Episode Details

If you've ever wondered how to book high-profile speakers without a massive budget, why some events leave you broke despite being successful, or what it really takes to build a powerful network that opens doors, this episode is going to change the way you think about events and connections forever.

Lisa sits down with Paul Lancaster, founder of UK Startup and Scale-Up Week, and the super connector who's booked Stephen Bartlett before he was mega famous, Sara Davies, Daniel Priestley, and Tim Campbell from The Apprentice.

Paul's career has taken him from working tech support at Sage to organising over 100 events, including five-day city-wide festivals that attracted 800 people, to co-authoring Small Business Marketing for Dummies, to becoming one of the most connected people in the Northeast business community.

This conversation goes deep into what it really takes to pull off successful events without going broke, how to become a super connector who creates opportunities for others, and why building an audience from scratch is the wrong approach when you're starting out.

You'll hear why Paul paid £5,000 for Stephen Bartlett to speak and didn't make that money back in ticket sales, but why it was still worth it. How he negotiated Sara Davies' speaking fee. Why Daniel Priestley spoke for free and sent 500 books in advance. And the brutal truth about running an event that everyone loved but left Paul unable to afford a sandwich the week after.

Paul shares the exact lessons he learned from organising over 100 events, why the experience matters more than the product, how to make events profitable without breaking the bank, and why being a super connector who gives first and sells later creates unexpected opportunities that change your life.

This isn't about becoming an event organizer. It's about understanding that your network is your net worth, that relationships matter more than transactions, and that in the age of AI, human connection is the most valuable currency you can build.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How Paul booked Stephen Bartlett before he was mega famous and what made him worth £5,000 even though ticket sales didn't cover it
• The lesson Paul learned about big-name speakers versus smaller speakers who deliver more value
• How he booked Sara Davies and why she got behind the event
• Why Daniel Priestley spoke for free and how he made more than a speaker fee from the event
• The successful event that left Paul broke and unable to afford a sandwich the week after
• Why you should stop trying to build an audience from scratch and what to do instead
• How to become a super connector and why giving first creates opportunities that come back to you
• How showing up and speaking on a bus at Grey's Monument led to Paul co-authoring Small Business Marketing for Dummies
• Why Paul organised over 100 events before he finally admitted he was an event organizer
• The truth about running successful events and why most people lose money on their first few attempts
• Why the experience matters more than the product and what Paul learned from a restaurant in Toulouse that only serves steak and chips
• How to build an event people want to return to and why authenticity attracts the right people and repels the wrong ones
• How to make events profitable without breaking the bank and why scaling down can make more money than sc