Case Study — Events & Exhibitions

SANLAM

Building brand awareness, advisor engagement and lead conversion through experiential marketing, end-to-end coordination, design and execution of strategic exhibitions across South Africa’s biggest consumer and industry events.

THE BRIEF

Turn foot traffic into trust.

The brief spanned both consumer-facing exhibitions and industry conferences, each needing its own audience segmentation, custom stand design, supplier coordination and post-event ROI analysis, all managed end-to-end.

These weren’t standalone activations. Every exhibition fed a broader brand and customer acquisition strategy, positioning Sanlam as a trusted financial partner across life stages, from young couples planning a wedding to advisors managing client portfolios.

Objectives

ALIGNED Business & marketing goals

Business Objectives

  • Drive customer engagement and lead generation
  • Strengthen relationships with financial advisors and industry stakeholders
  • Position Sanlam as a trusted financial services provider
  • Improve conversion opportunities through experiential marketing
  • Deliver measurable ROI through event participation

Marketing Objectives

  • Increase national brand visibility in high-footfall environments
  • Create memorable, visually impactful brand experiences
  • Increase dwell time and interaction quality
  • Develop audience-specific messaging for each event environment
  • Encourage meaningful conversations over transactional selling

Four Events, Four Audiences

One brand, four completely different rooms.

Each exhibition demanded its own strategy. Same brand, different audience, different reason to care.

WOMEN'S SHOW

Type: Consumer
Attendees: 10K–50K+ 
Audience: Female professionals, mothers, decision-makers and lifestyle consumers.
Motivation: Financial independence and future planning, told through empowerment-led messaging.
Women's Show 1
Women's Show 2
  • Premium stand: vinyl graphics, MDF structures, LCD screens, lounge seating
  • Visual storytelling built to increase dwell time
  • Strong foot traffic without losing premium presentation

PSG CONFERENCE

Type: Industry
Attendees: 1K–3K+
Audience: Financial advisors, industry professionals, stakeholders and partners.
Motivation: A professional environment built to reinforce trust, expertise, and product credibility.
PSG 1
PSG 2
PSG 3
  • Meeting zones, plasma screens, raised flooring, branded lightboxes
  • A Wii golf setup at the stand for business conversations, disguised as fun
  • Highest historical turnout recorded at the stand

WEDDING EXPO & SHOWS

Type: Consumer
Attendees: 5K–15K+ Per Event
Audience: Engaged couples, newlyweds, young professionals and future planners.
Motivation: Positioning financial planning as part of starting a life together; security, savings, cover.
Wedding Show 1
Wedding Show 2
  • Open-plan layout built to encourage walk-in engagement
  • Consultation-friendly space for lead capture conversations
  • High-quality consumer leads generated through direct interaction

BABA INDABA

Type: Consumer
Attendees: 5K–25K Attendees
Audience: Expecting parents, young families, caregivers and household decision-makers.
Motivation: Long-term planning around family protection, education, and future security.
Baba Indaba 1
  • Emotionally driven messaging around protecting loved ones
  • Interactive touchpoints built to encourage consultations
  • Emotional brand messaging converted directly into lead generation

Project Management Approach

Seven disciplines behind every stand.

Design and messaging are only half the job, the other half is everything that makes an event actually happen on the day.

1. Event Analysis

Every event evaluated on audience fit, footfall potential, competitor presence, and cost versus lead potential before committing.

2. Stand Design

Custom exhibition stands translating the brand into physical experiences; visitor flow, engagement zones and tech integration all planned in.

3. Supplier Management

Stand builders, print, AV, logistics and venues sourced, negotiated, and quality-controlled across every event simultaneously.

4. Engagement Strategy

Conversation-led interactions and advisor consultations over hard-selling built around structured lead capture processes.

5. On-Site Execution

Full operational ownership through build, launch and live event: setup, breakdown, staffing and issue resolution.

6. Budget Management

Cost tracking and spend optimisation across multiple simultaneous projects, without compromising brand quality.

7. Post-Event ROI

Footfall, lead volume and quality, cost-per-lead and engagement feedback tracked to sharpen every future exhibition.

Result: Seamless Delivery

Strategic planning and live operational delivery managed by one person across every event environment.

Key Outcomes

What four events, one strategy, delivered.

  • Campaigns activated across events attracting 5,000 to 50,000+ attendees
  • High-volume foot traffic converted into qualified sales and advisor opportunities
  • Brand visibility increased across both consumer and professional environments
  • Financial advisor engagement and relationship-building strengthened
  • Event ROI improved through strategic budget management and lead optimisation
  • Premium brand experiences delivered, consistently aligned to Sanlam's market positioning

Four events. One brand story, told four different ways, and every room left with a reason to trust Sanlam more.