A six-month fractional marketing campaign to lift occupancy across three London locations, blending strategy, street activation, partnerships and a 150-person Business Carnival.
The Challenge
Tradestars, a London flexible workspace providers with locations in Hackney Wick, Islington and Southwark, wanted to reach 90% occupancy. The brief was a six-month event plan to build local visibility and grow a lead database. We were brought in as their fractional marketing team: not a single consultant, not a full agency, but an integrated unit of specialists, with the right person stepping in for each job.
The Strategy
We did the thinking before designing a single leaflet. A strategic review drew on CRM analysis of more than 4,000 leads, mapping conversion by industry and channel. From there we built three event concepts for the client to choose from and a full marketing strategy covering website UX, a Google Ads review that identified a 71% improvement in cost-per-conversion, and a broker partnership plan. All of it was activated.
The Campaign
Hackney Wick: the pizza van day. Nine empty studios needed filling fast. We ran a rapid street activation around Hackney Wick station: promotional staff, branded materials and a pizza van to stop people and give them a reason to linger. The result was over 20 immediate viewing requests in a single day. November’s Black Friday mindset meant a time-sensitive offer felt valuable rather than desperate, and that went straight into the playbook.
Islington: refining the format. We brought those learnings to a January activation, timed for new-year planning energy and the local beauty and wellness cluster. Floor stickers, a sign spinner at a high-footfall junction, branded tote giveaways and an in-location open viewing turned the guerrilla approach into a repeatable format.
The Business Carnival. The campaign’s finale, on 2 April at Islington, was the largest event we have produced end-to-end. Around 150 founders and entrepreneurs came through the door for carnival games, a live prize stage and the Doorbell of Dreams, Simon Squibb’s signature pitch format, with a queue that ran the length of the room all evening. Prizes were real: memberships, mentorship, books and PR packages. A physical Business Collab Board kept connections happening in person. Vanessa from High Fifteen compered alongside Simon. Every element, from the prize structure to the MC brief, came from our team.
Our Process
The fractional model is what made the breadth possible. Tradestars got strategic oversight, project management, research and data, photography, video, and design, without the cost or friction of hiring any of them in-house. Each person stepped in when their skill was needed.
Alongside the events, we:
- Built a targeted database of 400-plus founders, CEOs and MDs matching the ideal customer profile for Hackney Wick
- Audited more than 100 commercial brokers, identified the top 20 to target and wrote listing copy for each location
- Supported the Mums Who Build partnership and managed the Simon Squibb and HelpBnk collaboration throughout
The Result
- 150 founders and entrepreneurs at the Business Carnival
- Over 20 immediate viewing requests from a single street activation
- 4,065 CRM leads analysed to shape targeting
- 400-plus contacts built in the outreach database
- 100-plus commercial brokers audited
- 71% improvement in Google Ads cost-per-conversion identified
- 31% conversion from resident referrals, the channel we recommended doubling down on
- 13-plus distinct workstreams delivered in six months
The Spaces to Places method
We were briefed to run three events. Six months on, we had delivered thirteen-plus workstreams across three locations, coordinated multiple agencies and finished with a carnival that brought 150 entrepreneurs through the door. That is the difference between a consultancy that hands you a report and a fractional team that stays in it with you, from the strategy session to the street corner. Strategy without delivery is just a document.