Top event sales trends for 2024: adapting to a new era in customer engagement

As the event industry rapidly evolves, understanding and leveraging the latest sales trends is crucial for success. In 2024, a combination of technological advancements and a shift in customer expectations is set to redefine how event sales are approached. From AI-driven solutions to a focus on personalisation, here are the top trends that will shape event sales in the coming year.

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1. Salespeople Leveraging AI:

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• AI-powered efficiency: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way sales teams operate. AI tools can automate routine tasks, provide insightful data analysis, and even predict customer behaviour, allowing salespeople to focus on more strategic aspects of their role.

• Enhanced customer insights: AI can process vast amounts of data to extract valuable customer insights, helping sales teams tailor their approach and identify potential leads more effectively.

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2. Building Robust, Long-Lasting Relationships:

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• Beyond transactions: The trend is shifting from transactional interactions to building meaningful, long-term relationships with clients. In 2024, event sales will focus more on understanding client needs, values, and challenges, and less on one-off sales pitches.

• Trust and value: Establishing trust and consistently delivering value are key. Regular follow-ups, personalised attention, and a deep understanding of each client’s business will help cement these lasting relationships.

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3. More Demos, Less Drama:

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• Show, don’t tell: Clients increasingly prefer experiencing a service first-hand rather than listening to a sales pitch. Interactive demos or virtual tours of event spaces and tech setups will become a staple in event sales strategies.

• Simplifying the sales process: The emphasis will be on making the sales process as smooth and drama-free as possible, with clear communication, straightforward pricing, and a customer-centric approach.

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4. Clean Data Is Happy Data:

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• Data hygiene: The importance of maintaining clean, accurate, and up-to-date data cannot be overstated. Clean data leads to better analytics, more targeted sales strategies, and ultimately, happier customers who feel understood and valued.

• Regular data audits: Regular data audits and updates will be essential to keep customer information relevant, helping sales teams to customise their approaches effectively.

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5. Upselling Existing Customers:

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• Deepening customer engagement: Upselling will be about offering additional value to existing customers. Understanding their evolving needs and providing solutions that align with their growth strategies will be key.

• Customised upsell opportunities: Whether it’s offering advanced technology options, additional event planning services, or exclusive access to premium venues, the focus will be on creating upsell opportunities that are genuinely beneficial to the client.

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6. Personalise, Personalise, Personalise:

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• Tailored customer experiences: Personalisation will go beyond using the customer’s name in an email. It will be about crafting sales experiences that are deeply aligned with the client’s specific needs, preferences, and business objectives.

• Individualised communication: Each interaction will be tailored to the client’s communication style, preferred platforms, and schedule, ensuring a highly personalised and engaging sales experience.

• Make use of video: Sending emails is nothing new to an event sales professional. The problem is they can often get lost in the deluge of correspondence most of our inboxes are flooded with. Short, snappy video recordings prove a refreshing switch-up in sales outreach.
  Plugins like Loom can really make your proposal stand out to your potential clients. 

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7. Love between Sales and Marketing:

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• Collaborative synergy: The once rigid boundaries between sales and marketing are blurring. In 2024, expect a more integrated approach where sales and marketing teams work hand-in-hand to create a seamless customer journey.

• Unified messaging: Marketing will play a crucial role in generating leads and building brand awareness, while sales will leverage this groundwork to close deals. Consistent messaging and shared goals will be essential for this collaboration.

• Feedback loop: Regular feedback between sales and marketing teams will enhance understanding of customer needs and refine strategies, creating a dynamic where both departments learn and benefit from each other’s insights.

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8. Incentives Are Your Friends, Use Them:

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• Motivating with incentives: In a competitive market, incentives can be a powerful tool to drive sales performance and motivate teams. These can range from bonuses and commissions to non-monetary rewards like recognition or professional development opportunities.

• Customer-focused incentives: On the client side, offering incentives such as early-bird pricing, package deals, or loyalty rewards can be an effective way to encourage bookings and repeat business.

• Tailored incentives: Both internal and external incentives should be tailored to the specific motivations and interests of the team or clientele. This personalized approach ensures that incentives are appealing, relevant, and effective.

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9. Embrace technology 

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• Move with the times: AI is obviously at the forefront of everyone’s mind, but there are game-changing event sales technologies that encompass all sorts of solutions. Take 3D mapping. Immersive tours provide a key differentiator that adds a high-quality digital experience to your customer journey helping to build trust and engagement with your brand. 

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Conclusion:

The event sales landscape in 2024 is set to be more dynamic, data-driven, and customer-centric. By embracing AI for smarter sales processes, focusing on building lasting relationships, providing hands-on demos, maintaining clean data, wisely upselling, and personalising every interaction, sales teams in the event industry can not only meet but exceed the evolving expectations of their clients. This approach will not only drive sales success but also foster a loyal customer base in an increasingly competitive market.

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