The Meetings Show Asia Pacific: using FOMO on social media to launch a new event
The Meetings Show is the UK's leading exhibition for the events, meetings, and incentives community – and has been since its launch in 2013. But 2024 saw an expansion of the show and brand across the globe - with the very first The Meetings Show Asia Pacific!
Having worked with Northstar Travel Group and Northstar Meetings Group for several years across both PR and social for Business Travel Show Europe and TravelTech Show, Big Top was the natural choice for social strategy and support for the brand new event.
The brief
From accounts (LinkedIn and X) starting from a very low - or zero – baseline, it was our job to alert potential exhibitors and target attendees to the new show’s presence. Further down the line, we needed to share key updates and progress during the build-up to the show, while creating buzz. Importantly, we needed to carve out a new tone of voice for The Meetings Show Asia Pacific to ensure it met brand guidelines, but also that it was entirely its ‘own’ - plus, ensuring that all content was sensitive to cultural differences.
The execution
We had four months to carry out this campaign and during this time, we shared a wide range of created-from-scratch posts (both visuals and copy). From facts about Singapore, to exhibitor spotlights, to registration conversion posts, the feeds were a mix of informative and entertaining. We also had a bank of amazing behind-the-scenes content from the UK The Meetings Show Asia Pacific team from their site visit to Singapore. Buzz and FOMO were important elements of our strategy to ensure conversions to registrations.
These posts were interspersed with information-sharing posts; a great strategy to drum up excitement for the show and keep attendees informed.
The results
The account growth we saw over the course of the campaign months was above and beyond expectations. As a new brand and event in the region, we grew the social media accounts to create an impressive community of MICE event professionals, including exhibitors and attendees.
As planned, activity ramped up on the platforms as the show grew closer.
We saw a huge boost of 234% on LinkedIn impressions - over 14,000.
The LinkedIn following also grew 60% in April alone.
Engagement across the platform was also phenomenal, with a 185% rise in April.
X, too, saw a 177% rise in impressions in April alone.
80% of the new followers were senior-level and those with buying power.
We saw more than 13,000 organic impressions from March to April, with over 2,000 clicks on our UTM links to the TMSPAC registration page and various website pages.
The KPI set by Northstar Meetings Group to secure 500 followers across both accounts was well and truly smashed – almost double in fact – with 895 in total!
It was a fantastic social campaign, especially for a brand new show. The accounts have continued to see growth and buzz in the wake of the show, and this will give The Meetings Show Asia Pacific a great ‘head start’ when it comes to next year’s social media efforts.
We’ll be managing the press office at Business Travel Show Europe / TravelTechShow on 19-20 June as it’s co-located with The Meetings Show.
So, if you’re heading to The Meetings Show and fancy a chat about how we could help your agency/team boost your PR in the UK/international events press and wider – supported by a super strong social campaign – do drop us a line.
Alternatively, send Charlie a message on charlie@bigtop-pr.co.uk