Creating event marketing campaigns that click
Behind every RX event is a talented marketing team that knows how to attract and engage attendees while igniting a buzz that lasts long after the show. From memorable anniversary celebrations and photo-worthy moments to content marketing and matchmaking programs, we highlight some of the amazing ways they captivate, inform, and connect our customers.
Rallying to a theme
Some of our most successful events are built around themes that truly resonate with customers. In 2022, IBTM World chose the theme ‘Culture Creates’ - a commentary on the rediscovered importance of meetings and events in a post-pandemic world. Building on success in 2023, the team evolved the concept to ‘Calling all Culture Creators’, to shine a light on the industry’s unsung heroes - the event planners behind these experiences.
To firmly fix the message, the team curated an original report ‘The World’s Best Events (and the people who create them)’ drawing on the expert insights of five event planners with high social media following and engagement. Once the report was published, key stats with headline potential were pulled out and pitched to global industry and mainstream media. All buyers were invited to take part in a panel discussion on the report and its findings during IBTM World; and the planners featured in the report shared it, and news of their panel sessions, across their networks.
To further raise awareness, the team commissioned a relatable and entertaining video campaign. The first video, filmed in an office setting, was about burnout and connection; the second was structured as a checklist of things to pack for IBTM World - doubling as a helpful reminder and adding to its sharing potential. The process resulted in something truly fresh which cut through the digital noise.
The campaign was a triumph with a 44% increase in social following (compared to 2022) and a potential PR reach of over 14 million across 381 media outlets. It was IBTM World’s most successful show yet with over 132,000 connections made between the 2,250 exhibitors and almost 4,000 hosted buyers.
IBTM World 2024 returns from 19-21 November in Barcelona. The theme? People. Power. Potential!
Creating Instagrammable content
JCK Las Vegas is the world’s leading jewelry trade event. The 2024 edition was filled with events and activations centered around the theme of love—a core sentiment in the jewelry industry. Over the show's 30-year history, many attendees have met, become engaged, and even married at JCK. So, it's no surprise that one of the most popular photo spots this year was the JCK Chapel, complete with an Elvis impersonator. Other favourites included the “Puppy Love” lounge with newborn puppies, a "Love Lock" fence sponsored by Stuller, and a "Love is Love" lounge celebrating Pride Month. Attendees praised the positive energy on the show floor and the creative ideas they could bring back to their stores to inspire customers.
JCK’s social media efforts are bolstered by a strategic influencer program. Collaborating with influencers not only drives new audiences to the brand’s pages but also creates engaging content around the event. JCK works with influencers from various niches—beyond jewelry to fashion, lifestyle, and trends—providing value to brands looking for new ways to connect with influential media. The 2024 influencer campaign achieved a combined reach of 2 million, with 59,000 engagements, adding over 2,800 followers during the short span of the four-day event alone!
Cultivating new audiences
How do you build brand awareness for a new event when you have very little data on your potential attendees? That was the challenge facing the marketing team on J-AGRI Kyushu, which took place for the first time in Kumamoto in 2023.
J-AGRI, originally known as AGRI WEEK, started in Tokyo back in 2011 and has grown to become Asia's top agriculture and livestock expo. Recognising the growing demand for innovative and sustainable farming practices across Japan’s regions, RX decided to launch a new edition in western Japan.
With limited data on local farmers, the marketing team had to start from scratch, building a new attendee database and creating a campaign to spread the word among the farming community. They kicked things off by reaching out to the Kyushu Agriculture Ministry and the region’s main agricultural associations for support. Then, they rolled out a digital marketing campaign, mainly on social media, which brought 227,909 users to the event website.
To build even more buzz, they partnered with local media, getting all five local TV stations to cover the opening day's ribbon-cutting ceremony, which featured a regional celebrity and a well-known TV announcer. They organized 89 tour buses to bring local farmers to the event, and exhibitors were encouraged to invite their customers too.
The result? A total of 10,665 farmers, agricultural cooperatives, retailers, wholesalers and government reps attended over the three days, to the delight of the 268 exhibiting companies. On top of that, representatives from the Kumamoto City Hall, the Taxi Association, and local TV stations were thrilled with the event's economic impact— the city’s cabs, hotels, and restaurants were all fully booked. J-AGRI returns to Mukuhari Messe in Tokyo from 9-11 October 2024.
Designing immersive experiences
Using immersive experiences to raise brand awareness and engage new audiences is an increasing trend at face to face events. Doordash’s ‘Battle of the Brands Featuring Fortnite’ at ReedPop’s PAX West 2023 was an exemplary marketing and communications partnership. Not only did it help DoorDash increase brand visibility, foster customer engagement and build a strong connection with the gaming community; it was also the most successful PAX Arena livestream ever produced.
DoorDash is a San Francisco–based online food ordering and delivery platform. Leveraging the popularity of the West Coast's most-attended gaming event, and the expertise of ReedPop, the company brought together eight leading restaurant brands, including Burger King, KFC, McDonalds and Taco Bell, with eight gaming influencers. The gamers then battled it out through two adrenaline-pumping weekends of remote qualifiers on Twitch, and a full day of in-person head-to-heads at PAX West, before the grand finale on September 3, the biggest day of the show.
‘Chica’ representing Taco Bell claimed the Battle of the Brands crown, but the real winner was DoorDash who elevated their brand visibility within the gaming community and beyond, with live streams across multiple platforms reaching 3.5 million+ unique viewers and 2 million+ social media impressions.
