We're an event marketing consultancy bringing insider expertise from tier one organisers to businesses who need senior level strategic thinking and execution. Natalie Gurney spent fifteen years leading marketing inside dmg events and Informa Markets, working on major international exhibitions. Now that expertise is available to event businesses who need the same level of strategic frameworks and execution capability without hiring permanent senior staff. We work across event launch and growth marketing, strategic positioning, fractional marketing director services, and creative production. Read more about us

We work with six types of event businesses, each with different challenges and needs. International event organisers expanding into new geographic markets, particularly those launching events or building regional marketing teams. Event agencies and production companies who need strategic marketing capability to win competitive tenders and elevate their service proposition beyond pure operational delivery. Professional associations and industry bodies hosting conferences and congresses that need professional marketing quality whilst maintaining community authenticity and budget discipline. Government entities and semi government organisations managing event portfolios or hosting international conferences requiring sophisticated marketing adapted for public sector standards. Regional organisers and venue operators building marketing sophistication to match their operational excellence and commercial ambitions. Media companies and intelligence providers hosting conferences as content extensions who need to professionalise delegate acquisition and sponsorship development. Outside of this scope, we work on bespoke marketing consultancy and delivery for SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups ready to accelerate growth.

We offer four core services that can work independently or together depending on what you need. The Alchemy Lab covers strategic positioning and business development. This includes market analysis, audience profiling, strategic narrative development, competitive positioning, RFP response support, stakeholder management, and partnership development. Best for new market entry, repositioning established events, or navigating complex business development. Fractional Marketing Director provides part time senior marketing leadership without permanent hire costs. Strategic direction, team development, campaign oversight, process documentation, vendor management, and capability building. Typically structured as monthly retainers with ongoing involvement over several months. The Alchemy Accelerator handles comprehensive event launch and growth marketing. Strategic positioning through to campaign execution, database building, registration optimisation, sponsorship marketing, and post event measurement. Designed for new event launches or major market entries requiring complete marketing engines. The Foundry produces marketing materials with senior marketers leading production. Brand identity, campaign assets, sales collateral, sponsorship proposals, event materials, video production. We write the brief based on event marketing best practice, then oversee specialist production ensuring quality first time. Read more about our packages.

We're based in Dubai and work internationally. Core experience includes Middle East, Asia, and UK markets with understanding of business culture, government relationships, and operational realities across these regions. The digital nature of consulting means we support businesses globally. What matters more than physical location is understanding event business dynamics, which comes from years operating inside international organisers rather than geographic boundaries.

Our background is exhibitions and conferences, but the strategic frameworks and execution approaches apply across all business and event types. other event types include corporate events, association gatherings, government initiatives, trade shows, technical conferences, industry summits. Event marketing fundamentals translate across formats. Audience understanding, value proposition development, acquisition strategy, stakeholder management, content marketing, database growth. The specifics change but the methodology holds.

We bring insider event marketing expertise rather than external agency perspective. Fifteen years inside tier one organisers means understanding event business from the organiser's viewpoint. The revenue pressure, stakeholder complexity, operational constraints, and commercial realities that shape decisions. We integrate strategy with execution rather than separating them. Every engagement includes process documentation, team training, and knowledge transfer. We measure success by your team's capability development, not ongoing consultant dependency. Your independence is the goal, not our recurring revenue. Most importantly, we understand events specifically rather than applying general marketing frameworks. Exhibitor dynamics, sponsor value propositions, visitor acquisition, registration psychology, database building, post event measurement. This is event marketing, not marketing adapted for events

Yes, we provide white label strategic support for agencies responding to competitive tenders. Many agencies have excellent operational delivery but struggle with strategic marketing components that increasingly appear in RFPs and government tenders. We develop marketing strategy sections, campaign frameworks, and positioning narratives that strengthen proposals whilst keeping your brand front and centre. The client sees your agency with enhanced strategic capability, not an external consultant. Engagement models vary. Some agencies prefer project based support per RFP. Others want ongoing advisory relationships as they scale their strategic offering. Some arrangements include success based elements aligning our incentives with your wins.

We understand association dynamics. Volunteer committees, budget constraints, consensus driven decision making, board governance, membership priorities. The need to maintain community authenticity whilst elevating marketing professionalism. Our approach respects these realities. Fixed price packages enable budget predictability and board approval. Documentation ensures continuity across leadership changes and committee rotations. Training builds volunteer and staff capability. Collaboration involves members in marketing development rather than imposing external approaches. The goal is professional marketing quality that enhances rather than compromises the authentic technical community character associations value.

