Overview: Expanding Reach in a Competitive Market

Sproat Lake Landing, a luxury resort on Vancouver Island, partnered with Forge Strategy to expand its footprint in the corporate retreat space. The goal: to attract decision-makers across Canada and the U.S.—particularly those unfamiliar with the destination—and build a strong pipeline of high-quality leads.

The Challenge: Awareness Beyond the Island

Despite offering a world-class setting and experience, Sproat Lake Landing was relatively unknown to corporate planners outside the local area. In a competitive market for retreats and off-sites, the resort needed a targeted strategy to raise awareness, generate qualified interest, and secure future bookings.

Our Approach: Targeted, Tactical, and Data-Led

Forge Strategy designed and executed a full-funnel outreach campaign aimed at executive teams and corporate planners. Combining automation, personalization, and continuous refinement, we built a program to drive measurable interest and long-term visibility.

Execution Highlights

1. 1.Optimized Email Deliverability
   • Tuned domain, DNS, and sender reputation for maximum inboxing
   • Used gradual warm-up protocols to protect sender reputation
   • Delivered segmented volumes with personalized copy to enhance authenticity
2. 3.High-Intent Targeting
   • Recalibrated Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) using real-time engagement data
   • Shifted focus to mid-to-large companies with established retreat budgets
   • Prioritized outreach to British Columbia and major urban centers
3. 6.Consistent Lead Management
   • Maintained 3–4 personalized follow-ups per week during a 30-day lead cycle
   • Aligned sequences to each prospect’s planning timeline
   • Adjusted outreach strategy based on seasonal trends and engagement behavior

Key Metrics (Mar–Oct 2024):

The Results (March–October 2024)

• $150,000+ in estimated opportunity value
• 126 engaged leads generated
• 8+ organic referrals from impressed prospects
• Significant visibility gains across previously untapped markets
• Strengthened brand positioning as a distinct retreat destination in British Columbia

The Impact

Within six months, Forge Strategy helped transform Sproat Lake Landing’s corporate outreach. The campaign sparked awareness in new markets, positioned the resort as a compelling retreat venue, and created long-term momentum for bookings and brand recognition. Sproat Lake Landing is now part of the conversation in boardrooms it hadn’t reached before.

Campaign Analytics Overview:

Client Overview

Franworks is a leading hospitality group with a diverse portfolio of restaurants across Canada. As the holiday season approached, they wanted to boost corporate and group bookings for their restaurants, particularly targeting companies planning Christmas and year-end parties.

Challenge

Franworks faced a common seasonal challenge: How can they increase corporate party bookings during the busy holiday period and do so in a predictable, scalable way?

While their restaurants had consistent local traffic, they lacked a structured outbound strategy to reach corporate decision-makers in the community proactively. They needed a system that would:

• Generate awareness for holiday bookings.
• Initiate conversations with HR teams and office managers.
• Secure commitments before the holiday rush.

Solution

Forge implemented a targeted outreach campaign using Instantly.ai to reach businesses across the city.

The campaign strategy included:

1. 1.Curated Target Lists:
   ​ Local companies likely to host year-end gatherings or corporate dinners.
2. 2.Personalized Email Sequences:
   ​ Messaging designed to “plant the seed” early — highlighting Franworks venues as ideal spots for team celebrations.
3. 3.Automated Follow-Ups & Appointment Setting:
   ​ Using appointment-setting workflows to book calls and meetings directly with event coordinators or restaurant managers.
4. 4.Performance Tracking & Optimization:
   ​ Continuous A/B testing of subject lines and offers to improve open and reply rates.

Results

After four months of active sending, Franworks achieved:

• $82,000 in closed corporate bookings.
• Significant pipeline growth valued at over $624k, with multiple ongoing conversations expected to convert before the holidays.
• Consistent Opportunity Flow: 192 active opportunities managed in the appointment-setting CRM.
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Outcome & Impact

Franworks successfully transitioned from relying solely on inbound bookings to an outbound-driven, data-backed growth model.

