Articles and Stories from Converge Venues

Pink Floyd once said it best: “All in all, it’s just another brick in the wall.”

But in today’s hospitality landscape, every skill, every interaction, and every sales opportunity is far more than “just another brick” — it’s the foundation of commercial success.

At Converge Venues, the start-up journey has been an exciting blend of revisiting tried-and-tested sales techniques and mastering the new digital methods shaping the future of hospitality sales. And the results speak for themselves. With four live venue enquiries and two consultancy proposals already in progress, our hybrid approach is delivering real impact for hotels and venues needing sharper sales performance.

As we gear up for 2026, the message to the industry is clear: the most successful teams will be those who can balance traditional relationship-driven selling with modern, tech-enabled strategies.

The hospitality industry is experiencing a shift. While human connection remains the heartbeat of sales, digital expectations and data-driven decision-making have become essential.

Here’s how the two worlds compare:

• Face-to-face networking ↔ Digital prospecting & virtual engagement
   
• Relationship-first selling ↔ Data-driven personalisation
   
• Negotiation at the table ↔ Revenue optimisation through analytics
   
• Repeat business through trust ↔ Loyalty programmes, automation & CRM-driven retention
   

The hotels and venues thriving today are the ones embracing both sides — blending warmth with strategy, instinct with insight.

Across the UK hospitality sector, several key capability gaps are becoming increasingly pronounced. Sound familiar?

Still the backbone of hospitality sales. But many new sellers prioritise transactions over trust — weakening long-term value.

Without understanding competitors, market trends and client pressures, sales teams struggle to tailor pitches that truly resonate.

LinkedIn, CRM systems, digital prospecting and analytics are essential tools — but remain underused across many hotel teams.

Many younger or newly promoted staff lack confidence when managing rate objections or closing deals in pressured situations.

Hotels lose thousands in missed ancillary revenue due to underdeveloped skills in packaging, upgrades and value stacking.

Weak follow-up routines and inconsistent pipeline discipline are common — leading to missed conversion opportunities.

These gaps cost hotels time, revenue, market share and team morale. But the good news? They’re entirely solvable.

Our consultancy is rooted in experience, not theory. As business owners, we practice these skills every single day — from prospecting and negotiation to digital engagement and revenue strategy.

In our first month alone, we’ve generated over £250,000 in new enquiries and active prospects, proving that our approach works in today’s market.

We help hospitality professionals:

• Strengthen sales capability across teams
• Bridge the generational gap between traditional and digital selling
• Build confidence, consistency and commercial awareness
• Drive measurable revenue growth
• Prepare for the demands of 2026 and beyond
   

If your hotel or venue recognises these challenges — or simply wants to sharpen its commercial edge — Converge Venues can help.

Get in touch for practical, experience-led consultancy that delivers results.
Because in today’s hospitality landscape, every skill matters — and every brick builds the future.

From the recent networking that we have been doing at Converge Venues, it struck us how covid and the aftermath created a ‘go to’ of teams calls, remote working, direct messaging, voice messaging and omni channel information bombardment. This neither makes doing business and balancing life any easier or more effective or more fun. No wonder there is a Mental Health & Well Being crisis, we are human and we were made to connect in person.  

This is why its important to bring teams together and why we started our business to connect people in person for meetings, events or 1:1 consultancy and workshops.  Worryingly our ‘straw poll’ from the events we attended resulted in a 50/50 split on those that bring people together to meet in person and those that still only bring people together online. We want to make a difference and change this by making it easy to meet in person. So here’s our take on things and reason to prioritise meeting in person.

In today’s increasingly digital and remote work environment, the value of in-person connections and meetings is more important than ever. Humans are inherently social beings, wired to connect face-to-face, and this fundamental truth has profound implications for mental health, business growth, and employee retention.

Mental Health & Well-Being

We are human, and we thrive on personal connection. In-person meetings foster a sense of belonging and reduce feelings of isolation that can arise from remote work. Regular face-to-face contact helps reduce loneliness, provides emotional support, and builds trust among team members, which is essential for mental well-being.

Business Growth & Collaboration

In-person meetings enhance communication by allowing participants to interpret non-verbal cues such as body language, facial expressions, and tone. This leads to clearer understanding, more effective problem-solving, and richer ideation sessions. Studies show that teams collaborating in person generate 15-20% more ideas and produce higher quality outcomes compared to virtual teams. The spontaneous interactions and unanticipated encounters that happen in physical workplaces often spark innovation and creative breakthroughs.

