provided with toolkits to promote their presence at the show. The exhibitor marketing campaign achieved a 48.85% conversion rate from pre-registrations.
Exhibitor and Visitor Retention Focus
The campaign focused on building long-term relationships:
Visitor Experience: Post-event surveys indicated high satisfaction rates, with attendees appreciating the engaging content and networking opportunities. Visitor retention was prioritized through targeted communications, loyalty-building strategies, and a seamless onsite experience.
Exhibitor Support: A Key Client Programme was introduced to enhance exhibitor engagement and ensure their success, which was reflected in strong exhibitor satisfaction.
Results
Attendance Growth: The event attracted a total footfall of 4500+ visitors, demonstrating a significant improvement in overall quality.
Exhibitor Satisfaction: With 80 exhibitors participating, exhibitor feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Many reported high-quality leads and valuable networking opportunities.
Digital Marketing Success: Social media and email campaigns drove substantial engagement, with 795,577 impressions across Meta platforms and 3665 page views on LinkedIn. The email marketing strategy resulted in strong open and click-through rates, helping convert pre-registrations into attendees.
Retention for Future Editions: Both exhibitors and visitors expressed high satisfaction with the event, with 75% of exhibitors expressing interest in returning for the next edition. The post-show marketing efforts also laid the foundation for higher retention and growth.
Social Media Performance: Instagram and LinkedIn proved to be vital channels for engagement, with significant growth in followers and reach leading up to and during the event. Instagram saw over 5.7 million impressions during the event week, highlighting the campaign's effectiveness.
The 2024 Workspace Design Show London edition delivered strong results, surpassing previous expectations in many areas and setting the stage for continued growth. The marketing strategy, led by NJ Events & Marketing, demonstrated the importance of data-driven, content-led campaigns, resulting in high engagement, quality attendees, and strong exhibitor satisfaction. By focusing on building lasting relationships and enhancing the visitor experience, the show cemented its reputation as a leading event in the UK workplace interior sector.
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