I work with owners and executives of event businesses, and leaders of event P&Ls and event departments.

Consulting Service Offerings:

For Owners of Event Businesses

I’ve been in your shoes, having run and sold 3 companies in the event industry. I know how challenging - and at times, lonely - it can be. Maybe you’ve hit a wall and are struggling to break through to the next tier of revenue. Or maybe you’re burnt out after carrying the ownership load for a long time, and the roller coaster of the last five years put you over the top, and you’re looking for a graceful exit. Or perhaps you’ve used these past years to make your business stronger and leaner, and are ready to explore acquisitions or a sale. Whichever bucket you fit into, I help owners of event agencies and other event businesses take their companies to the next level, however you define that level, with the following services:

Business Diagnostic & Company Valuation

We’ll do a deep dive into your company to evaluate its performance & prospects across 16 business metrics, and present a valuation range based on current market conditions. We’ll then review the report together, analyze the findings, and discuss solutions, which you can implement on your own, or work with me to do so (see below).

M&A

I help owners of event businesses unlock value and achieve their goals through M&A, in my capacity as Senior Advisor at Oaklins | DeSilva + Phillips, a global mid-market investment bank specializing in marketing, media & technology.

  • Sell-side: Company valuation, deal strategy, positioning the business for sale, identifying potential buyers, and navigating the M&A process. 

  • Buy-side: Presenting growth opportunities through M&A, identifying potential acquisition targets that fit buyer's financial & cultural criteria, and collaborating with team members to drive successful deal outcomes.

Growth Consulting

Once we have a roadmap of how to lean into what’s working, and change what’s not, I’ll work with you to make that happen, setting clear monthly, quarterly & annual goals for implementing growth strategies. Areas often include: driving new business, honing pricing models, improving profit margins, talent retention and compensation, leveraging AI/tech for productivity gains, etc.

Exit Planning

If you’re thinking of selling at some point, I’ll work with you to position your business for exit. This includes thinking about who the ideal buyer would be, and working backwards to get your company in the best shape to command a top valuation.

Business Coaching & Owner Accountability

This is an area I struggled with when I ran my businesses, and any time I engaged someone to hold me accountable I thrived. In this capacity, I will be the guardian of your long term goals and will push back if you’re doing anything that might get in your way (or avoiding doing things that are necessary). 

For Leaders Responsible for Event P&Ls and Event Departments

The accelerating pace of change in the event industry has put tremendous pressure on event leaders to ensure their events are innovative, engaging, profitable, and achieve their goals. And with increasing scrutiny on event spend, planners need to be able to understand how to measure their event’s ROI and communicate it to their clients using the right business vernacular. I help leaders grow their events, improve profitability & margins, and prove their value through the following services:

Event Measurement / ROI

I’ll work with you to define specific event goals and determine ideal ways to measure success, which will vary by event type and attendee persona, but may include CAC (customer acquisition cost), LTV (lifetime value), attribution  models for new business, productivity gains for internal events, etc.

From Order Taker to Trusted Advisor

I’ll work with you and your team to help them understand what stakeholders look for in a trusted advisor, and how to position themselves as indispensable strategic business advisors to their clients and stakeholders.

Proving Your Event’s Value through Data & Storytelling

Planners have access to more event data than ever before, but not all data points are equal. We’ll work to determine which ones are critical, craft a narrative to bring the data to life, and present analysis and insights on what to do with it.