WIND
IN THEIR
SALES
27
Conference call
The National Sales Conference is a success story, and
organisers should take note. CN talks to the event’s
organiser, Lincoln West’s Steve Lindsey
he National Sales
Conference launched in
2014, with the purpose of
professionally developing
the sales profession through
educational and motivational
content. The event has stayed true to
its early mantra, delivering content
focused on the profession’s needs,
rather than at the direction of the
sponsor.
The event has grown from a
one-day event to two, and from 250
delegates at the first event to in
2019 welcoming over 900, mainly
from the manufacturing, finance and
IT sectors. Delegate feedback has
been a crucial element in shaping
the conference, with personalisation
an option for sales directors, sales
managers and sales professionals to
craft their own sales learning
agenda.
We were fortunate enough to be
invited along to the event towards the
end of 2019, and one of the its
notable strengths was the calibre of
speaker. I ask Lincoln West’s Steve
Lindsey, the conference’s organiser,
where he finds them. “It’s not a
science, simply listening to our
delegates, referrals,
recommendations, being good to
people and hard work. We have a
fantastic relationship with our
delegates, partners & speakers, this
is their event we just bring everyone
together,” he says.
“Because people pay to attend the
event, the speaker quality must
reflect this delivering a ROI for
everyone involved. This is where our
CPD Accredited conference differs
significantly from free-to-attend
events. Typically, you won’t find our
speakers on other agendas,” he
adds.
On the face of it, conferences
aren’t always the easiest events to
market. For all the effort, there can
Above right:
Keynote session at
the Ricoh Arena
Below: Lincoln
West’s Steve
Lindsey
www.conference-news.co.uk
often be cynicism towards its value
and quality. Is marketing a
conference difficult? “It is important
we deliver a first-class event each
year,” says Lindsey. “This is the best
form of marketing. Once someone
has experienced the National Sales
Conference they go away with a very
positive memory, armed with a
re-energised ‘sales toolkit’ that will
ultimately help them sell better.
“Where we need to improve is in
attracting new delegates, especially
during these unprecedented times
where the importance of selling is
now greater than ever.
“As part of our marketing plan, we
pro-actively build partnerships with
associations and other event
organisers that share our values in
sales learning and professional
growth.”
There are plans to run a London
version of the event in September
2020, what is the motivation behind
this? Lindsey says: “Sadly, over the
years, we have seen many other
London sales events either only last
one or two editions, re-invent
themselves by changing their names
or simply become lost among several
co-located events. We didn’t want
that to happen to us, but after the
continued growth of National Sales
Conference we feel now is the time
to launch a London edition.”
Lindsey says that plans for growth
include a target of 1,300 delegates
across the two days. On top of that,
Lindsey plans the addition of a
networking gala dinner and a more
structured exhibition offering. The
event is well worth checking out.
Visit: www.NSConference.co.uk