Event revenue is under pressure. Deals take longer. Exhibitors expect proof, not promises. That reality shaped a powerful panel at Event Tech Live 2025, chaired by Sitka’s Matt Wilson and joined by industry leaders Oliver Hughes, Raoul Monks, Alex Hambrook, Helen Omoh Mensah, and Sitka CEO Will Bayne.
The panel didn’t sugarcoat the challenges. But they laid out a clear, practical path for organisers who want to future-proof sales performance and strengthen exhibitor value.
Here are the key takeaways that stood out.
1. Strong first-line leadership is the engine of growth
The panel returned to one point repeatedly. High-performing sales teams rely on leaders who can coach consistently, build capability, and create a culture where long-term success beats short-term wins.
When managers carry personal targets, coaching moves down the list. The panel was clear that organisations need leaders whose sole responsibility is to elevate performance across the whole team. Coaching builds capability, confidence, and consistency. Exhibitors feel the impact immediately: conversations become consultative; relationships deepen; and renewal rates rise.
The role of first-line leadership has never been more important.
2. Buyers expect consultative conversations grounded in their goals
Across the panel, the theme was the same. Exhibitors want partners who understand their commercial priorities. They want to know who they will meet, how that audience aligns with their ICP, and where the event fits into wider pipeline goals.
That means sales teams must diagnose, recommend, and guide. Consultative cycles take longer, but they create bigger average order values, stronger renewals, and far less discounting. The shift mirrors the SaaS world, where lifetime value outweighs one-off wins.
This is where audience intelligence becomes essential.
3. Event data is the most underused commercial asset
Organisers hold more data than ever, but most teams use only a fraction of it. Data gives sales teams a more persuasive story. Pre-reg signals, session attendance, content engagement, dwell times, and movement patterns tell a bigger story than any static brochure ever could.
When surfaced clearly, this intelligence transforms sales conversations. Sales teams can walk into meetings armed with real audience behaviour patterns instead of generic personas. Exhibitors see exactly who they reached. Marketers can refine content strategy based on evidence rather than instinct.
The numbers do the heavy lifting – once exhibitors receive data they trust, rebooking shifts from persuasion to validation.
4. Sales and marketing alignment is not optional
Marketing shapes demand. Sales shape value. When teams remain siloed, the commercial story becomes fragmented. When they work as a single system, exhibitors experience a seamless commercial journey from first touch to contract signature.
The panel encouraged organisers to build shared workflows across the event cycle. From audience targeting to onsite engagement to post-event reporting, both teams should operate from a single source of truth.
Personalised messaging also came through strongly, helping exhibitors see relevance instantly, which shortens cycles and increases perceived value.
5. Lifecycle stage should dictate commercial strategy
The panel discussed how lifecycle awareness is now at the core of revenue planning, and tactics need to shift depending on whether an event is in launch, growth, maturity, or decline. Launch events need trust and credibility. Growth events need new revenue lines. Mature events need defensive strategies to protect market share. Declining events need more radical thinking.
By mapping lifecycle and audience behaviour to commercial tactics, organisers can better allocate resources and build stronger foundations for long-term revenue growth. The highest performing teams will be those who monitor these cycles and adapt confidently.
The next era of event sales
The panel made it clear that the next era of event sales belongs to teams who use audience intelligence to tell a clearer commercial story, coach their teams to sell with confidence and curiosity, and align every function around measurable buyer outcomes.
To dive deeper into the discussion, watch the full session recording below. And if you want to explore how Sitka helps organisers unlock smarter sales conversations with real audience insight, speak to our team.
