SME XPO – Evening Standard

Driving a 50% increase in attendance for the scale-up community

A bold, multi-channel event campaign and collateral rollout designed to engage entrepreneurs and drive record attendance.

Services

Conference BrochuresDigital MediaMarketing CommunicationsOn-site Event MaterialsPrint Collateral
The Challenge
SME XPO was positioned as the UK’s premier exhibition and conference for ambitious founders and decision-makers looking to scale their businesses. With a broad, free-to-attend audience spanning early-stage founders through to high-growth scale-ups, the event needed to communicate value clearly and quickly across a crowded SME landscape.
The challenge was to support an established event brand with a campaign and collateral system capable of promoting a large-scale, content-rich event, featuring thousands of attendees, hundreds of sessions, and a wide supplier ecosystem, while remaining accessible, energetic and credible. All materials needed to work seamlessly across marketing channels, conference content and on-site environments, helping founders understand why SME XPO mattered to them and what they would gain by attending.
The Solution
We worked closely with the Evening Standard marketing team to develop and deliver a cohesive campaign and event collateral system that brought SME XPO’s scale-up mission to life. The visual approach was designed to highlight connection, learning and opportunity, reflecting the event’s focus on networking, expert insight and practical solutions for growth.
Our work spanned campaign assets, conference materials and on-site graphics, ensuring consistency across digital promotion, printed collateral and live event spaces. By structuring information clearly and creating bold, engaging visuals, we helped communicate the breadth of the programme, from scaling and finance to future tech and AI, in a way that felt approachable for a diverse SME audience.
The campaign contributed to a 50% increase in attendance compared to the previous year, reinforcing SME XPO’s position as a leading event for the scale-up community.

”Working with EY's creative team was an exceptional experience. Their innovative design approach and quick turnaround helped us deliver an impactful event that exceeded expectations. Thanks to their efforts, we saw a significant increase in attendance, with a 50% rise compared to last year. Highly recommend their services for anyone looking for a great design package.

Ana-Maria ButaruMarketing Manager, Evening Standard

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