How Pepper Stole the Show at a London Tech Conference

A UK SaaS company hired a Pepper robot through roboTED for their exhibition stand at a major London technology conference. The result was 340% more stand visitors than their previous year's attendance, 89 qualified leads, and social media reach that exceeded their entire annual marketing campaign.

The Brief

The company sells workflow automation software to mid-market businesses. At the previous year's conference, their standard 3x3 metre stand generated 22 leads over two days. For 2026, they wanted to dramatically increase footfall and lead quality without tripling their stand size or staffing. Their marketing director reached out to roboTED about hiring a Pepper robot to act as a front-of-stand greeter and product demonstrator.

The Setup

Pepper was positioned at the front corner of the stand facing the main conference aisle. The robot was programmed with a 45-second product introduction that it delivered to approaching delegates, a live demo of the software running on its tablet display, answers to the 20 most commonly asked questions about the product, and a call-to-action inviting delegates to speak with the sales team for a personalised demo. A roboTED operator managed Pepper throughout both days, handling technical adjustments and ensuring smooth interactions.

Day 1 Results

Within the first hour, Pepper had attracted a crowd. Delegates who would normally walk past a software stand stopped to interact with the robot, took photos, and stayed long enough to hear the product pitch. The sales team reported that by midday they had already exceeded the previous year's total lead count. The company's branded hashtag started trending among conference attendees on social media, with multiple delegates posting videos of their Pepper interaction.

Two-Day Totals

Why It Worked

Several factors combined to deliver these results:

• Pepper acted as a magnet, drawing people who were not actively looking for the product
• The robot's consistent pitch meant every visitor heard the key value proposition
• Photo opportunities created organic social media sharing that amplified reach
• The sales team focused on deeper conversations rather than cold approaches
• The novelty factor created a positive emotional association with the brand

Post-Event Pipeline Impact

Of the 89 qualified leads, 34 progressed to product demos within three weeks of the conference. The company attributed three closed deals directly to the conference within two months, generating revenue that exceeded the total conference investment (stand, travel, hotel, robot hire) by a factor of twelve. The marketing director has since booked Pepper for every conference in their 2026 calendar.