The Hunter Shortage: Why the Australian Events Industry is Failing to Hire Top Sales Talent

By John Gorton, Co-Founder of TES Recruitment

The Australian events landscape is currently navigating a period of profound transition. After the frantic "rebound" years following the pandemic, where the primary challenge was simply managing the overwhelming influx of deferred demand, we have entered a more disciplined, competitive, and normalised market.

In this new era, "order-taking" style of account management is no longer a viable business strategy. Whether you are managing a major venue, a commercial conference organiser, a B2B or B2C exhibition business  or an industry supplier, the mandate from the boardroom is clear: We need growth.

This demand has triggered a desperate search for "hunter" sales professionals. At TES Recruitment we have seen a 40% uptick in requests specifically for proven hunters in exhibition and sponsorship sales, and within venue and supplier sales teams. Yet, despite the high demand, the "true hunter" remains one of the rarest profiles in the Australian job market.

The problem? Most hiring managers cannot tell the difference between a high-performing hunter and a high-energy charmer. In a sector where "personality" is often over-indexed, the cost of a bad sales hire is not just the recruitment fee, it’s the six months of lost pipeline and the erosion of market share.

Defining the Anatomy of an Event Sales "Hunter"

In recruitment, we often categorise sales talent into two camps: hunters and farmers.

• Farmers excel at nurturing existing relationships, increasing account spend, and providing high-touch service. They are vital for retention.

• Hunters are wired differently. They are structured, metrics-driven, and possess an unusual tenacity and resilience to the often long sales cycles inherent in venue and supplier tenders and exhibition and sponsorship sales.

  
  

A true hunter doesn’t wait for the phone to ring. They are strategic mappers. They identify key decision-makers in targeted companies, navigate complex procurement and decision-making layers, and understand that a "no" today is simply a "not yet".

"In the high-stakes world of exhibition and sponsorship sales, charm and confidence might get you in the door, but it’s the disciplined, tenacious, metrics-driven ‘hunter’ who closes the deal and sustains the pipeline. If you hire a salesperson for personality and hope for performance, you simply won’t achieve your revenue goals."— John Gorton

The "Confidence Trap": Why Surface-Level Interviews Fail

The event industry is naturally populated by gregarious, confident, and well-spoken individuals. This is a strength of our sector, but it is the primary "false positive" in sales recruitment.

Hiring managers often mistake confidence for capability.

I have seen countless interviews where a candidate "wowed" the room with their stories of past events and their rapport-building skills. However, when you dig into the mechanics of their success, the foundation is often shaky. A hunter isn't just someone who is "good with people." A hunter is someone who is good with process.

To find a true hunter, your recruitment process must move beyond surface-level rapport.

You need to look for:

1. Consistent Pipeline Performance: Can they explain the mathematical ratio between their cold outreach, their discovery calls, and their closed-won deals?

2. Strategic Account Development: How do they break into a "locked" account? What is their multi-channel approach to getting past the gatekeeper of a major new prospect?

3. Disciplined Follow-up Behaviours: In exhibition sales, a deal can take several months to close. Does the candidate have a system for maintaining momentum over that period, or do they rely on their memory?

   
   

The Commercial Impact of the Right Hire

In the business events sector, the difference between an average sales hire and a top-level ‘hunter’ is often measured in hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual recurring revenue (ARR).

A hunter doesn't just fill your floorplan; they maximise your yield. They understand how to win new ‘logos’ into your event, how to sell the high-margin stands and partnership packages and how to identify "dark" opportunities that your competitors haven't yet even seen.

In a sector facing ongoing talent shortages, your culture must be one that rewards the sales hunter’s mindset. Hunters are driven by autonomy and clear, attractive incentives. If your commission structures are capped or your internal processes are bogged down in manual administration, you will struggle to retain the very people you worked so hard to find.

Cultural Alignment: Keeping the Hunters You Hire

Finding the hunter is only half the battle. The other half is creating an environment where they can thrive. Many event businesses are structured around operations and delivery. While excellence in delivery is paramount, a "hunter" will quickly become frustrated by ‘internal friction’.

If you want to keep a top-tier sales professional in the event organiser supplier or venue space, you must:

1. Automate the Administrative Burden: Every hour a hunter spends on manual administration is an hour they aren't on the phone. Use AI and CRM automation to free them up.

2. Provide Leadership Clarity: Ensure that sales targets are not just "aspirational" but are backed by a marketing strategy that provides them with at least some "warm" air cover.

