How MCI marketed IAC 2025 to grow registrations and global reach

IAC 2025 needed a marketing campaign that could do more than promote dates and speakers. The client wanted to attract delegates, increase abstract submissions, secure participation from 80 to 100 countries and generate strong public interest in the congress and attendance at its Public Day. Australia needed to be positioned convincingly as a serious player in the global space sector, despite having a smaller domestic space ecosystem than some established space nations. 

The campaign therefore had to work on multiple levels: It needed to build international credibility, create urgency around registration, speak to distinct audience groups and sustain attention over a long lead time. It also had to cut through digital saturation, maintain brand consistency across channels and show clear return on marketing investment. Alongside this, the client wanted the campaign to feel inclusive, nationally relevant and strong enough to connect with schools, families, students and underrepresented communities as well as industry audiences. 

MCI Australia developed a persona-driven, multi-channel marketing strategy that combined audience segmentation, content planning, digital advertising, social media, electronic direct mailers (EDMs), PR and direct outreach. The campaign was built to engage different groups in different ways. LinkedIn and email communications spoke to industry and government audiences, while Instagram, paid advertising and public-facing content were used to connect with students, families and the wider public. 

The creative approach used strong Sydney imagery, astronaut ambassadors, countdown content, speaker features and accessible storytelling to make the congress feel relevant and high profile. MCI also extended the campaign through multiplier marketing, equipping sponsors, associations and partners to promote IAC 2025 through their own channels. This added significant reach beyond owned media. Influencer collaborations with Australian space communicators and astronauts helped strengthen authenticity, while a message broadcast from the International Space Station became a standout campaign asset. 

Performance was actively managed throughout. Real-time dashboards supported optimisation, and direct phone and email outreach helped close registration gaps and target underrepresented regions. PR activity added mainstream visibility and helped position Public Day as a major public-facing STEM experience. This gave the campaign both B2B and B2C strength, while keeping one clear objective in view: turning attention into participation. 

The campaign helped IAC 2025 exceed every major participation target. The event attracted 26,000+ registrations overall, including 7,615 delegates from 99 countries, 86% of them from outside Australia, and 18,544 Public Day attendees, making it the largest in IAC history. The congress also received 6,963 abstract submissions from 103 countries, the second-highest total in the event’s 76-year history. 

Campaign performance was strong across channels, delivering 15.4 million paid impressions and 987,000 organic views; the event’s digital platforms gained 8,000+ new followers and generated 1,000+ social posts. Influencer and ambassador content attracted more than 200,000 video views. The campaign also drove 914,000 website sessions over 12 months, while 50+ EDM campaigns achieved an average 57% open rate and 7%+ click rate. Partner and sponsor amplification extended reach by an estimated 1.5 million additional impressions. 

IAC 2025 was the largest international event in Sydney since 2020 and supported a reported economic impact of AU$47 million (more than US$32 million) for New South Wales. More importantly from a marketing perspective, the campaign showed how an international congress marketing strategy can expand reach, strengthen destination credibility and convert awareness into record attendance.