Delivering meaningful activations
In bringing industry communities together, trade shows have the power to influence and even change lives. Higher temperatures caused by climate change have become an increasing risk factor for skin cancer in Australia. While brain-storming a suitable gift for the All Energy Australia 2023 visitor bag, Senior Marketing Manager Holly Tankard came up with the idea that by offering a free skin cancer check to interested event attendees, we would create more meaningful year-round value and potentially lifesaving knowledge.
Every session was booked out in advance for 2023 and completed by Skin Smart Australia and their qualified dermatologists. Of those, 56% of the participants had never had a skin check; 69% were found to be at high risk of developing skin cancer; and 17% were recommended to seek further investigation, six showing signs of melanoma.
“Regular skin cancer checks are very important to have but especially for those working predominantly outside,” commented Holly. “It was surprising that even among our All Energy audience, over half had never had a skin check. By delivering the initiative at the event and promoting it across our social media accounts (“I got my skin checked at #AllEnergyAU”) we are pleased to have raised awareness of this increasing health threat."
"It's invaluable for our exhibitors to align themselves by sponsoring strategic initiatives such as this,” added Holly. “We are grateful to be able to create these opportunities, not just for our visitor attendees but the businesses at the show too. We look forward to creating more activations like this in 2024 and beyond."
The team will be increasing the amount of skin cancer check appointments at All Energy Australia 2024 by 33% to account for demand experienced in 2023. The event runs from 23-24 October at the MCEC, Melbourne.
Commissioning anniversary anthems
Not many expos have their own dedicated theme tune! Inspired by 10 years of PAX Aus, the marketing team collaborated with a member of their passionate community to create a song especially for the occasion. ‘The Lyrical’s’ ‘Cheers to 10 Years’ became the theme for the anniversary event which drew a record crowd of over 80,000 gamers to Melbourne in October 2023.
The team also collaborated with 90 content creators who are PAX loyal supporters and encouraged them to share their favourite PAX memory along with a social media template with a “Cheers to 10 Years” banner.
The celebrations generated over 200 million digital impressions throughout the campaign and trended #1 on X (formerly Twitter) in Australia. Among the show floor’s biggest draws, Nintendo and Sega offered excited fans the chance to get their hands on playable demos of Super Mario Wander and Sonic Superstars, ahead of their release.
Over 200 live panels embraced all aspects of gaming and gaming culture. PAX Rising provide a platform for the best of the indie development scene and PAX ARENA pitted the world’s most competitive gamers against each other for fame, glory – and cash! “It was a phenomenal experience,” said one incredibly happy attendee; or in the words of the anniversary song: “we came for the games we played, but the magic made us stay.” Roll on PAX 2024, 11-13 October at MCEC, Melbourne.
Leveraging the power of content marketing
As the world looks for answers to climate change, one of the most critical issues of our time, the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) is in a unique position to provide them. Based in Abu Dhabi, WFES is the leading business event for renewable energy, running for three days each year as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), an initiative hosted by Abu Dhabi’s renewable arm, Masdar.
Historically, the brand had followed an ‘on-site’ approach to content and business delivery; but in 2023, the team saw an opportunity to elevate the brand into a year-round content platform and a regional voice, to meet growing demand for renewable energy insights and expertise.
Leveraging the power of content marketing through digital channels, the marketing team launched the ‘Future Energy Insights’ platform on the WFES website, sharing thought leadership pieces, reports and white papers, alongside bespoke and custom videos, podcasts, infographics, guest blogs and visually led insights on key trending topics.
All this bespoke content is shared through WFES’s social media channels and amplified for maximum reach and relevance. By putting digital media at the centre of their marketing plan, they were able to track results, use the insights to optimise future content and creativity and ensure engagement, both online and at WFES.
Over the last full WFES show cycle, the event enjoyed a social media reach of 25.16 million and increased their followers to 136,700 (up 14% on the previous year). They continue to put out 10-12 original pieces of thought leadership content per month, averaging engagement rates of 5-6% - well above industry benchmarks. World Future Energy Summit 2025 takes place from 14-16 January at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi.
Matching international buyers and sellers
RX marketers don’t just raise event awareness, generate interest, increase attendance and drive engagement; they can also connect individual buyers and sellers through highly targeted matchmaking campaigns.
TAP is RX Greater China’s unique Targeted Attendee Programme. It’s the job of the TAP team to get to know key buyers in high potential markets, understand their purchasing needs, and match them with exhibitors and suppliers through face to face and online meetings throughout the show cycle. This customer-centric service is highly regarded in China’s events industry and is even a case study in the MICE curriculum at Chinese universities.
“Over the years, we have developed close relationships with many buyers from China and overseas who resort to us not only for their sourcing and purchasing needs, but also for help with various aspects of their visit, including visa applications, hotel bookings, translation services and more,” explained Sr. VRC & TAP Manager Linda Gao.
In 2023, RX Greater China’s TAP team facilitated 7,000+ business matchmaking sessions between nearly 6,000 TAP buyers and 1,900 exhibitors across more than 10 exhibitions.
Reflecting on their experiences of TAP at NEPCON China 2024, a representative from Fuji Machine China said: “Thank you RX for providing such a win-win platform. Such communication opportunities are valuable and rare. Our participation in automotive electronics components matchmaking meetings helped us to understand our customers true needs and will play a positive role in future transactions.”
RX is a great place for ambitious marketing people to grow their careers. If you’re excited to develop your marketing skills in a dynamic, high-energy environment where you can give free reign to your creativity whilst honing your digital and analytical skills, then check out our Careers page. We could have just the role for you.
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