Dr. Barış Onay
Helping event and media CEOs turn digital complexity into sustainable growth
I help B2B event and media businesses bridge the gaps between strategy, marketing, data, digital, and execution, so growth is less chaotic, decisions are quicker, and key programmes are actually delivered. If your team is busy but progress is slower than it should be, I can help you identify what is truly broken, what matters most, and what to do next.
Tell me what you are trying to fix, and I’ll tell you whether the right next step is a workshop, an assessment, ongoing advisory, or something else entirely.
Trusted by:
Why clients bring me in
Because I know this world from the inside.
For 20+ years, I have worked across B2B events and media in C-Level growth, digital and transformation roles, and now advise leaders navigating complex change. I understand the realities behind the strategy deck: revenue pressure, internal friction, legacy systems, stretched teams, vendor noise, and the difficulty of turning ambition into execution.
Clients bring me in when they need clarity, focus and momentum. To align a leadership team. To diagnose what is really holding performance back. To move an important programme forward with stronger judgment and less waste.
I combine sector depth, strategic thinking, and a hands-on delivery mindset. I am also the creator of the Event Strategy Bot, used by 1,000+ events globally to turn insight into action.
If you need a thoughtful sounding board, honest challenge and practical help getting from issue to action, let’s talk.
Services
Executive Team Workshop
Align your leadership on where to play, how to win, and where to stop
A focused, data-driven session that brings senior teams into alignment on digital strategy. Through discovery interviews and a structured workshop, we surface trade-offs, set priorities, and turn decisions into a 90-day action plan.
Outcomes: organisation-wide alignment, faster execution, and immediate next steps for the next quarter.
Event Strategy Session
Pressure-test your event and decide where to play & how to win
A focused strategy engagement for organisers seeking a clearer view of an event’s growth potential, competitive position and strategic options. The process begins with an Event Strategy Bot review, and can expand into a broader workshop process with stakeholder input, targeted data analysis, a written assessment and a facilitated session to define the event’s growth strategy.
Outcomes: clearer strategic direction, sharper growth priorities, and stronger confidence in the path forward.
Strategic Advisory
Accelerate digital transformation and growth without adding headcount
Ongoing or ad-hoc strategic support to fast-track initiatives across Strategy, CRM, data, digital product, and demand generation. You get sleeves-rolled, battle-tested help from someone who’s built, scaled, and fixed complex event operations before.
Outcomes: faster time-to-value, lower execution risk, and embedded know-how for your team.
Selected Projects
Bridge2Food’s CRM Change and Marketing Transformation
I helped the new B2F management complete a six-month team and systems overhaul. I advised the MD and internal teams and supported the development of a digital strategy, implementing HubSpot, updating payment systems, and improving marketing operations.
Incisive Media’s CRM Change
I provided project advisory to the CMO and team at Incisive Media during their HubSpot implementation. This six-month project involved assisting the team in managing their implementation partner and maximising the value of their new system investment.
Montgomery Group’s Digital Transformation
This one-year project began with CEO advisory and an Executive Team Workshop and evolved into a full digital transformation. After a key-man risk emerged, I provided change management and ongoing project advisory as the group overhauled its digital leadership and team, data architecture, CRM (HubSpot), and marketing solutions.