3. Celebrate the Win: High-performing hunters are motivated by recognition and results. Make sure their commercial impact is visible to the entire organisation.

   
   

Conclusion

The ‘hunter’ sales professional is the most undervalued asset in the Australian events industry today. As we move into an increasingly data-driven and competitive landscape, the ability to proactively secure new business, rather than simply managing existing accounts, will be the defining factor between the events businesses that thrive and grow and those that merely survive.

At TES Recruitment, our mission is to move the industry beyond ‘surface-level’ hiring. We believe that sales recruitment is a clinical exercise in risk management. By using deep profiling, understanding the nuances of the exhibition and event sectors, and looking for the metrics behind the charisma, we help Australian event businesses build the growth engines they deserve.

Stop hiring for confidence. Start hiring for the hunt. 

If you want to discuss how you can source and secure hunter sales people for your business, I’d love to talk to you.  Please get in touch.

The cost of delay - Why unfilled roles quietly drain performance

In the events industry, timing is everything. We obsess over timelines, run sheets, milestones and deadlines, yet one of the most damaging delays in business often goes unmeasured and unnoticed: the delay in hiring.

At TES Recruitment, we see this pattern repeatedly. Unfilled or poorly defined roles don’t just slow delivery, they quietly drain business performance. Senior leaders step back into operational gaps, teams stretch beyond capacity, and client dissatisfaction begins to creep in long before it shows up in formal reporting.

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“Over time, I’ve learned that hiring delays are rarely neutral. When they’re not strategic, they quietly become one of the most expensive decisions a business makes.” John Gorton, Founder

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The Hidden Cost of Leaving Roles Unfilled

Many leaders underestimate the true cost of an unfilled role. On paper, it can look like a short-term saving. In reality, it creates a compounding drag on the business.

According to PwC Australia, workforce inefficiencies are a key contributor to declining productivity across Australian industries, particularly in project-based and professional services sectors. (Source: https://www.pwc.com.au)

In the events industry, the impact is amplified because delivery relies heavily on people, coordination and experience. When a role is left vacant or vaguely defined:

• Work is redistributed unevenly

• Decision-making slows

• Errors increase

• Delivery quality declines

The cost is rarely captured in a single line item, but it shows up everywhere else.

When Leaders Start Backfilling Roles

One of the earliest warning signs we see is senior leaders quietly stepping back into operational roles.

Initially, this feels practical. Leaders know the business, they can “just cover it for now”, and it keeps things moving. But over time, this becomes one of the most expensive behaviours in the organisation.

According to the Australian Institute of Management, leadership effectiveness declines significantly when senior leaders are pulled into day-to-day execution instead of strategic oversight.(Source: https://aim.com.au)

When leaders are backfilling:

• Strategy stalls

• Growth initiatives are delayed

• Teams lose clarity and confidence

• Leaders burn out faster

The opportunity cost of leadership distraction is enormous, and often invisible until momentum has already been lost.

Speak to one of our Advisors today about your hiring strategy

Burnout: The Silent Accelerator of Attrition

Another consequence of delayed hiring is burnout.

When roles remain unfilled, teams compensate. They take on extra responsibilities, work longer hours, and push through peak periods with fewer resources. For a short time, this can look like resilience. Over time, it becomes risk.

Safe Work Australia reports that work-related psychological injuries, including burnout and stress-related conditions, are increasing and represent some of the most costly claims for employers. (Source: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au)

In events businesses, burnout doesn’t just affect wellbeing, it affects:

• Attention to detail

• Client experience

• Team morale

• Staff retention

What often starts as a delayed hire ends in the loss of a high performer, compounding the original problem in the first place.

Client Dissatisfaction Creeps In Quietly

Client dissatisfaction rarely arrives loudly. It creeps in quietly through slower response times, Inconsistent communication, reduced flexibility and small delivery issues that add up.

In highly competitive sectors like events, reputation is everything. 

When teams are stretched thin, even the most capable professionals struggle to maintain the standard clients expect. The damage often becomes visible only after contracts are lost or relationships are strained.

Why Hiring Delays Are Rarely Neutral

One of the biggest misconceptions we encounter is the belief that delaying a hire is a neutral decision.

It isn’t.

The problem is that many hiring delays are not intentional. They are driven by:

• Unclear role definitions

• Internal indecision

• Overloaded leadership teams

• Treating recruitment as an administrative task rather than a strategic one

This is where performance quietly erodes.

The Best-Performing Events Businesses Think Differently

At TES Recruitment, we work closely with high-performing events companies across Australia. One pattern is consistent: they treat recruitment as business critical.