• Built a holiday bookings pipeline valued at over C$120K, with more opportunities pending.
• Established repeatable outreach infrastructure for future seasonal campaigns.
• Created brand visibility among hundreds of local corporate contacts.

Conclusion

Forge’s targeted outreach campaign delivered measurable results for Franworks, generating hundreds of thousands in guaranteed bookings and establishing a repeatable outbound model for future campaigns.

With refined messaging and improved engagement rates, Franworks is now well-positioned to maximize corporate event bookings during peak seasons, turning outreach into a reliable revenue driver.
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Driving Group Bookings for Natura Water Park

Client Overview

Natura is a water park focused on providing memorable experiences for families, schools, and organizations. Despite its high-quality amenities and strong reputation, Natura faced a significant challenge in attracting large group bookings — particularly from corporations, schools, churches, and camps.

Challenge

Problem: Natura’s main issue was a shortfall in group and corporate bookings. The park relied heavily on individual visitors, leaving untapped revenue potential in the group segment.

Goal: Forge Strategy was tasked with designing and executing an outreach campaign to fill Natura’s event calendar with high-value group bookings and establish a consistent lead pipeline for future seasons.

Solution

Forge implemented a multi-channel outreach campaign combining cold email automation and LinkedIn outreach to reach corporate event planners, HR managers, school administrators, and youth/church organizers.

Tactics included:

• Creating targeted prospect lists for corporations, schools, and community groups.
• Automating outreach through Instantly (email) and Heyreach (LinkedIn).
• Personalizing follow-ups to increase reply rates and engagement.
• Tracking engagement metrics to optimize message performance.

Follow-Up Systems:

• Retouch Campaigns: Re-engaged past visitors and warm leads.
• Future Interest Pipeline: Tagged qualified prospects expressing future booking interest for continued nurturing.
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*Dashboard view of Forge’s multi-channel system showing email and LinkedIn outreach opportunities in progress.

Results

1. Campaign Performance

Email Outreach (Instantly Platform)

• Campaign 1 Cold Outreach: 7,292 leads targetted
  • Reply rate: 3%
  • Opportunities generated: 48

• Campaign 2 Retouch: 2,827 leads targetted
  • Reply rate: 2.9%
  • Opportunities generated: 61

LinkedIn Outreach (Heyreach Platform)

• Connections Sent: 3,264
• Accepted Connections: 846 (25.9% acceptance rate)
• Messages Sent: 775
• Replies: 258 (33.3% message reply rate)
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*This strong response rate demonstrates significant interest among corporate and community decision-makers — validating the channel as a reliable lead source.

2. Opportunity Breakdown

Confirmed Group Bookings: 9 (Worth $9,260+)

Confirmed Past Patron Bookings: 49

Qualified Leads (Future Interest – Group Bookings): 72 (Worth $290,000+)

Total Opportunities to Date: 116 (Worth Over $309,260+)

3. ROI and Revenue Projection

• Average Group Size: 50–500 people
• Estimated 2025 Revenue (Confirmed): $9,260+
• Future Pipeline Value: $290,000+
• Projected 2026 Closures: $58,000
  ​ (Based on a 20% close rate and $5,000 average deal size)
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Future Campaign Planning

To maintain growth during the off-season and capitalize on the momentum, Forge developed a Slow Season Strategy:

Next Steps

• Promote Season Passes to past patrons via retargeting campaigns.
• Run Seasonal Promotions: early-bird offers, bundled group packages, and gift card incentives.
• Expand Outreach: Dedicated campaigns for schools, church groups, and youth organizations (clubs, athletics, graduations).
• Implement Retouch Campaigns: Time follow-ups for high-quality leads based on seasonal demand trends.
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Conclusion

Forge Strategy’s outreach program successfully positioned Natura to fill its event pipeline and increase high-value group bookings, turning an underperforming sales channel into a predictable source of revenue. By leveraging a data-driven approach through email and LinkedIn automation, Natura not only generated 116 total opportunities but also built a scalable foundation for ongoing group sales success into 2026.
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Client Overview

Hilton Kingston Resort, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is part of the Kingston Resorts collection, a premier oceanfront destination offering luxury accommodations and corporate event facilities. The resort serves both U.S. and Canadian corporate markets, with a focus on attracting group business, meetings, and conferences.

