How Showcase Events Became A High-Intent Lead Engine for Olex.AI

Background: Olex.AI

Olex.AI is an AI-powered assessment and learning platform focused on reducing teacher workload and improving outcomes across English and humanities subjects.

In November 2024 and June 2025, the team presented at two EdTech Impact showcase events. Across both, they engaged directly with senior school and trust leaders, generating 87 high-intent leads and receiving standout feedback on their product demonstrations.

In this case study, Marketing Director Jessica Ellis shares how Olex.AI tailored its presentations to schools’ real-world challenges – and why these sessions have become one of the company’s most effective routes to market.

A More Effective Route to Buyers

EdTech Impact’s monthly showcases connect EdTech providers with senior leaders from schools and trusts in the UK and beyond. For Olex.AI, that means speaking directly to the people who make strategic, budget, and procurement decisions.

This focus on the right people has made the showcases a standout marketing channel compared to other online events, where the audience is often broader and less connected to purchasing decisions.

“In other events we’ve presented at, it hasn’t necessarily been a buyer audience or one made up of decision-makers,” Jessica explains. “Here, we’re speaking directly to an engaged, decision-making audience, and that’s the key difference.”

A Format Built for Impact

Alongside audience compatibility, the format of the events is another reason Olex.AI sees them as a high-impact marketing channel.

Unlike paid advertising or cold outreach, the showcase setting gives the team space to walk through the product with a focused, engaged audience. It’s a format that prioritises clarity, relevance, and direct interaction – making it far easier for the value of the product to land.

“Without a doubt, being able to have people see the product, demo its features, and talk through exactly what we do is by far the most effective means of engaging with our audiences,” said Jessica.

Crafting a Presentation That Lands

With the right audience in the (virtual) room – and a format built for live product walkthroughs – the opportunity for EdTech providers is clear. But whether that opportunity lands often comes down to execution.

At EdTech Impact, we’ve seen first-hand what weakens a showcase presentation: spending too long on backstory or general trends without ever showing the tool in action. That’s why we stress the importance of a live demo. It’s not optional; it’s essential to helping schools understand what your product actually does.

Olex.AI didn’t just demo the product – they made it resonate. Rather than jumping straight into features, they began by surfacing real-world challenges schools face, each deliberately chosen because it mapped directly to the platform’s capabilities. This made the demo feel like a direct answer to attendees’ most pressing needs.

By leading with these pain points, educators could immediately see how the platform connected to their own challenges, transforming Olex’s product tour into a practical, high-trust conversation.

From presentation to proof

As part of EdTech Impact’s showcase format, vendors are encouraged to offer attendees a free resource – something that adds value, builds credibility, and reinforces the presentation’s key messages.

Olex.AI shared a case study from Leo Academy Trust: a real-world story showing how the platform works in practice and the measurable impact it delivers.

It worked. Of the 87 leads generated across both events, 72 were captured live during the sessions, and another 15 came via the follow-up email containing the case study. It was clear that evidence-led content deepened trust, strengthened credibility, and sustained momentum beyond the presentation.

Striking while the iron is hot

When it comes to lead response, Jessical explains expediency is “really critical”. 

Follow-up happens within 24 hours – often the same day – with a short, focused email inviting the school or trust to book a meeting. It’s simple, respectful of time, and designed to strike while interest is still fresh.

“We’re very conscious of the pattern that a lot of our prospects work,” Jessica explained. “So we make sure that we’ve made that initial contact within a day, and invited them to come and meet with us.”

This speed helps convert curiosity into conversations, which then progress to tailored demo calls.

Building buy-in the right way

Once contact is made, Olex.AI moves quickly to a demo call – but never a one-size-fits-all presentation. Each conversation is shaped by where the school is on its EdTech adoption journey, the tools they’ve tried before, and the outcomes they’re aiming for.

From there, most prospects move into a trial or pilot phase – often within a couple of weeks – where the team encourages schools to test the platform with their own students’ work. This gives leaders a real-world view of how Olex.AI would function in their context and builds confidence fast:

“It really comes to life when people see Olex used with their own students,” Jessica shares. “We often mark essays and put work through the system so people can see what Olex can do.”

Trials are supported by a dedicated team and progress at a pace that suits the school. No rigid deadlines, no pressure. And for those not ready to move forward, Olex.AI often connects them with nearby customers already using the platform, enabling peer validation and trust to grow naturally.

It’s a process built on timing, relevance, and relationships – and one that consistently moves leads from interest to engagement, from demo to trial.

Looking Ahead

In the past year, Olex.AI has built strong third-party validation: 16 verified reviews, a 4.8/5 rating on EdTech Impact, and three EdTech Impact Awards in 2024 for reducing teacher workload, improving efficiency, and supporting wellbeing.

With a steady stream of leads from showcase events and an evidence-led approach, Olex.AI plans to deepen its presence through more reviews, awards, and live events – keeping EdTech Impact at the core of its growth strategy.