Marketing & Sales Sectors

As 2025 draws to a close, many in the events, marketing, and sales sectors are reflecting on a year that felt both promising and unpredictable. While confidence has steadily returned following the turbulence of recent years, hiring patterns in 2025 have shown just how quickly the market can shift and how crucial it is for businesses to stay ahead of talent challenges.

At Amdas, we’ve worked closely with conference businesses, associations, publishers, exhibitions organisers, and commercial teams throughout 2025. What follows is a summary of the key trends we’ve seen this year and what we predict will shape the hiring landscape in 2026.

2025: A Year of Rebuilding, Rebalancing, and Reassessing Talent Needs

1. A Stop–Start Hiring Market

The year began cautiously. Budget uncertainty, slower decision-making, and the knock-on effects of 2024's restructuring created a fragmented hiring market. Many companies paused roles early in the year, only to reopen them months later when internal priorities shifted.

However, from late summer onwards, momentum increased. We saw:

• A rise in commercial and marketing vacancies

• Strong movement among candidates seeking better stability

• More businesses planning ahead for 2026 headcount

The second half of 2025 has undoubtedly been more stable and growth-focused.

2. Demand for Commercial & Digital Talent

Across the events and publishing sectors, roles that directly drive revenue or digital capabilities remained the hardest to fill. Delegate sales, sponsorship, and audience marketing were consistently in demand.

Digital roles particularly those involving CRM, automation, insights, and paid media — stood out as the most competitive. Candidates with these skills often held multiple offers.

3. The Hybrid Working Divide

Workplace flexibility remained one of the biggest talking points of 2025.

Many candidates expected hybrid working as standard, yet some employers maintained rigid office requirements. This created friction, directly impacting:

• Application numbers

• Candidate quality

• Offer acceptance rates

Those clients who offered even modest flexibility (2–3 days hybrid) had more success securing top talent, particularly in marketing roles.

4. Salaries Under Pressure

Salary expectations rose throughout 2025, especially for experienced commercial talent. Candidates were increasingly confident in negotiating for:

• Higher base salaries

• Transparent commission structures

• Clear performance expectations

The result? A noticeable shift toward employers offering more competitive packages to stay attractive.

5. A Rise in Flexible Hiring Models

One of the clearest trends of 2025 was the shift toward scalable recruitment support. Many organisations, especially in events, began exploring:

• Pay-as-you-go talent acquisition

• Fractional in-house recruitment support

• Short-term or project-based hiring

This reflects a broader desire to access specialist expertise without committing to a full-time internal team.

What to Expect in 2026: Our Predictions for the Year Ahead

Based on hundreds of conversations with hiring managers and candidates — across conferences, exhibitions, associations, publishers and commercial teams — here is what we anticipate for 2026.

1. Earlier Hiring Cycles

The companies that secured the best talent in 2025 were those who started recruitment early and moved decisively.

In 2026 we expect:

• More roles opening in Q1

• Faster shortlisting and interview processes

• Reduced delays caused by HR bottlenecks

Businesses can no longer afford to lose strong candidates due to slow decision-making.

2. Growing Demand for Revenue-Generating Roles

Events and publishing companies will continue to prioritise commercial hires first. Expect high demand for:

• Delegate sales

• Sponsorship sales

• Partnerships

• Commercial operations

• Sales managers with sector experience

Marketers with strong commercial awareness will also be in short supply.

3. Flexible & Fractional Hiring Becomes Mainstream

Demand for agile, cost-effective recruitment solutions will continue.

We predict that:

• More businesses will adopt pay-as-you-go recruitment models

• Fractional talent acquisition partnerships will increase

• TA outsourcing will be used to manage fluctuating hiring cycles

This approach offers stability without long-term overheads — exactly what many companies need.

4. Hybrid Working Returns in a More Balanced Form

While 2025 highlighted a clear disconnect between employer and candidate expectations, we expect 2026 to bring a more pragmatic approach.

Companies who relaxed rigid policies saw improved retention and recruitment outcomes — and this trend will grow. Hybrid will become more role-specific, with marketers receiving more flexibility than sales-driven roles.

5. Digital Skills Will Command the Highest Salaries

Data-led marketing, CRM, automation, audience engagement, and performance media will continue to dominate the skills gap.

Companies that fail to offer competitive packages or clear progression for digital talent risk losing them to better-paying sectors.

6. Candidate Expectations Will Shift Toward Career Growth

Candidates entering 2026 are more focused on:

• Clear progression frameworks

• Good onboarding

• Realistic KPIs

• Training and development

• Personal well-being

Salary is still important — but clarity and culture are now major decision drivers.

7. Retention Becomes as Critical as Hiring

With some companies experiencing attrition levels above 18% in 2025, retention will be a strategic focus in 2026.

We expect:

• More structured onboarding

• Internal mobility planning

• Leadership development

• Greater attention to workload and burnout

Companies that invest in retention will avoid repeated, costly recruitment cycles.

Final Thoughts

2025 has been a year of recalibration. Businesses have learned that the talent landscape has changed and that flexibility, speed, and clarity are more important than ever.

Looking ahead to 2026, the companies that will succeed are those that:

• Plan early

• Move decisively

• Offer realistic flexibility

• Invest in onboarding and retention

• Understand the rising value of digital and commercial talent

If you’re planning your team structure for 2026, Amdas can support you — whether you need full recruitment, flexible hiring, or strategic consultancy.