For these organisations:

• Hiring is aligned to business planning

• Roles are clearly defined before they go to market

• Decision-makers are engaged early

• Recruitment timelines are prioritised, not deferred

This proactive approach accelerates the hiring process and ensures the right talent is in place quickly to drive the business forward.

At TES Recruitment, we spend significant time helping clients clarify:

• What success looks like in the role

• Where the role sits within the team

• What skills are essential vs trainable

• How the role supports business goals

Clarity upfront saves months, sometimes years, downstream.

Talk to us today

Recruitment as a Strategic Lever, Not an Admin Function

One of the most important mindset shifts for 2026 is this: recruitment is not an administrative function. It is a strategic lever.

In this environment, organisations that move slowly lose talent, not because candidates aren’t available, but because they are already engaged elsewhere.

Treating recruitment as business critical means:

• Making faster, more confident decisions

• Engaging specialist recruiters early

• Understanding market realities

• Aligning stakeholders before roles are advertised

How TES Recruitment Helps Reduce the Cost of Delay

At TES Recruitment, we specialise in the events industry because we understand its unique pressures, timelines and talent requirements.

We help organisations:

• Identify the true cost of unfilled roles

• Clarify and define roles effectively

• Engage the right talent quickly

• Reduce leadership distraction

• Protect team wellbeing and client outcomes

Our approach is consultative, not transactional. We work with leaders to understand the broader business context, not just fill a vacancy.

Unfilled roles don’t just slow delivery.They change behaviour, strain teams, and erode performance in ways that are hard to see, until it’s too late.

At TES Recruitment, we believe hiring delays should be strategic, never accidental.

References 

• PwC Australia – Workforce productivity and performancehttps://www.pwc.com.au

• Australian Institute of Management – Leadership effectivenesshttps://aim.com.au

• Safe Work Australia – Work-related stress and burnouthttps://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au

• IBISWorld – Events industry insightshttps://www.ibisworld.com/au

• Deloitte Australia – Talent and business performancehttps://www.deloitte.com/au

• Australian Bureau of Statistics – Labour market datahttps://www.abs.gov.au

Onboard, Not Offboard: Why the Event Industry Must Rethink How We Set New Hires Up for Success

By John Gorton

The event industry is one of the most dynamic, fast-paced and high-pressure sectors in the world. We celebrate creativity, innovation, and human connection, yet when it comes to investing in the humans who power our businesses, we often fall short.

In recent years, one trend has become impossible to ignore: new hires across many (but not all) event organisations are being set up to fail. Not because they are lacking ambition, talent or drive. But because we are not onboarding them properly.

This is not a small oversight. This is a systemic issue, and one that is costing event businesses dearly.

In this article, I’ll break down why onboarding is failing, why it matters more than ever, and what event leaders can do today to fix it. At TES Recruitment, we’ve seen the consequences play out across hundreds of event businesses, and we’ve made it our mission to help companies stop losing great people before they’ve truly begun.

The Harsh Reality: Too Many New Hires Are Set Up to Fail

Let’s be honest. The way onboarding is handled in many event companies, especially for sales roles, is closer to sink or swim.

A new starter walks through the door (or logs in remotely) with enthusiasm, ideas, and high expectations. But within days, they are bombarded with targets, pressured to produce immediate results, and left trying to navigate complex processes, systems, and customer profiles on their own.

It’s not a lack of talent. It’s a lack of direction, structure, context and support.

The data is clear:

• Effective onboarding increases retention by more than 80%.

• Poor onboarding is one of the top reasons employees leave within the first 12 months.

• Replacing a salesperson can cost anywhere from 60% to 200% of their salary.

Still, many event organisations treat onboarding as a quick admin checklist instead of a strategic business function.

And the consequences ripple far deeper than short-term frustration.

Speak to one of our team

The Middle Management Gap: A Silent Crisis in the Events Sector

Across the event industry, we’ve witnessed a dramatic reduction in the number of middle management roles. On paper, this was meant to streamline operations and cut costs. In practice, it has created a critical gap in onboarding capability.

Middle managers have historically been the people who:

• passed on company culture

• explained the unwritten rules

• coached new hires through their first deals

• shared industry-specific knowledge

• ensured expectations were clear and achievable

• acted as the bridge between leadership and new employees

With fewer of these roles, and with many businesses promoting first-time managers to fill the gap, the flow of knowledge transfer has slowed to a trickle.

