Trans-World Events has renewed its partnership with Eventflow after making a surprising discovery – operations messages sent through Eventflow were driving higher engagement than marketing emails.
This reportedly allowed marketers to free themselves from more administrative tasks and to focus on broader campaigns.
The renewed partnership is now in its third year, at a time when Trans-World Events is transitioning to independence after the sale of its flagship portfolio to CloserStill Media.
Eventflow was originally introduced as an operational fix. It was brought in to professionalise systems during the company’s separation from sister business Trans-Global Events. Over time, however, the platform began to show unexpected commercial value.
Operational messages drive higher engagement than marketing emails
Eventflow is used to manage exhibitor operations, including passes, stand details, and deadlines.
What Trans-World Events found was that routine operational notifications sent through the system were generating far higher engagement than traditional marketing emails. Data from recent event cycles showed that each notification triggered between 400 and 500 immediate badge registrations.
These were not promotional messages. They were functional prompts sent while exhibitors were already logged in and actively managing their participation.
Nicola Cahill, head of operations at Trans-World Events, said the impact was strong enough to change internal workflows.
“Marketing actually said to me, ‘we’re not going to send out any more emails… because the responses we’re getting from Eventflow were higher than they could ever achieve,’” she said.
Rather than competing for attention in crowded inboxes, the notifications reached exhibitors at moments of high intent. As a result, marketing teams were reportedly able to step back from administrative chasing and focus on broader campaigns, while core engagement happened through operations.
Turning admin into usable data
The platform also changed how the organiser captures data.
By allowing exhibitors to invite colleagues directly into the portal, Eventflow surfaced secondary contacts that had previously sat outside the database. These contacts now feed directly into sales and marketing activity, supporting rebooking and retention.
Reducing risk and improving visibility
Before automation, many processes were handled manually. Cahill said this included sending exhibitor communications from her personal inbox.
“I used to do a mail merge from my own personal inbox… and that used to be almost suicidal,” she said.
“Using a system where you’ve got no clue as to what’s really going on is quite terrifying.”
Those risks have now been removed. The dashboard provides visibility across exhibitor activity and generates instant reports used by sales teams.
For Trans-World Events, what began as an operational necessity has become a commercial channel. Routine admin, it found, can also drive growth – if it reaches exhibitors at the right moment.
