Overview
Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) is the major biennial event for the defence and security industries, organised by Clarion Events.
BFBS Creative ran the social media campaign for both 2017 and 2019. Supported by the UK government, the huge event attracts over 35,000 high-level industry and government figures from around the world.
The challenge
BFBS Creative was tasked with producing, delivering and monitoring an effective social media strategy for DSEI. The campaign had to increase registrations for the event, promote DSEI as the leading defence brand, and provide a platform for attendees to engage with each other outside of the main event.
The solution
In 2017, we were asked at the last minute to help manage and amplify positive DSEI content on Twitter and to support their exhibitors using social media.
The project was nominated in partnership with Clarion for an AEO Excellence Award in 2018. Ahead of the 2019 event, we consolidated our strategy by introducing a LinkedIn presence and working with partners from DSEI’s exhibiting companies. We used stakeholders’ channels to amplify our reach and produce a constant stream of high-quality graphics, video and animation, all built off the back of our sophisticated analytics to target DSEI’s audience.
The outcome
The 2019 campaign boosted DSEI’s social engagement by an impressive 280%, compared to 2017.
The DSEI social media accounts have now grown by over 300%, with over 10,000 followers.
Content for the 2019 event reached 2.2 million people.
The videos and animations we produced were watched more than 119,000 times.
The LinkedIn page saw a 4.4% engagement rate, with 3,500 new followers.
Not only did we build upon DSEI’s position as a leading industry brand, we also added value to exhibitors who used our content on their own channels.