Yes, we have experience supporting government backed event initiatives. This includes understanding stakeholder complexity, protocol requirements, approval processes, and the particular communication approaches public sector work demands. We provide international standard strategy whilst respecting government workflows. Documentation discipline matches public sector reporting needs. Capability transfer aligns with workforce development mandates. Stakeholder communication considers political sensitivities and relationship dynamics. Government entities often have strong operational delivery but developing marketing sophistication. We bridge that gap whilst building internal capability for sustainability.

Fractional Marketing Director provides part time senior marketing leadership. Think of it as having a Marketing Director in your business several days per week without permanent employment costs and commitments. Strategic direction includes quarterly marketing plans, budget allocation, campaign frameworks, and performance metrics. Team leadership covers weekly check ins, campaign oversight, mentoring, and skills development. Stakeholder management handles client meetings, board updates, investor presentations, and partner coordination. Process documentation creates marketing playbooks, campaign templates, and workflow designs that outlast consultant involvement. Vendor management includes agency briefing, supplier coordination, and quality assurance. Capability building develops team skills through training programmes and structured development. On demand counsel via email or messaging provides rapid decision support between scheduled involvement. Engagements typically run several months with transition plans ensuring teams operate independently afterwards. Read more about our packages, or download the brochure.

Event launches follow a strategic framework developed launching international exhibitions, adapted for specific event context and market dynamics. Foundation work establishes event positioning, competitive differentiation, audience value propositions, and market landscape understanding. Audience building develops database growth strategy, acquisition channel planning, content frameworks, and stakeholder identification. Campaign execution covers multi channel marketing, registration funnel optimisation, conversion tracking, sponsor development, and stakeholder coordination. Measurement and optimisation includes performance analysis, attendee quality assessment, and post event documentation. Timeline and intensity vary based on event scale, market maturity, and launch risk. New market entries typically need longer runway and more comprehensive support than launches in established markets.

Experience spans energy, construction, design, technology, media, and entertainment sectors. Energy includes oil and gas, renewables, energy transition, utilities. Construction covers building, MEP, project management, real estate. Design includes interior, retail, hospitality. Technology spans fintech, cybersecurity, digital transformation. Sector knowledge helps but isn't the primary factor. What matters more is understanding event business dynamics, audience psychology, stakeholder management, and commercial models. These fundamentals apply across sectors whilst specific content and positioning adapt for each industry. Cross sector experience often benefits clients. Insights from energy event marketing inform technology conference approaches. Design event audience strategies translate to construction exhibitions. The patterns and frameworks transfer even as content changes.

Project duration varies significantly based on scope and service type. Strategic positioning work typically takes four to six weeks. Event launches range from twelve to sixteen weeks depending on complexity and market. Creative production projects vary from two weeks for single assets to eight weeks for comprehensive campaigns. Fractional Marketing Director engagements usually run six to twelve months with ongoing monthly involvement. These are typical timeframes, not rigid rules. Some situations need faster delivery. Others benefit from longer development. Initial conversations explore timeline requirements alongside scope and budget parameters.

Event marketing investment varies significantly based on scope, market, timeline, and service type. Strategic positioning projects typically range from fixed fees for defined deliverables over 4-6 weeks. Event launch campaigns involve larger investment reflecting 12-16 weeks intensive work including strategy, database building, campaign execution, and measurement. Fractional Marketing Director services operate on monthly retainers typically for several months commitment. Rather than generic pricing, we discuss your specific situation and recommend appropriate investment levels. Discovery calls clarify scope, budget parameters, and timeline, then proposals outline detailed costs matching your needs. Budget flexibility exists. Some clients need comprehensive support requiring significant investment. Others need targeted assistance with more modest resources. Conversation helps match service level to budget available whilst maintaining quality standards.

We don’t replace in-house teams - we extend them. Our role is to provide relief and reinforcement, covering the projects and collateral that teams don’t have capacity to deliver. This means your team stays focused on strategy and management, while we handle design, execution, and polish.