The Challenge

As a U.S.-based property marketing to both American and Canadian audiences, Kingston Resorts faced a key challenge: How can a U.S. resort effectively reach and convert Canadian corporate clients amidst ongoing economic frictions between the two countries?

These cross-border economic factors had created hesitancy among Canadian decision-makers, leading to lower engagement rates and reduced booking inquiries compared to historical norms.

The Solution

To overcome these barriers, Forge Strategy implemented a two-pronged campaign approach across email and LinkedIn (HeyReach):

1. 1.Direct & Personable Copywriting

​ The messaging was crafted to be relatable, conversational, and authentic—building human connection before business. Rather than focusing on offers or discounts, the copy emphasized shared experiences, trust, and ease of collaboration across borders.
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​ The goal was simple: Create a clear and genuine pathway to conversation that transcended market and economic barriers.
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1. 2.Dual-Market Campaign Strategy
   • Canadian Corporate Campaign: Focused on re-engaging Canadian corporate travel and event planners with personalized outreach.
   • U.S. Corporate Campaign: Designed to nurture local U.S. opportunities and reconnect with domestic corporate partners.
   • HeyReach LinkedIn Campaign: Launched from the Director of Sales’ LinkedIn account, offering a more personal, peer-to-peer engagement experience.

The U.S. Corporate Campaign

The U.S. Corporate Business Campaign was designed to position Hilton Kingston as a trusted partner for domestic conferences, corporate retreats, and incentive events. The challenge here wasn’t awareness; it was differentiation in a competitive hospitality landscape.

Concept

We highlighted Hilton Kingston’s value in stability, reliability, and experience, leaning on the Hilton brand strength while showcasing Myrtle Beach as a destination that provides both productivity and relaxation. This campaign emphasized efficiency, convenience, and brand trust, appealing to decision-makers seeking predictable, professional venues for their teams.

The Canadian Corporate Campaign

The Canadian Corporate Business Campaign focused on overcoming cross-border hesitation by using an empathetic, friendly, and relatable tone.
​ The messaging leaned into shared North American culture and reassured Canadian clients that booking in the U.S. was seamless and valuable.

Results

This campaign outperformed the U.S. campaign by 3x, showing that personalized, connection-driven outreach can overcome economic and psychological barriers.

HeyReach LinkedIn Campaign

We also launched a LinkedIn outreach campaign through HeyReach, using the Director of Sales’ personal profile to send connection requests and follow-ups to targeted corporate decision-makers.

Performance Snapshot

• Connections Sent: 1,481
• Connections Accepted: 490 (33.1%)
• Messages Sent: 460
• Message Replies: 200 (43.5%)

This approach proved to be incredibly successful, generating 200 replies in under 3 months.
​ Next steps include onboarding additional LinkedIn accounts from other sales team members to 2–4x the engagement and lead flow.

Overall Campaign Performance

• Engaged Leads: 29
• Total Pipeline Value: $246,500
  ​ (based on 29 opportunities at ~$8,500 per lead)
• Canadian Campaign Performance: 3x stronger than U.S.
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The Results

• 32 engaged corporate leads generated across both campaigns
• $246,500 total pipeline created to date
• 3x stronger engagement from the Canadian market
• 200+ direct conversations initiated through LinkedIn
• Consistent technical performance and campaign scalability

Strategic refinements in copy, targeting, and sequencing, particularly for the U.S. side, are ongoing to optimize engagement further.

Conclusion

The Hilton Kingston Resort campaign demonstrates how authentic, cross-border communication strategies can overcome economic and psychological barriers to drive meaningful B2B results. By blending personalized messaging, data-driven outreach, and multi-channel execution, Forge Strategy successfully built a pipeline exceeding $246,000, positioning Hilton Kingston Resort for continued growth in both U.S. and Canadian markets.
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