Defined an Ambitious Five-Year Digital Roadmap for a Leading Exhibition Organizer

Client and project overview

We worked closely with the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), a leading exhibition organizer, on defining an ambitious new five-year digital roadmap. From strategy development to implementation planning, we helped IEG begin a journey of transformation. The project was considered vital for IEG, as the pandemic radically changed the expectations of its customers – both attendees and exhibitors.

Our innovative thinking has helped IEG create a new post-Covid vision. It is the ‘community catalyst’ concept that has been integral in shaping IEG’s 2022-2027 strategic plan.

IEG embraced ‘community catalyst’ because it takes a fresh approach – significantly enlarging the role of event organizers. The concept puts events at the heart of IEG’s communities, serving their needs and creating value for a wider audience.

Key objectives

In developing IEG’s digital roadmap, we focused on the following questions:

• What is IEG’s current digital offering, and how does it vary across brands?
• Is IEG’s management ready for digital change? What is IEG’s company vision?
• How well does IEG understand its customers? What are their customers’ needs and pain points – both for physical and virtual events?​

Implementation

• Identify the required workstreams to deploy the roadmap
• Pinpoint resource requirements, revenue costs, and investments
• Outline the risks and mitigations from implementation
• Set a suitable governance structure to support digital transformation

Our methodology

• We conducted in-depth interviews with IEG’s management to fully understand the business. We also interviewed IEG’s customers so we could clearly identify their main pain points and opportunities​
• We analyzed IEG’s internal data, including surveys conducted and digital offerings across show brands​
• We held an in-person workshop that defined the company vision and helped drive substantial excitement around new digital initiatives ​
• We worked with IEG management to identify the main digital opportunities in the short, medium and long term​

Results

• IEG developed a compelling five-year digital roadmap and company vision. This positions the business for long-term growth and digital transformation. We are proud that the ‘community catalyst’ concept is now fundamental to IEG’s business model
• Our work with IEG’s management team also included developing roadmaps with clear objectives, deliverables and KPIs, plus determining financial and human resource needs – all spanning the five-year timeframe