Transforming an Annual Event Into a Year-Round Community With Mark Allen Group

Mark Allen Group used Zapnito to transform their Tes SEND Show into a thriving year-round digital hub, enabling SEND professionals to network, share insights, and access expert resources, achieving rapid growth, high engagement, and lasting value for their community.
Transforming an Annual Event Into a Year-Round Community With Mark Allen Group
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Challenge

@Torie Hart, Head of Communities and Products at Mark Allen Group, had a clear mission: to extend the impact of their Tes SEND Show beyond just an annual event. Mark Allen Group, a leading media company specializing in niche sectors like healthcare, education, and business, wanted to create an ongoing, year-round platform for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) professionals. Based on feedback from members, Torie knew there was demand for knowledge sharing beyond an annual gathering. To reach their goals SEND professionals needed to continually network, share insights, and access expert content on the go. However, effectively making this digital transformation and meeting the unique needs of SEND educators and specialists presented a significant challenge.

 

Solution

Mark Allen Group partnered with Zapnito to create 4 community platforms for different professional networks within its portfolio. For Torie, leading the SEND Network project, Zapnito's platform offered the flexibility and tools needed to build a hub for ongoing engagement and resource sharing. Torie leveraged Zapnito’s features to elevate the best parts of their in-person events online:

Year-Round Engagement

Torie ensured that the community stayed active beyond the annual Tes SEND Show by using Zapnito’s platform to regularly share expert articles, host webinars, and foster discussions. This kept members informed and engaged with valuable content throughout the year, making the platform a constant source of learning and insight.

Centralized Knowledge Hub

By integrating a wide range of content into a single, easily navigable space, Torie transformed the SEND Network into a go-to resource for SEND professionals. Whether members sought advice, best practices, or the latest developments in their field, they could easily search and discover relevant knowledge.

Facilitating Networking

Understanding the importance of peer support in professional development, Torie leveraged member profiles, directories and discussions to help members to connect, share experiences, and exchange ideas. The platform became more than just a content hub; it evolved into a thriving community where SEND professionals could support and learn from one another.

Analytics for Growth

To ensure the network continued to meet the needs of the community, Torie used Zapnito's advanced analytics to track member activity, retention, and content performance. These insights were critical in refining strategy, closing knowledge gaps and providing new value to members.

 

Results

Torie's efforts paid off in a big way:

Rapid Member Acquisition

In just two months, the SEND Network attracted over 1,000 registered members—far surpassing the initial target by four times.

Strong Retention

The platform demonstrated its ongoing value by retaining 25% of its members as monthly active users, a clear indicator of its success driving year-round engagement and becoming a trusted resource within the SEND profession.

Increased Engagement

Expert-led content and active discussions continue to drive collaboration within the community, increasing the quantity and quality of knowledge available.

Two years on, the SEND Network is still growing with nearly 200 new members joining each month and over 17,000 monthly visitors. The team have developed the SEND Network offering to include a podcast, training courses and more.

 

Why Zapnito?

Zapnito was a clear choice for The Mark Allen Group as the platform’s flexibility made building and managing 4 separate branded community platforms possible. Zapnito's customisable interface allowed Torie to build a space specifically tailored to SEND professionals’ needs, enhancing member experience with its user-friendly design. Simple navigation meant members could easily access resources and participate in community interactions.

Zapnito's dedicated customer support also played a pivotal role as well, providing Torie with a team to bounce ideas off and provide strategic advice. With Zapnito, Torie and the wider team at The Mark Allen Group successfully transformed a traditional professional networking event into an innovative digital membership product.

Now, Torie looks forward with optimism, confident that the SEND Network will continue to evolve and serve SEND professionals with the growth, connection, and knowledge sharing they need to succeed.


The support from the Zapnito team is great - there is always someone to advise on community strategy and provide expert opinion.

@Torie Hart, Head of Communities and Products, Digital Resources at Mark Allen Group

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