Book a discovery call. We'll discuss your situation, understand challenges, clarify goals, and recommend appropriate approaches. No obligation, no sales pressure. Just conversation with someone who understands event marketing. Many prospects aren't sure whether they need launch support, strategic positioning, fractional leadership, or some combination. That uncertainty is normal. The conversation helps clarify what would create most value given your circumstances. Sometimes the right answer is none of our services. Perhaps timing isn't right, budget doesn't align, or internal capability is stronger than you realise. Honest assessment matters more than forcing engagement. Better to have that clarity upfront than discover misalignment later.

No. Nobody can guarantee event marketing results honestly. Too many variables outside marketing control affect outcomes. Event content quality, industry conditions, competitive timing, economic factors, venue locations, date selections. What we can control and commit to is methodology quality, strategic thinking, execution professionalism, and capability transfer. Bringing tier one frameworks and approaches proven launching major international exhibitions. Working hard, thinking strategically, executing professionally. Results depend partly on circumstances outside anyone's control. Honest consultants acknowledge that rather than making promises they cannot keep. What you get is expertise, effort, and integrity. Outcomes emerge from combining those elements with your event's specific circumstances.

Short Answer: Yes, we use AI tools as productivity assistants, but human event marketing expertise directs, reviews, and refines everything you receive. How We Use AI: We use AI for research, first drafts, design concepts, and speeding up repetitive tasks. For example, generating headline options to review, creating image mockups for concepts, analysing competitor positioning, or drafting presentation structures. Strategic thinking, quality control, and final polish come from people with fifteen years event marketing experience. What We Never Do: We never send AI generated content directly to clients. Everything receives thorough human review, editing, and refinement before delivery. No AI output bypasses our quality standards or replaces human judgment about what's strategically sound for your specific situation. Our Three Core Principles: AI Assists, Humans Decide AI never replaces human expertise and accountability. Every deliverable reflects strategic thinking from someone who understands event marketing deeply. Data Privacy Protected We never put confidential client information into open AI systems that might compromise privacy. Your data security is non negotiable. Quality Verified All content is fact checked, edited, and verified by our team. What you receive meets the standards developed launching major international exhibitions like ADIPEC, Gastech, and INDEX. Why Transparency Matters: Some agencies use AI extensively without disclosure. Others reject it entirely and miss efficiency gains. We use AI as a productivity tool whilst maintaining quality through human oversight. Honesty about our process builds trust. Full Policy: Read our detailed AI usage policy covering quality assurance, data privacy, intellectual property compliance, and ethical considerations at marketing-alchemist.co/ai-usage-policy. AI helps us work faster and explore more options. Human expertise ensures the work you receive is strategically sound, commercially viable, and appropriate for your event marketing challenges.

Book a discovery call. We'll discuss your specific situation, recommend approaches, and map out what you need. Initial conversations typically cover current marketing challenges, event goals and timeline, team capabilities and gaps, budget parameters, and success metrics. From there we develop proposals outlining scope, deliverables, timeline, and investment. Some prospects prefer exploring written materials first. Request our information by email and we'll send relevant materials based on your interests. Either way works. Choose whatever approach suits your style.

Based in Dubai with extensive experience across both Dubai and Abu Dhabi venues and event markets. We understand the distinct dynamics of each Emirate and how they shape event marketing approaches. In Dubai, we have worked across Dubai World Trade Centre venues, Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, and major Dubai exhibitions including INDEX Dubai and Middle East Film & Comic Con. We understand Department of Economy and Tourism requirements, DWTC venue dynamics, and the commercial realities of Dubai's highly competitive international event market. Abu Dhabi experience includes working with ADNEC Group venues, understanding government entity relationships in the capital, and navigating the different stakeholder dynamics that define Abu Dhabi events. Abu Dhabi events often involve closer government relationships, public sector partnerships, and alignment with Emirate economic development priorities. The two cities have distinct event market characteristics. Dubai operates more commercially with intense international competition and private sector focus. Abu Dhabi events frequently connect to government entities, sovereign wealth initiatives, and strategic sector development. Marketing approaches need adapting for each context. Both markets require understanding Emirate specific regulations, venue operator expectations, visa and tourism considerations for international attendees, and the multicultural audience dynamics defining UAE events. Our UAE experience spans both commercial and government contexts across Dubai and Abu Dhabi markets. Read more about us.

Yes, Saudi Arabia market entry is a core specialisation. We have operational experience in Saudi markets, understanding Vision 2030 contexts, the need for government stakeholder management, and the cultural and business dynamics affecting event marketing in KSA. Saudi launches differ significantly from Dubai or other GCC markets. Government relationships matter more, approval processes take longer, stakeholder coordination is more complex, and understanding Saudi business culture is essential. We bring practical experience, not just external strategy.