Sales managers in events today are often:

• newly appointed and still learning the ropes

• responsible for generating their own revenue

• spread thin across large teams

• lacking formal training in coaching or onboarding

• under pressure to deliver immediate results

• without a clear framework for developing new hires

It’s no wonder so many new employees struggle to find their footing.

The support structure that once existed simply isn’t there anymore.

The Cost of Neglect: High Turnover, Low Morale, Missed Potential

When onboarding is weak, the symptoms show up fast.

1. High Turnover

Employees leave within months, often before they’ve delivered a single meaningful result. This creates a revolving door of recruitment that drains budgets and disrupts customer relationships.

2. Low Morale

Those who stay often feel overwhelmed, confused, or undervalued, a mindset that quickly impacts performance.

3. Missed Potential

Some of the most capable people in our industry never get the chance to fully contribute. Their strengths are never unlocked, their creativity never seen, their impact never realised.

It’s heartbreaking to see passionate people burn out in their first few months, not because they were wrong for the job, but because the job wasn’t set up right for them.

Onboarding is Not Admin. Onboarding is Strategy.

This is the heart of the issue.

Onboarding is not:

❌ filling out forms

❌ IT login setup

❌ a quick welcome meeting

❌ a few product decks

❌ “shadow someone for a week and you’ll be fine”

Onboarding is:

✅ the foundation of performance

✅ the engine of retention

✅ the start of culture building

✅ a core revenue strategy

✅ the difference between mediocrity and excellence

If event businesses invested as much time planning onboarding as they do planning exhibitions and conferences, our industry would look radically different.

Think about it:

You wouldn’t run a major event without a schedule, a budget, contingency plans, a production timeline, and a team who knows exactly what they’re doing.

So why would we let our most expensive resource, people, start without the same level of structure?

The First 90 Days: The Most Critical Window

The first three months of any role set the tone for everything that follows.

In those early weeks, new hires decide:

• Do I feel supported?

• Do I understand my goals?

• Do I believe I can succeed here?

• Do I feel part of something?

• Does this organisation communicate clearly?

• Is this somewhere I want to commit long-term?

If the answer is no, they start looking elsewhere.

If the answer is yes, they become loyal, engaged, high-performing contributors.

The choice lies with us, the employers.

Why Event Sales Roles Need More Onboarding Than Ever

Event sales is uniquely demanding. It requires:

• deep product knowledge

• an understanding of market dynamics

• navigating complex decision-maker hierarchies

• excellent communication skills

• the confidence to handle high-value negotiation

• understanding previous show performance

• learning legacy processes and CRM history

• managing long lead cycles and relationship-based selling

That’s a lot to learn, and yet many new sales recruits are handed a target on day one with little more than a list of accounts and a CRM login.

When onboarding fails, it’s not the new hire’s fault.

It’s the fault of the business.

Why Event Businesses Are Struggling to Fix This Alone

Even though most leaders agree that onboarding is essential, many organisations still struggle to develop or maintain a robust process.

Common challenges include:

* lack of time

* lack of ownership

* inconsistent practices across teams

* poor documentation

* manager inexperience

* pressure to fill roles quickly

* limited training resources

That’s exactly why TES Recruitment exists. Recruitment doesn’t end at “you’re hired” and we believe deeply that the first 90 days determine your return on hire.

How TES Recruitment Helps Event Businesses Build Strong Starts

At TES Recruitment, we support event businesses not only in finding talent, but in ensuring that talent thrives.

We help organisations:

• build structured onboarding frameworks

• coach managers on leading new hires effectively

• create sales-specific onboarding journeys

• develop knowledge libraries and playbooks

• implement interview-to-onboarding pipelines

• ensure candidates don’t just join, they integrate and succeed

Our philosophy is simple:

If you don’t invest in the first 90 days, you will invest far more later, in recruitment, replacement, and repair.

A Final Thought: Onboard, Don’t Offboard

We talk a lot about talent shortages in the event industry. About how hard it is to find good salespeople. About how competitive the market has become.

And yet…

we’re losing brilliant people because we’re not giving them the foundation they need.

Hiring great talent is only the beginning.

Keeping them, developing them, empowering them, that’s where the real magic happens.

If we want stronger teams, better performance, and a healthier industry, we must stop treating onboarding as a tick-box exercise and start treating it as a strategic advantage.

Because the difference between a salesperson who becomes a top performer and one who quietly leaves within six months is rarely talent.

It’s onboarding.

Let’s give people the start they deserve.

And let’s build an event industry where new hires don’t just survive, they thrive.