How One Trade Pavilion Generated 80 High-Value B2B Meetings in Bangkok's Energy Sector

Pornprapun Sriyotha
4 days ago
3 min read

A practical case study on building a qualified pipeline in Thailand through data-driven outreach, localisation, and on-site orchestration at a major industry exhibition.

The Challenge: Navigating Thailand's B2B Landscape

Expanding into Thailand’s B2B market can feel opaque from the outside: the right decision‑makers are hard to find, procurement cycles are long, and personal trust still plays a decisive role. A recent trade pavilion at Asia Sustainable Energy Week 2025 in Bangkok shows how a structured, locally led marketing and sales approach can turn those barriers into a repeatable playbook.

Opaque Market

Right decision-makers are hard to find. Procurement cycles are long.

Trust Matters

Personal relationships play a decisive role in Thai business culture.

The Opportunity

Structured approach can turn barriers into repeatable playbook.

Entering Thailand's B2B Energy Market: A Live Case

A recent trade pavilion at Asia Sustainable Energy Week 2025 in Bangkok shows how structured marketing works. Over three days, four international energy companies converted standing-start presence into 86 structured meetings. Thai corporates and public sector organisations attended. Utilities, EPCs, industrial manufacturers, and provincial authorities participated.

86

Meetings

Structured B2B sessions

4

Companies

International delegates

3

Days

Exhibition duration

Build the Right Target Universe First

The project began months before the exhibition with data-led market mapping, not with booth design or collateral. A long-list of 1,061 organisations was compiled from government databases, state enterprises, industry associations, public directories and desk research, then refined into a “board list” of 450 priority companies after client-side screening.

Market Mapping

1,061 organisations compiled from government databases, state enterprises, industry associations.

Refinement

450 priority companies identified after client-side screening.

Outreach

365 companies reached by phone. 193 tailored email invitations sent.

Results

42.9% response rate. 15 pre-registered firms before show opened.

Target Segments That Delivered

From this list, the local team reached 365 companies by phone and followed up with 193 tailored email invitations, using bilingual scripts and messaging linked directly to relevant solutions such as pipeline surge analysis, smart building SaaS, waste-to-energy, and battery storage. The key segment we reached out are as follow;

Power Utilities

National and regional electricity authorities seeking infrastructure solutions.

EPC Contractors

Engineering, procurement, and construction firms for energy projects.

Industrial Estates

Manufacturing zones looking for smart building and energy efficiency tech.

Circular Economy

Waste-to-energy and sustainability-focused organisations.

Localise the Buyer Journey, End to End

One of the strongest drivers of engagement was how thoroughly the buyer journey was localised and de-risked for Thai participants. Invitation flows combined formal embassy-backed letters in Thai and English with practical digital touchpoints: email campaigns, telephone outreach, and LinkedIn messages to decision-makers.

Registration page

The project used a dedicated bilingual website with company profiles, an Airtable-based registration system in Thai and English, and automated confirmation emails

See Example

Turn an Exhibition Booth into a Structured Deal Room

Rather than treating the pavilion as a branding exercise, the organisers designed it as a “deal room” with scheduled meetings and walk-in capture. Each Thai company could pre-select which international firms they wanted to meet, in 45‑minute sessions mapped into a central meeting matrix.

Meeting Matrix

All delegates and Thai companies received the meeting matrix prior to the event date

Three days before the event, both Thai and international participants received their individual timetables, plus concise Thai company profiles to help the overseas teams prepare targeted conversations. On-site, a local coordination team handled reception, escorting, schedule confirmation, and live translation, which allowed international delegates to focus on technical and commercial discussions. This structure delivered 86 meetings across just four companies, with individual delegates holding between 13 and 20 meetings each.

Use Structured Follow-Up as a Growth Engine

The campaign did not end with exhibition teardown. A follow-up plan was implemented.

This "follow up" approach allows the pavilion to function as the start of a multi-quarter pipeline rather than a one-off event.

What This Means for Your Thailand Strategy

For sales and marketing leaders planning to enter or expand in Thailand, this case points to concrete moves.

Database Building

Invest early through local sources. Government, associations, public registries. Have list commercially screened.

Bilingual Outreach

Run multi-channel campaigns. Phone, email, LinkedIn. Anchor in specific business outcomes.

Structured Meetings

Treat exhibitions as meeting platforms. Pre-booked slots, shared matrices, local coordinators.

Local Presence

Ensure in-country representative. Provide continuity, technical follow-up, local context.

Post-Event Follow-Up

Plan systematic follow-up. Clear ownership on ground to keep conversations moving.

Ready to Expand into Thailand?

This case study demonstrates proven B2B marketing practices for the Thai market. Data-driven targeting, cultural localisation, and structured follow-up deliver results.