Yes, we have operational experience across Singapore, Thailand and Japan markets. Singapore particularly, understanding the competitive and fragmented dynamics of Southeast Asian event markets. Asian event markets differ from Middle East in business culture, decision making processes, government relationships, and competitive intensity. Our experience spans both regions, understanding when approaches translate and when they need adaptation for local context. We work with organisers expanding from GCC into APAC markets, APAC organisers entering Middle East, and regional operators in both markets seeking to elevate marketing sophistication.

Hiring a permanent Marketing Director involves recruitment costs, salary typically starting around AED 40,000+ monthly in GCC markets, benefits packages, visa sponsorship costs for international hires, notice period commitments, and typically 3-6 months before they're fully effective in role. Fractional Marketing Director provides immediate senior expertise several days weekly on flexible monthly commitments. Lower cost than permanent hire, no recruitment process, tier-one organiser expertise from day one, ability to scale involvement up or down, and no long term employment obligation. Trade off is reduced availability compared to permanent staff. Fractional works best when you need senior strategic direction but not daily operational management, when bridging gaps between permanent hires, or when building team capability before committing to permanent headcount. Many clients use fractional support whilst recruiting permanent directors, ensuring marketing momentum continues during recruitment whilst new hires onboard into functioning systems rather than building from scratch.

Yes, exhibition marketing is core expertise. Fifteen years working on major international exhibitions including ADIPEC, Gastech, INDEX Dubai and Saudi Arabia means understanding exhibitor acquisition, visitor marketing, sponsorship development, floorplan strategy, and the particular commercial dynamics of trade shows and exhibitions. Exhibition marketing differs from conference marketing or corporate events. Exhibitor sales cycles, visitor acquisition strategies, sponsor value propositions, venue relationships, floorplan development. These specifics require exhibition experience, not general event marketing adapted for trade shows. We work across B2B exhibitions in energy, construction, design, and technology sectors. Understanding exhibitor motivations, visitor behaviour patterns, sponsor ROI requirements, and commercial models driving exhibition business. From flagship international exhibitions to specialised vertical market shows.

Yes, conference marketing across professional associations, commercial conference businesses, media company events, and technical conferences. Understanding delegate acquisition, speaker programmes, content marketing, abstract submissions, and sponsorship models beyond traditional exhibition packages. Conference audiences differ from exhibition visitors. Higher registration prices, longer sales cycles, content quality expectations, speaker credibility requirements, networking value propositions. Marketing emphasizes thought leadership, programme quality, peer learning, educational outcomes. We work with associations hosting annual conferences and congresses, media companies running summit series, commercial organisers building conference portfolios, and government entities hosting international conferences. Understanding volunteer committee dynamics for associations, editorial integrity for media conferences, procurement processes for government conferences.

Common triggers include launching new events without established marketing teams, entering new geographic markets requiring local expertise, facing aggressive growth targets with limited internal resources, bridging gaps between permanent marketing hires, struggling with disappointing registration performance, or needing strategic repositioning against new competition. Timing matters significantly. Ideally engage 6-9 months before event launch for comprehensive support building databases, developing stakeholder relationships, and establishing market presence. Minimum 3-4 months enables meaningful impact. Less than 2 months limits what's achievable though sometimes urgent situations require rapid support. Earlier engagement enables better outcomes. Database building, content development, stakeholder relationship cultivation, sponsor development, speaker recruitment all benefit from longer runways. Last minute marketing rarely achieves optimal results regardless of budget or expertise applied.

Energy is a core sector with extensive experience across oil and gas, renewables, energy transition, power generation, and utilities events. Direct experience on ADIPEC, Gastech, Future Energy Asia, and energy conferences means understanding energy industry stakeholders, national oil company relationships, government dynamics in energy sectors, and sponsor motivations. Energy events involve complex stakeholder coordination. National oil companies, international operators, service companies, technology providers, government regulators, financial institutions, environmental organisations. Marketing must navigate these relationships whilst driving commercial outcomes and respecting political sensitivities. We understand energy industry business cycles, how commodity prices affect event participation, regulatory environments across markets, and the particular dynamics of energy transition marketing as the industry evolves towards net zero commitments.