Building a Long-Term Growth Strategy for RE+
To support ambitious revenue goals, mdg helped RE+ develop a five-year strategy focused on audience expansion, market opportunity and long-term sustainability.
Case Study
- Five-year revenue targets on track to be achieved within one year
- International expansion agreements secured for new event formats
- New strategy and positioning drove record-breaking attendance
Challenge
The Solar Energy Industries Association® (SEIA) and the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) rely on RE+ events to fund vital advocacy, education and networking initiatives. As the two nonprofits looked to expand their impact and influence across the renewable energy sector, they also needed to boost their revenue — a priority that became even more urgent as they worked to recover pandemic-related losses. The goal: Increase annual revenue by 50% in just five years.
Approach
mdg analyzed three years of financial and event performance data and conducted discovery interviews with board members and senior leadership to identify priorities, opportunities, and areas of misalignment. Using those findings, the team developed a comprehensive growth strategy focused on audience expansion, international event opportunities, new revenue streams, and stronger value propositions for emerging market segments. mdg also facilitated board approval and led a workshop to translate the strategy into an operational roadmap with defined milestones, ownership, and success metrics.
Results
The organization approved a five-year revenue strategy within six months of engagement and quickly moved into execution. International agreements were secured for new event formats, and the updated positioning helped reinforce RE+’s role within the broader renewable energy industry. Record-breaking attendance followed the launch of the strategy, and RE+ progressed toward its long-term financial targets ahead of schedule.
Frequently asked questions
An event growth strategy typically includes audience expansion planning, revenue forecasting, positioning updates, new market opportunities and operational milestones tied to measurable business goals. For RE+, the strategy mdg developed also included international event opportunities, adjacent revenue streams and defined ownership for execution.
Board alignment improves when stakeholder perspectives are gathered early and incorporated into the strategy development process. mdg conducted one-on-one discovery interviews before building the strategy for RE+, helping surface concerns and reduce friction during approval.
Rebranding can expand the audiences, partnerships and opportunities an organization can credibly pursue. For RE+, repositioning the brand around renewable energy — rather than only solar — created a stronger platform for audience growth and event expansion.
The timeline varies based on market conditions, execution readiness and organizational alignment. With RE+, the organization moved ahead of pace toward its five-year financial targets within the first year following strategy approval.
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