The Strategic Co plans to sell between 10,000 and 15,000 sqm of exhibition space across its events in 2027, as part of a plan to organise four exhibitions next year, up from one in 2025 and two in 2026.
The 2027 lineup will include two editions of Launchpad Expo, alongside two new specialised events — Coffee Connect Expo, focused on the coffee sector, and BuildEx, dedicated to the construction and finishing industries.
Karim Saber, Co-Founder and CEO of The Strategic Co, said the company was established around three years ago, building on its founders’ experience in exhibition organisation. The company aims to develop an event model focused on facilitating business connections between companies and service providers, rather than relying solely on educational content and conferences.
The company launched the first edition of Launchpad Expo in November 2025, followed by the second edition in May 2026. It is now preparing to hold its third edition in November, with plans to eventually organise two editions annually, Saber said.
Connecting businesses with service providers
He explained that Launchpad Expo seeks to bridge the gap between educational content and business opportunities by bringing together service providers, startups, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Services offered by participating companies include financing, banking, payments, technology, marketing, human resources, and logistics.
Around 33% of companies that participated in the first edition returned for the second edition six months later, while the number of exhibitors increased from 50 to 61 and sponsors rose from 11 to 23, Saber noted.
He disclosed that some participating companies recorded conversion rates of around 20% among potential clients they connected with during the exhibition.
Saber added that The Strategic Co plans to launch Launchpad Learning, an educational arm offering year-round workshops and training programmes covering marketing, finance, management, and human resources. He stressed that the company does not operate as an incubator or accelerator and does not intervene in companies’ business models or management.
10,000-15,000 sqm exhibition target
The company aims to sell between 10,000 and 15,000 sqm of exhibition space in 2027, with sold exhibition area serving as one of its key performance indicators. Pricing varies according to the type of exhibition, sector, location, and participating companies.
For his part, Ahmed Elgarem, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships, said that the first and second editions of Launchpad Expo each attracted around 3,000 visitors. The company is targeting 5,000 visitors for the third edition.
Elgarem added that the company is preparing to launch Launchpad Connect alongside the upcoming edition to maintain communication between exhibitors and visitors after the event. The platform will allow visitors to reconnect with companies they could not meet during the exhibition, extending the event into an ongoing business network.
He further indicated that the company is also developing proprietary technology to manage exhibition operations, including space management, ticket sales, and communication between exhibitors and visitors.
The Strategic Co plans to expand into Gulf markets over the next two years while studying several regional markets. Launchpad Expo is expected to serve as the starting point for this expansion, including opportunities to connect Egyptian companies with Gulf service providers and markets and attract Gulf-based companies to Egyptian exhibitions, Elgarem concluded.
