Building Advocacy to Launch a New Trade Show
Microsite landing page for the Stakeholder Engagement Campaign that Pinpoint PR conceived and executed for THAIFEX - HOREC Asia 2024.
When launching a brand-new trade show (like we have for THAIFEX - HOREC Asia 2024 and the Global Property Expo Singapore 2025), you don’t have historical data to lean on to sell tickets. Instead, we engineer an industry ecosystem from scratch. The fastest way to do this is to turn top-tier industry association leaders into your co-advocates.
For the inaugural launch of THAIFEX - HOREC Asia in 2024, Pinpoint PR engineered a high-touch market-entry and ecosystem-building campaign designed to completely overcome launch skepticism and drive immediate commercial velocity in the event.
Here’s how we approached THAIFEX - HOREC Asia 2024. Our campaign, #TogetherforHoReCa Stakeholder Puzzle Campaign, deployed a sophisticated, physical-to-digital hybrid activation that gamified B2B engagement for the region’s top 100 industry association leaders. By syncing tactile, QR-enabled direct mailers with personalized digital pieces of the puzzle on the microsite, we successfully captured operational champions, incentivized key gatekeepers with premium onsite perks, and transformed regional trade bodies into active co-advocates.
Multiplied by laser-focused LinkedIn micro-funneling that secured an unprecedented 72%+ click-through rate, this hyper-targeted approach bypassed traditional marketing friction to unlock previously untapped, high-spending buyer delegations from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam—ultimately establishing the show’s primary spending powerhouse and cementing THAIFEX - HOREC Asia as a premier regional fixture from day one.
The following explains our process in creating the campaign.
The Puzzle Piece Loop & The Delegation Anomaly
To create immediate industry buy-in, we knew we had to bypass standard cold emails and deploy a high-touch, hybrid campaign. To launch the campaign, we utilized a gamified, physical-to-digital puzzle mailer sent directly to the top 100 industry association heads and major stakeholders.
The Mechanic: The physical mailer contained a custom QR code. When scanned, it took the recipient to a digital microsite where their specific industry vertical "lit up" on a master puzzle board, signaling their essential role in the upcoming show.
The Critical Learning: While we targeted the top executive on our list, our backend tracking data revealed a fascinating behavioral pattern: the person who actually scanned the QR code and initiated partnership agreements was rarely the top executive. The message was almost always filtered down to specialized operational managers.
The Playbook Adjustment: When running this mechanic, ensure your tracking dashboard tags the entire corporate domain, not just the specific individual. Treat whoever hits the microsite as your primary operational champion, regardless of their title.
Here’s the microsite: https://thaifex-horec.asia/togetherforhoreca/
The THAIFEX - HOREC Asia 2024 Puzzle post-card mailer. Depending on what category the target association was in, we sent the corresponding puzzle piece.
Incentivizing Gatekeepers
For this campaign we provided associations with a download package (marketing copy, EDMs, LinkedIn frames) to inform their members. But to get their buy-in, the organisers gave them a compelling reason to push those assets to their members.
The Blueprint: Tie asset distribution directly to high-value, exclusive onsite perks.
Give association leaders bulk allocations of VIP lounge passes, priority matchmaking access, and exclusive networking invitations for their highest-spending members.
By turning these associations into gatekeepers of premium perks, they will actively market your event to their inner circles. This strategy unlocked high-spending buyer delegations from emerging markets like Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam—demographics that traditional digital ads completely missed, but who went on to become the show's highest spenders.
Hyper-Niche Digital Funneling
Broad brand-awareness ads cost an enormous amount of money. If you don’t have a budget like that, for a new show launch, your digital ad spend should cut like a laser, not be a floodlight.
We deploy hyper-targeted LinkedIn Message Ads directed exclusively at precise job titles within your target geographic hubs. When backed by customized, localized content packages shared through your association network, this approach achieves an incredibly high click-through rate (frequently exceeding 70%), filling your event funnel with highly qualified leads before day one.
For the launch of THAIFEX - HOREC Asia 2024, Pinpoint PR was shortlisted for the Trade Show category in the Sabre Provoke Awards 2024. Are you ready to successfully amplify your event using our methodology and skillset? Start a conversation.
Illka Gobius is the Managing Director of Pinpoint PR Pte. Ltd., a boutique APAC communications agency headquartered in Singapore, with nearly three decades of regional experience. We specialise in B2B Technology PR, Events & Exhibitions PR, and Reputation & Stakeholder Management.
