The Archives & Records Association is the lead professional body for archivists, archive conservators and records managers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Their vision is to be the leading professional and sectoral body for archives, conservation, records management and information governance (‘the record-keeping sector’). They support professionals and stakeholders in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and internationally.
The challenge
CPL One was briefed to generate exhibition and sponsorship sales for the annual conference for the ARA. The ambition was to increase significantly the amount of revenue generated from this flagship event.
The solution
In order to put together a strong sales story and attract new sponsors and exhibitors, we needed to understand the key motivations for being involved. So we carried out a series of interviews with a number of the ARA’s existing and potential commercial partners to learn more.
- Our objective was to help exhibitors and sponsors generate high-quality leads from the event with a strong chance of conversion. To achieve this, we needed to gain deeper insights into the delegate audience to better connect them with the right solutions. All delegates were asked about their role, position, and organisation, whether they identified as an archivist, record keeper, conservator, or other. We also signalled to sponsors that we were exploring new ways to better understand and meet delegate needs. This approach particularly resonated with sponsors focused on lead generation rather than just visibility and exposure.
- Sponsors had the opportunity to showcase the benefits of their products at the event. The face-to-face nature of events provide the perfect platform to educate delegates about their offerings. As a result, exhibitors and sponsors felt far more confident in converting sales-qualified leads when having the opportunity to explain their products in detail.
- Exhibitors and sponsors also wanted to improve their perception in the market. They want to be perceived as market leaders – that means providing exposure to delegates via the event app, sponsored solus emails, a sponsored table and sponsorship of refreshment breaks.
The results
As a result of this strategy:
- Overall revenues increased by 87% compared with the previous year
- Sponsorship revenue increased by 80%
- Average revenue (yield) from sponsors increased by 17%
- All available stands were sold.
Client
- Archive & Records Association
Sector
- Membership
Expertise
- Media sales
Deliverables
- Media sales
Expertise
- Media sales
Deliverables
- Media sales