Employee Retention & Relationship Building

Face-to-face interactions build stronger interpersonal relationships and trust, which are key drivers of employee engagement and retention. Employees who feel connected to their colleagues and company culture are more satisfied and less likely to leave. Research indicates that remote workers have fewer workplace friendships and experience lower engagement levels than their in-office counterparts.

Why Invest in In-Person Meetings?

While virtual meetings offer convenience, they often lack the depth and richness of in-person interactions. Investing in bringing teams together physically can lead to:

• Improved collaboration and productivity
• Enhanced creativity and innovation
• Stronger team cohesion and morale
• Better mental health and reduced burnout
• Increased employee loyalty and retention
• Saving costs
• Improving profit

Our recent experience showed a 50/50 split between organisations that prioritise in-person meetings and those that rely solely on virtual gatherings. This highlights the ongoing debate but also underscores the importance of intentional investment in face-to-face connections to unlock their full benefits.

Across the UK, thousands of corporate professionals are quietly taking on a second job they never applied for: event planning. From booking quarterly board meetings to organising training days, team offsites, and large-scale company conferences, employees are being stretched far beyond their official job descriptions — and it’s taking a toll.

What looks simple from the outside is anything but. Professionals tasked with organising meetings and events often face:

• Endless venue research
• Calendar coordination headaches
• Unexpected budget pressures
• Constant communication and emotional labour
• High stakes — with little recognition
   

These responsibilities are typically layered on top of already demanding workloads, leaving teams overwhelmed, time-poor, and increasingly burnt out.

Meetings and events are central to organisational culture — from strategy sessions to client pitches to company-wide gatherings. Yet the burden often falls on administrators, HR teams, executive assistants, and operations staff who must juggle tight deadlines with the pressure to deliver polished, brand-worthy experiences.

Poorly chosen venues or rushed planning can undermine the impact of the event, while the internal strain reduces productivity and morale.

At Converge Venues, we specialise in supporting professionals who are expected to organise meetings and events without the resources of a full-time events team. We step in to simplify the entire venue sourcing process — at no cost to your company.

We help busy teams:

• Find the right venues, fast — for meetings, training, conferences, offsites, and corporate retreats
• Save time and protect budgets — with options curated to your criteria
• Deliver events that reflect your brand, culture, and purpose
• Reduce stress and reclaim valuable hours
   

Our role is simple: we take the pressure off, so you can focus on the work that truly matters.

If you’re responsible for organising meetings or events — on top of everything else — you don’t have to carry that weight alone.

The hospitality and events industry is evolving rapidly — and Converge Venues is stepping forward with a bold vision for the future. More than a venue finding agency, Converge is building a tech-enabled, human-centred consultancy designed to elevate meetings, events, and hospitality experiences across the UK and beyond.

At Converge Venues, our mission goes beyond simply matching companies with available spaces. We believe in curating meaningful experiences, empowering the teams behind them, and helping businesses connect with clarity and purpose.

In an industry transformed by AI and innovation, we’re committed to maximising the value of every customer, every destination, and every venue we work with — ensuring each partnership delivers lasting impact.

We support hotels, event planners, brands, and corporate teams through:

• Strategic venue sourcing with a human touch
  Smart technology meets personalised expertise to deliver the right space, every time.
• Immersive sales workshops
  Designed to build purpose, confidence, and commercial capability for hospitality teams.
• Hospitality consultancy built on emotional intelligence and innovation
  Helping venues and destinations sharpen their story, elevate guest experience, and grow sustainably.
   

Whether you're hosting a leadership retreat, planning a major conference, or looking to strengthen your venue’s market position, Converge Venues blends data-driven insight with creative strategy to help you succeed.

As businesses demand more intentional and experience-driven events, Converge Venues is shaping the tools, thinking, and support systems that will define the next generation of hospitality.

We’re here to help you:

• Find the right space
• Tell your brand story
• Elevate your impact on guests, teams, and stakeholders
   

This is just the beginning.
Follow Converge Venues as we build, refine, and reimagine what a forward-thinking venue finding and consultancy agency can be.

Explore our services. Connect with our team. And let’s create something unforgettable together.