Now, I know there are plenty of companies who will disagree with what I’m about to say — and that’s absolutely fine. This is a blog, after all, and these are just my thoughts, shaped by 23 years in the events industry. From operations and sales to building teams and businesses, I’ve seen it all. And here's what I’ve learned:

Selling in this industry isn’t really about selling at all.

The events industry is one of the last to truly embrace modern technology. Yes, we’ve got CRM systems and back-end platforms, but can you live-book your event space with all the suppliers included? Can you get an instant quote from a venue based on your specific needs? Do we operate like a 24/7 self-service platform?

Let’s be honest — not yet.

Compare that to the travel industry. When was the last time you walked into a travel agent to plan your holiday? Everything is online. You book your flights, hotel, airport transfer, day trips and travel insurance in minutes. You get a digital boarding pass. You manage it all without ever speaking to a single human being. It's efficient. It's transactional.

So why hasn’t the events industry done the same?

Because this industry is different. It’s built on people, relationships, and trust. Events are bespoke by nature — they’re emotional, complex, and personal. A gala dinner or a brand launch isn’t something you can configure with a few drop-down menus. Yes, for small meetings, automated systems are growing in popularity, but for anything that requires creativity, flexibility, or human understanding — we're still a long way off.

Which brings me to the real point: the art of sales in our world is all about people.

You can spot a dodgy fire exit or a flickering light, but what makes you feel confident in a venue is the person representing it. The welcome you receive. The trust they build. The way they make your life easier. The belief that they get what you’re trying to achieve.

And trust isn’t built with technical specs. It’s built through connection.

Now, I’m not saying we all need to be best mates with our clients. But we do need to be warm, relatable, and real. Ask them how their day’s going. Know why they’re visiting. Don’t go into autopilot and start reciting how many lumens your AV setup can handle. No one wants a robotic pitch.

Soft selling is key. Be memorable. Be human.

Simon Cowell used to say the most important thing in an audition is to be memorable. And that applies here, too. In this industry, we meet thousands of people and visit hundreds of venues a year. We won’t remember all of them. But we will remember the person who made a genuine connection and followed up.

We can always look up capacity numbers. What we can’t look up is the feeling someone gave us.

So stop selling. Start connecting.

You’ve got two minutes to grab my attention and make me remember you. Use that time wisely. Make it personal. Show that you’ve done your research. And don’t default to dry, robotic emails.

Let me show you what I mean. Here's the type of email I don’t reply to:

That’s a cold email in every sense. I’ve switched off by the second sentence.

Now compare that to this:

It’s not perfect — but it’s personal. I’m far more likely to reply to something like that.

We’re in one of the most people-focused industries in the world. We do this brilliantly for our clients, yet we often forget to do it for each other.

So let’s change that. Let’s lead with connection, not conversion.