About · Sarah Halfpenny
Twenty five years, six hundred events, one principle.
Events succeed when the people running them know exactly why they exist. Often that clarity only emerges when someone asks the question properly. That’s the work.
Photographed by Lucy Greene, London · spring 2025
events delivered, 2001–2026
virtual events hosted
industries — creative, pharma, tech, corporate
newsletter subscribers
principle, applied repeatedly
“Classroom learning gives you the foundations. But some of what makes a truly great event professional only comes from being in a room with someone who’s lived it. That’s the work I’ve ended up doing, and the work I want to keep doing.”
A few things that aren’t on the CV.
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01
When I’m not working, you’ll find me at a Disney park — riding roller coasters, catching a parade, and never saying no to a Mickey waffle.
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02
My first ever job was as Vice President of Staffordshire University Student Union — representing 12,000 students, running commercial venues, and organising events including the graduation ball. (Spoiler: I’ve never really stopped.)
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03
Trustee at an independent adult education centre supporting growth strategy and pioneering new event formats to broaden and diversify its audience.
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04
I feel very lucky to have caught the travel bug early — 36 countries, 50+ cities, and experiences that range from walking the Great Wall of China to skydiving in New Zealand and exploring the Valley of the Kings.
How she works
Five things worth knowing before we start.
Direct, not difficult
If your event has a problem, I’ll tell you. I’ll also tell you what to do about it. The two come together — diagnosis without prescription is therapy, not consultancy.
Senior, in the room
Whichever piece of work we agree, you get me — not a junior with my deck. I keep the practice deliberately small for this reason.
Industry-agnostic
Finance, pharma, tech, public sector, charity. The five same problems show up everywhere; the dressing changes.
Plain English
No frameworks-with-acronyms. No ‘thought partnership’. The brief, the diagnosis, the recommendation, the pricing — all in language a board can read.
Honest about fit
If your problem isn’t my work, I’ll say so on the discovery call and recommend the people who’d serve you better. I’d rather lose the fee and not waste your time.
The principle
Events are the company, in a room.
Most companies treat events as a marketing tool, but they are far more than that. They are one of the most powerful opportunities you have to bring people together — the moments when your customers, your partners, your community, and your story all share the same air.
The events that work know this. They are shaped by people who understand both what the company is trying to be and what the event needs to achieve. Every decision flows from there: audience, agenda, suppliers, briefing. That clarity is what gets lost in the rush of delivery. That’s why so many events feel the same.
My job, whichever way you work with me, is to bring that clarity back — and make sure your team can hold onto it under pressure, on a real timeline, with a real budget.
Elsewhere
Stages, pages and microphones.
A short, accurate list. For speaking enquiries the booking window is currently 4–6 months — get in early.
The arc
Twenty five years, in plain English.
Vice-President – Staffordshire University
My career in events began in my student union — a happy accident. I was shown the ropes and discovered I loved it, gaining a grounding in every aspect of event delivery from the very beginning.
Charity & Academic
Spent the next few years honing my craft across events, brand and communications. It was during this time I realised I cared less about logistics and more about whether the events were actually saying anything
Corporate Events at The IET
That curiosity led me into leadership — taking on the strategic direction of an Event Production Division, managing teams across events, community and marketing. It shaped everything I know about strategy, portfolio growth and people leadership.
Founder · Sarah Halfpenny Events
Now I work with people and brands directly — mentoring, training and consulting to help them deliver events that mean something. Over the years I’ve noticed the same five problems show up in every brief. That’s what I’m here to help solve.
Sarah is an astute, creative and exceptionally warm event professional. She adds value to everything she does and I cannot recommend her highly enough.
Tell me what you’re working on.
Whether it’s a discovery call about consultancy, a single mentoring session, or a quick question about training your team; replies come from Sarah directly, usually within a working day.