Brand strategy
Social media
Visual rebrand
Paid campaigns
Canadian Meetings & Events Expo (CMEE)
Three years of solo ownership, from inheriting an outdated brand to leading a full visual overhaul and growing CMEE's LinkedIn following by 232%.
Brand strategy
COMPANY
Newcom Media
Visual rebrand
ROLE
Marketing Specialist
YEARS
2023-2025
SCOPE
Rebrand, Social, Paid campaigns, Email marketing
Social media
Paid campaigns
BACKGROUND
Taking ownership of an established show
CMEE is one of Canada's leading B2B expos for the meetings and events industry, bringing together event planners, hospitality professionals, and industry suppliers each year. When I joined Newcom Media in 2023, I was brought on to take over CMEE's marketing as the previous social media specialist transitioned her focus to another show. My first year was about learning the account, understanding the audience, the show's positioning, and where the brand was falling short.
THE PROBLEM
A brand that had fallen behind the show it represented
After running CMEE through its 2023 edition, it was clear the visual identity needed more than a refresh — it needed a full overhaul. The existing brand didn't reflect the calibre of the event or the sophistication of its audience. Rather than rushing a rebrand into the same year, I scoped it as a dedicated 2024 project to do it properly. I brought the proposal to the VP of Shows, who approved it without hesitation.
THE REBRAND
A full visual overhaul across every touchpoint
I led the rebrand from concept through to execution, designing wireframes in Figma, working with Newcom's internal web development team to build out the new site on Squarespace, and fine-tuning the final output before launch. The new identity rolled out across all digital channels and on-site at CMEE 2024, covering everything from social templates and campaign creative to event signage and wayfinding.
CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
Show-cycle marketing across LinkedIn and Instagram
With the new brand in place, I built and executed a full show-cycle content strategy across LinkedIn and Instagram, the two channels where CMEE's professional audience was most active. Each show cycle ran across three phases: pre-show awareness and registration campaigns, show-day engagement content, and post-show recaps to maintain momentum between editions.
Paid campaigns ran through Meta Ads and LinkedIn Campaign Manager, targeting event planners, hospitality professionals, and industry suppliers. Organic content was planned and produced in-house, with a consistent visual language carried through from the rebrand across every post and ad.
PRE-REGISTERED
Email marketing was a core part of the show-cycle strategy, and for CMEE, I owned the full channel end-to-end. I wrote all copy (submitted for approval), designed the creative entirely in-house, built prospect lists for audience segmentation, and coordinated deployment with our audience team. Campaigns ran across three distinct audience segments: pre-registered attendees, non-registered prospects, and exhibitors — each on a separate cadence that ramped up in frequency as show day approached. At peak, pre-registered attendees were receiving touchpoints twice a week, while exhibitor campaigns began as early as five to seven months out from the show. Over a full show cycle, this translated to a sustained, structured email program running for the better part of a year.
N/A
Every other week
Every other week
Twice a week
Twice
Email cadence by audience segment
PROSPECTS (ATTENDEE/EXHIBITORS)
Exhibitor sends: weekly or biweekly
Exhibitor sends: weekly or biweekly
Attendee sends: biweekly
Exhibitor prospecting stops (sold out)
Attendee sends: weekly
Twice a week
Every other day
BOOKED EXHIBITORS
Once a month
Biweekly
Biweekly
Biweekly
Once
TIMELINE
5 to 7 months out
4 months out
2 to 3 months out
2 to 4 weeks out
1 week out
RESULTS
Three years of measurable growth
From 2023 to 2025, CMEE's social presence grew significantly on the platforms that matter most to the meetings and events industry. Alongside the follower growth, the channel strategy was deliberately consolidated. X/Twitter was wound down in favour of focusing resources on LinkedIn and Instagram, where the audience engagement was strongest.
+232%
LINKEDIN GROWTH
+64%
INSTAGRAM GROWTH
6,246
LINKEDIN FOLLOWERS
LinkedIn growth was the priority, given CMEE's B2B audience grew from 1,881 to 6,246 followers over three years through a combination of targeted paid campaigns and consistent organic content tied to the show cycle. Instagram grew from 1,882 to 3,078 over the same period, driven largely by on-site content and show-day engagement posts.
