1. The Digital Marketing Company That Went Analogue
I’m Greg, CEO of TouchBasePro, and yes, we’re that email marketing company. You know, the one that sends billions of emails for South African banks, medical aids, and even that one-person artisanal jam maker in Cape Town. We’ve been around for 20 years, and we know digital marketing like the back of our hands. LinkedIn ads? Check. Google Ads? Check. Email campaigns that actually convert? Double check.
So when we decided to exhibit at LeaderEx, you’d think we’d lost our digital minds. “Going to a trade show? In 2025? With actual people?” But here’s the thing – sometimes you’ve got to stop sending emails and start shaking hands.
2. The Numbers That Made Me Spit Out My Coffee
Two months. That’s how many leads we normally get in eight weeks through our digital channels. Two days. That’s how long it took us to get the same number of leads at LeaderEx. Let that sink in.
I’m not saying digital marketing is dead. I’m saying it’s really nice to talk to people who actually want to talk to you, not just retarget them until they block you.
3. 3346 CMOs Walk Into a Room…
LeaderEx should be renamed “Marketing Manager Heaven.” Over 3,000 CMOs and marketing decision-makers in one place, and somehow they all seemed to find our booth. It was like a LinkedIn connection request, but with actual conversations and better coffee.
The crowd wasn’t just impressive – it was surgical. Every person who stopped by had buying power, budget, and the kind of email marketing problems that keep people awake at night (and keep us in business).
4. Meet Joanna – The Woman Who Knows More About Expos Than Anyone Should
Look, I know email marketing. I can tell you why your subject line sucks or why your open rates are in the toilet. But expos? That’s Joanna’s world. Progroup has been in the expo industry for over 40 years, which means Joanna and her team know more about trade shows than most people know about their own families.
I asked her some questions because, frankly, I wanted to know why LeaderEx worked so well for us. Here’s what she had to say:
Greg: “Joanna, what’s the biggest mistake companies make at expos?”
Joanna: “They show up with a booth and expect the magic to happen. The companies that win are the ones who treat it like a campaign, not a weekend away from the office. They plan, they prepare, and they actually talk to people instead of checking their phones every 30 seconds.”
Greg: “What separates the winners from the wannabenefits? (Yes, I made up that word)
Joanna: “Winners know their numbers. They know that 81% of trade show attendees have buying authority, and 92% come to see new products. Losers just show up with a banner and hope someone cares. Winners create an experience that makes people remember them on Monday morning.”
Greg: “Why does LeaderEx work so well for B2B companies?
Joanna: “Because it’s curated. It’s not a random collection of booths. It’s designed for decision-makers. When you put 3,000 CMOs in one place, magic happens. When you put 3000 CMOs in one place with the right exhibitors, business happens.”
TouchBasePro’s Expo Playbook: The Benefits of Being in the Right Place at the Right Time
- Quality over quantity - 200 qualified leads beat 2000 random email addresses every time
- Instant feedback - No waiting for open rates. People tell you what they think immediately
- Sometimes, with facial expressions that would make a mime proud
- Sometimes with actual words and money
- Relationship building - You can’t have coffee with a click-through rate
- Brand positioning – Being the email marketing expert in a room full of marketers is like being the only barista at a caffeine convention
- Speed to market - Two days to get in front of 3,000 decision-makers is faster than any digital campaign I’ve ever run
The Bottom Line: Expos Are Alive and Well (and Living in South Africa)
If you picked the right expo, you can get more qualified leads in two days than you can get in two months of digital marketing. We proved it. Joanna proved it. The thousands of CMOs at LeaderEx proved it.
The secret isn’t showing up with a booth and a dream. The secret is showing up at the right expo with the right message for the right audience.
TouchBasePro is planning to attend at least 12 expos over the next 16 months. Not because we enjoy airport food and hotel WiFi, but because they work. They work better than any digital campaign we’ve ever run.
And if you see us at an expo, come say hi. We’ll be the ones with the email marketing jokes and the booth that looks like we actually tried.
Greg is the CEO of TouchBasePro, South Africa’s premier email marketing company. His team has sent billions of emails, but he’s found that shaking hands works better than sending newsletters. Follow him for more marketing insights and the occasional pun that’s so bad it’s good.
