This playbook is fundamentally different from STAR's customer account playbooks. ASSA ABLOY Group has never placed a purchase order with STAR Trade Shows & Events. Despite outreach dating to at least 2019 and 56 contacts now in HubSpot, the relationship has never advanced to a proposal, a site visit, or a scoped project. That pattern demands a different strategy — not just better outreach, but a deliberate door-opening campaign designed to secure a first meeting, demonstrate STAR's expertise, and get in front of the people who control ASSA ABLOY's experiential marketing and trade show budgets.

ASSA ABLOY is one of the most compelling untapped prospects in STAR's entire target universe. The company is the world's largest access solutions provider — a $20B+ global enterprise whose brands span residential locks, commercial door hardware, security technology, key management systems, and entrance automation. In North America alone, ASSA ABLOY operates through dozens of distinct brands (Kwikset, Baldwin, Yale, Medeco, Corbin Russwin, Sargent, Traka, HID, Ameristar, Amarr, and many more) — each with its own marketing team, trade show presence, and experiential marketing budget. The aggregate trade show and event spend across all ASSA ABLOY Americas brands likely represents a multi-million-dollar annual opportunity.

This playbook is structured to serve two primary roles at STAR:

• Account Development Representatives (ADRs/SDRs) — responsible for outreach, meeting creation, and initial qualification conversations.
• Account Directors (ADs) — responsible for proposal development, relationship elevation, and closing new business once a first meeting is secured.

The playbook covers ASSA ABLOY's corporate structure, brand portfolio, trade show calendar, contact intelligence, outreach strategies, and tailored messaging sequences — everything STAR's team needs to crack this account open.

2.1 STAR's Current Relationship with ASSA ABLOY

STAR has zero revenue from ASSA ABLOY Group. The account has been in active outreach since at least 2019 — Scott Schwanke has been the owner on all 56 contacts — but the engagement has never advanced beyond the contact stage. No proposals have been submitted, no projects have been scoped, and no meetings appear to have been formally scheduled with experiential decision-makers.

2.2 The Challenge: Decentralized Structure, No Central Buyer

The core difficulty with ASSA ABLOY is structural. Unlike Pella Corporation — where a single brand, a single HQ, and a single marketing leadership team control all experiential spending — ASSA ABLOY operates as a highly decentralized federation of independently managed brands. Each brand (Kwikset, Yale, Medeco, Traka, HID, etc.) has its own marketing team, P&L, and trade show budget. There is no group-level 'head of trade shows' in the Americas who controls budgets across all brands.

2.3 Why Now — The 2026 Opportunity

• ISC West 2026 (March 23-27, Las Vegas) — ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions is a confirmed exhibitor at ISC West 2026, the largest physical security show in North America. ASSA ABLOY typically deploys 12+ brands simultaneously at ISC West, creating a massive annual trade show execution challenge.
• GSX 2026 (September, Atlanta) — The Global Security Exchange is ASSA ABLOY's second flagship annual show. ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions and multiple brands exhibit annually.
• NRF 2026 — Traka (ASSA ABLOY's key and asset management brand) exhibited at NRF 2025 Big Show and is likely returning in January 2026.
• Kwikset product acceleration — ASSA ABLOY's CEO publicly noted that Kwikset launched more new digital products in 6 months than in the prior 5 years, signaling major retail display and channel marketing investment.
• Recent acquisitions — Sargent & Greenleaf (February 2026), InVue (2025), SKIDATA (planned) all need trade show integration — each is a potential project for STAR.
• Contact momentum — 15+ new contacts added in 2026 alone, including several marketing directors, suggesting active prospecting by Scott Schwanke that should be converted to meetings.

3.1 About ASSA ABLOY Group

ASSA ABLOY is the world's leading provider of access solutions — a Swedish multinational founded in 1994 through the merger of Swedish lock company ASSA and Finnish lock manufacturer Abloy. Over 30 years, the company has executed more than 300 acquisitions and grown from 4,700 employees to 63,000+ worldwide, with annual revenue exceeding SEK 150 billion (approximately $14-15B USD at current exchange rates). The company is publicly traded on the Stockholm Stock Exchange under ASSA.B.

ASSA ABLOY's product and service portfolio touches virtually every aspect of how people enter and move through physical spaces — from residential door locks to enterprise access control systems, from high-speed industrial doors to biometric identity verification, and from key management cabinets to hotel room keycard systems. The company's mission: 'Every day we help billions of people experience a more open world.'

3.2 ASSA ABLOY's Division Structure — Relevant to STAR

ASSA ABLOY organizes into four global divisions. For STAR's purposes, two divisions are most immediately relevant:

3.3 ASSA ABLOY Americas Brand Portfolio — Full Picture

Understanding which brands exist — and which have independent marketing teams and trade show budgets — is critical for STAR's multi-threaded approach.

4.1 ASSA ABLOY Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility

ASSA ABLOY operates a comprehensive sustainability program under its 'Moving Safely' framework, with commitments spanning environmental impact, social responsibility, and governance. In early 2026, ASSA ABLOY announced an updated sustainability program extending to 2030, which was presented publicly at a sustainability seminar in March 2026. The program reflects the company's desire to embed responsibility into every product and business decision.

5.1 ASSA ABLOY's Trade Show Footprint — The Scale of the Opportunity

ASSA ABLOY's multi-brand trade show footprint is one of the most complex and resource-intensive in North America. At ISC West alone, 12+ ASSA ABLOY Group companies exhibit simultaneously — often in coordinated but separately managed booths. Managing this multi-brand show presence represents a massive annual logistics, design, and I&D challenge. It is precisely this complexity that STAR is positioned to solve.

