20th October 2026

UK Wedding Conference London Schedule

UK Wedding Conference London 2026 Schedule

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UK Wedding Conference London 2026 Schedule 〰️

Time Main Stage Description Breakout Room Description
09:00–10:00
Registration & Networking
10:00
State Of The Industry
Alison Hargreaves
 What’s changing across the wedding market, where the biggest opportunities lie and which challenges businesses need to prepare for. Alison Hargreaves shares the latest industry insight, key trends and commercial shifts shaping the year ahead, with practical context on what they could mean for your business.
10:40
Before the Final Click: Calculating the Real Value of Your Marketing
Nikita Thorne
 How do couples find, compare and choose wedding businesses, and where should you invest to influence those decisions? Explore how social media, websites, directories and search work together to build visibility and trust, where direct enquiries originate from, and how to calculate the real ROI. Leave with practical ways to strengthen your presence and help couples choose you.
11:20 Networking Break & Coffee
11:40
How To Get AI To Do The Dull Stuff, So You Can Do The Weddings
Versantus
 Small business owners spend around six days a month on admin. In this practical session, Matt Gilbert and Nik Roberts from Versantus show how AI can handle the dull (but important!) stuff, from enquiries and risk assessments to social posts and bookings, so you have more time for the work couples pay you for. Real examples, simple steps to try the next day, no tech knowledge needed.
Marriage Law Reform: Ask The Experts
Alison Hargreaves will be joined by Christy Sheppard, Head of Registration Services at Westminster City Council, and Stuart Morris, Founder of the International College of Professional Celebrants (ICPC).
Last month, the UK Wedding Association hosted a roundtable bringing together venues, registrars, celebrant associations and the Ministry of Justice to discuss the implications of the proposed changes. Alison Hargreaves will be joined by Christy Sheppard, Head of Registration Services at Westminster City Council, and Stuart Morris, Founder of the International College of Professional Celebrants, to explore what the reforms could mean for wedding businesses and answer your questions.
12:20
The Wedding Sales Health Check: What Your Numbers Are Trying to Tell You
Ciara Crossan
 Most venues know something isn't working. Very few can tell you what. Ciara Crossan, founder of WedPro the Wedding CRM, has spent 18 years inside the numbers of over 1,000 wedding venues and 365,000 enquiries, and in this session she puts the industry on the examination table. You'll see the benchmarks almost nobody publishes: what percentage of enquiries become showrounds, what percentage of showrounds become bookings, which enquiry sources genuinely convert, and how far the best performing venues are pulling ahead of everyone else. Then comes the diagnosis. Ciara walks through the most common conditions in wedding sales, what each symptom actually means, and the specific prescription for turning it around. Bring a pen. You'll complete your own Wedding Sales Health Check live in the room and leave knowing exactly which number to fix first. For venues and suppliers alike.
Beyond The Stand: Getting More From Wedding Shows & Fairs
Cassandra Denman
 With so many wedding businesses competing for attention online, wedding shows and fairs offer a way to connect with couples face to face and bring your offering to life.

Drawing on over 30 years of combined events and marketing experience, Cassandra and Ella share practical advice to help you get more from exhibiting. From choosing the right event and creating a stand that gets noticed to turning conversations into enquiries, the session covers what to do before, during and after the show. You’ll discover how effective follow-up and wider marketing can turn initial interest into bookings, and how to track results and assess your return.

Whether you’re considering your first wedding fair or already exhibit regularly, you’ll leave with practical ideas to make your next event work harder for your business.
13:00 Lunch
14:00
From Awkward To Authority: Why TikTok Should Change Your Business Plan
Georgie Mitchell
 Most wedding suppliers know they should be on TikTok. Far fewer feel comfortable there.

This session reframes TikTok as more than another social channel. It's now where couples start their wedding search, form their opinions and decide who they trust, often long before they ever visit your website or send an enquiry. The suppliers who show up there consistently, with real expertise and a bit of personality, are becoming the go-to names in their area.

Georgie will cover why TikTok works differently from Instagram, what couples actually want to see, how to turn your everyday knowledge into content, and why the platform should influence your marketing, your offering and how you plan your year.
From Enquiry to Booking: The WhatsApp Advantage
Helen Nurse
 What happens to an enquiry after a couple first shows interest, and how many opportunities are lost because the next step is too slow, too complicated or too easy to ignore? WhatsApp specialist Helen Nurse explores how venues and wedding suppliers can use the channel couples already use every day to turn more interest into conversations and more conversations into bookings.

See how WhatsApp can become part of the whole enquiry journey, from capturing interest on your website, social media, advertising and events, to responding instantly, answering common questions, nurturing leads and following up at the right moment. Helen will also explore where automation and AI can genuinely improve the experience, helping businesses provide useful, intelligent responses around the clock, while knowing when to hand over to a real person for the conversations where the human touch really matters.

Expect practical examples and ideas you can take away and use, for any wedding business looking to make it easier for couples to enquire, engage and ultimately book.
14:40
The AI Shortlist: How To Get Your Venue In Front Of Gen Z Couples
Niamh Hunter
 When a newly engaged couple asks ChatGPT to find them a wedding venue, does yours make the shortlist? Gen Z couples are increasingly turning to AI tools for recommendations, and the venues that appear aren’t always the biggest or best known. Niamh Hunter, AI search and digital PR strategist at Exposure Ninja, explains how AI decides which venues to recommend and why third-party mentions, directory listings and reviews matter so much. Expect practical, jargon-free tips to help your venue stand out and understand how AI currently sees your business.
Don't Let Good Wedding Leads Go Cold: The Conversation That Converts
Anthony Stears
 Wedding businesses spend a huge amount of time, energy and money generating enquiries - but it’s what happens in the conversation that follows can determine whether that enquiry becomes a booking or quietly disappears.

In this practical session, Conversation Architect Anthony Stears explores the customer journey between “I'm interested” and “Where do I sign?”. Bring along your biggest challenge and find out what you can say and do to move enquiries forwards. Anthony will look at why potential clients go quiet, how businesses can move beyond simply answering questions, and how better conversations can create confidence, uncover what really matters to the couple and make the next step easier.

Attendees will leave with practical ideas they can use immediately in their own enquiry conversations, without scripts, pressure or awkward sales techniques.
15:20 Networking Break & Coffee
15:40
Full Price, Full Diary: Prices and Offers That Win Couples
Hosted by Kelly Mortimer, Sam Gilchrist, Richard Kidner, Ellie Beaven
 How do you set prices that fill your diary without training couples to wait for a deal? Venue expert and former planner Kelly Mortimer leads a frank conversation with two venue owners and a bride who works in the industry, on how to price with confidence and when, if ever, to discount. Expect real examples of what has worked and what hasn't: pricing to sell to capacity, handling off-peak dates, packaging and offers that genuinely engage couples, and the small tricks that move an enquiry to a booking. Crucially, you'll hear the couple's side: what makes them happy to pay full price, and what makes them walk. Relevant to venues and every supplier type, from photographers to florists.
16:20
Round-up Video
By Kovtun Video
16:30–17:00
Networking & Departure