5.2 The ISC West Opportunity — Priority #1

ISC West (held annually in March at the Venetian Expo, Las Vegas) is the single biggest trade show opportunity STAR can pursue with ASSA ABLOY. ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions anchors the show with a large island booth (#8061 in 2025) featuring product demo zones, Learning Labs with hourly expert presentations, reception areas, and branded environments for 12+ brands. ISC West 2026 runs March 23-27.

5.3 The Traka/NRF Opportunity — Best First Win

Traka (ASSA ABLOY's key and asset management brand) exhibited at NRF Big Show 2025 — a distinct brand in a distinct retail-focused vertical. Traka's presence is relatively self-contained compared to Opening Solutions' multi-brand ISC West operation. A Traka trade show win would be a manageable, proof-of-concept project with a clear deliverable and a short decision cycle. It is STAR's best candidate for a 'first win' that opens the ASSA ABLOY door.

6.1 Priority Tier 1 — Trade Show & Events Decision-Makers

6.2 Priority Tier 2 — Senior Marketing Leaders

6.3 Priority Tier 3 — Brand-Specific Marketing (Winnable Scopes)

6.4 Contacts to Deprioritize — Do Not Pursue for Trade Show Meetings

6.5 Organizational Intelligence — ASSA ABLOY Culture & Decision-Making

Understanding ASSA ABLOY's organizational DNA is essential for effective outreach. Several cultural factors shape how purchasing decisions are made.

• Highly decentralized — brand-level marketing teams operate with significant autonomy. A "no" from one brand does not close the door to another brand
• Swedish corporate culture — formal introductions, evidence-based decision-making, and relationship-building over time. Patience and persistence matter. Aggressive sales tactics typically backfire
• Innovation-oriented — ASSA ABLOY invests heavily in R&D and new product development. Messages that connect STAR's capabilities to helping Pella showcase innovation resonate strongly
• Acquisition-driven growth — the company integrates a new acquisition approximately every 5-6 weeks. Each acquisition is a potential new trade show presence that needs support
• Multi-brand show management is a known pain point — 12 brands at a single show (ISC West) creates coordination and brand consistency challenges. STAR should position as the solution
• Charlotte, NC cluster — multiple ASSA ABLOY Americas contacts share the 704.283.2101 phone number (ASSA ABLOY Americas HQ area). This is the Americas Opening Solutions hub

7.1 ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions Americas — Flagship Opportunity

Opening Solutions Americas (HQ: New Haven, CT) is ASSA ABLOY's largest and most active North American division for trade shows. Brands include Yale, Corbin Russwin, Sargent, Medeco, Securitech, ALCEA, and others. The division operates the flagship ISC West booth and the GSX presence. This is the highest-value, highest-complexity trade show program in ASSA ABLOY's North American portfolio.

7.2 Residential Americas (Kwikset, Baldwin, Yale) — Retail Display & Channel Shows

The Residential Americas division (formerly Spectrum Brands HHI, acquired 2023) manages Kwikset, Baldwin, and Yale in North America. ASSA ABLOY's CEO has noted aggressive new product launches for Kwikset — more new digital products in 6 months than in the prior 5 years. This product velocity creates significant demand for retail display environments, channel partner displays, and trade show presence at shows like NAHB IBS.

• Kwikset and Baldwin at NAHB IBS — residential locks are a natural fit for the International Builders' Show. STAR already executes IBS work for Pella — this is a warm credential.
• Big box retail channel programs — Kwikset is sold through Home Depot, Lowe's, and Ace Hardware. New product launches require endcap displays, promotional fixtures, and channel partner environments — all in STAR's sweet spot.
• Contact: Emily Messina (Director of Marketing, Accessories Group) — the most directly relevant contact for Residential Americas marketing programs.

7.3 Traka — Best First Win Target

Traka is ASSA ABLOY's key and asset management brand — automated key cabinets and locker systems for retail, automotive, healthcare, and hospitality. Traka exhibited at NRF Big Show 2025 and is a likely NRF 2026 exhibitor. Traka's booth needs are relatively contained and self-managed — a perfect first engagement for STAR.

Why Traka is the right first win: Traka is a standalone brand with a distinct identity, a clear target customer, and an active trade show program. The brand is relatively small by ASSA ABLOY Group standards — meaning decisions are faster, procurement is simpler, and a first win is achievable. A Traka win then opens the door to the conversation: 'Since you've seen what STAR can do for Traka, let's talk about your other brands.'

7.4 Ameristar Fence — Independent Brand Entry Point

Ameristar Fence Products (Tulsa, Oklahoma) operates with significant brand independence within ASSA ABLOY — the contact in HubSpot (Benjamin Shirley, Director of Marketing) uses an ameristarfence.com email address, not assaabloy.com. This independence means Ameristar makes its own vendor decisions.

8.1 Immediate Actions — This Week (ADR/SDR)

8.3 Long-Term Vision — 12-24 Month Horizon

ASSA ABLOY will not become a $1M+ account overnight. The realistic arc is:

9.1 STAR's Core Value Proposition for ASSA ABLOY

STAR's pitch to ASSA ABLOY is fundamentally different from the pitch to an existing customer. It is not about track record — it is about understanding the problem better than anyone else who's ever knocked on their door.

9.2 Messaging by Contact — Tailored Outreach Scripts

9.4 Messaging Do's and Don'ts for ASSA ABLOY Outreach