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Industries
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Agency & Media
SALES & MARKETING RECRUITMENT
Agency & Media. Winning the client is half the job.
Fast briefs. Big ideas. Tight turnarounds. Plenty of opinions.
We find new-business, client-services and agency-marketing people who understand scope, margin and what the client is actually buying — not just how to pitch.
Travel & Hospitality
The gap between expectation and experience.
Recruitment for commercial roles across hotels, accommodation, tourism, travel services, attractions, destinations, leisure and hospitality businesses.
SALES & MARKETING RECRUITMENT IN
SALES & MARKETING RECRUITMENT
Travel & Hospitality
The gap between expectation and experience.
Recruitment for commercial roles across hotels, accommodation, tourism, travel services, attractions, destinations, leisure and hospitality businesses.
1 - BIG PICTURE STORY:
The Travel & Hospitality Economy
THE UK PICTURE
Britain, domestic tourism spending reached £78 billion in 2025. VisitBritain estimates a further £33.4 billion was spent by international visitors to the UK during the year.
THE IRISH PICTURE
Ireland welcomed around 6.4 million foreign visitors in 2025, generating an estimated €5.5 billion in visitor expenditure. Irish household spending on restaurants and accommodation also increased by 5.9% during the year.
Behind demand is a sector selling capacity that expires. An empty hotel room tonight, an unsold tour place or unused event space cannot be stored and sold next month, which makes timing, pricing, channel choice and demand forecasting particularly important commercially.
£78bn
England domestic tourism spend, 2025
€5.5bn
Ireland foreign visitor spend, 2025
227k
Ireland tourism-industry employees, Jul 2026
01 — THE SECTOR
Unique hiring considerations:
Sales & Marketing professionals in Travel & Hospitality get used to looking beyond the booking itself.
The same room, seat, table, tour place or event space can be worth very different amounts depending on when it is sold, who buys it, which channel they use and what demand might appear later.
A full hotel or sold-out event is not automatically evidence of good commercial performance. Experienced salespeople become more aware of rate, timing, acquisition cost, ancillary spend, repeat potential and whether one booking prevents the business accepting something more valuable later.
Marketing works with the same moving picture.
Creating demand is only useful if there is capacity to sell, at a rate that makes sense, and the experience customers eventually receive lives up to what they were promised. That connection between demand, revenue and delivery becomes much easier to see with experience.
Two New Business Directors may both show major pitch wins and well-known clients. The same result can start at very different points in the buying journey.
The title tells us surprisingly little unless we know what the client was buying and how the agency made money from it.
CANDIDATE A
Strongest once the brief lands
• Builds strong credentials and pitch processes
• Coordinates senior agency involvement
• Converts briefs once the opportunity is defined
CANDIDATE B
Shapes the brief before it exists
• Builds senior relationships before formal briefs
• Creates preference while needs are still forming
• Qualifies carefully for fit, margin and win probability
02 — HOW WE ASSESS
Same CV. Different capability.
Two Hotel Sales Managers may both show strong revenue performance.
One may have spent most of their time converting reactive weddings and events enquiries; another may have built corporate and MICE accounts through negotiated rates, site visits, account planning and long-term relationship development.
The same applies in Revenue: two people may both list pricing, inventory and reporting while one has independently managed channel mix and group displacement across several properties and another has worked within a strategy largely set elsewhere.
CANDIDATE B — SHAPES THE BRIEF BEFORE IT EXISTS
Strong hotel brand experience
Builds corporate and MICE accounts
• Qualifies carefully for fit, margin and win probability
CANDIDATE A — STRONGEST ONCE THE BRIEF LANDS
Strong hotel brand experience
Works with comparatively short booking cycles
Strong enquiry handling and event conversion
02 — HOW WE ASSESS
Same CV. Different capability.
02 — HOW WE ASSESS
Same CV. Different capability.
Two Hotel Sales Managers may both show strong revenue performance.
One may have spent most of their time converting reactive weddings and events enquiries; another may have built corporate and MICE accounts through negotiated rates, site visits, account planning and long-term relationship development.
The same applies in Revenue: two people may both list pricing, inventory and reporting while one has independently managed channel mix and group displacement across several properties and another has worked within a strategy largely set elsewhere.
SAME JOB TITLE - CANDIDATE A
Converts reactive weddings and events enquiries
Works with comparatively short booking cycles
Strong enquiry handling and event conversion
SAME JOB TITLE - CANDIDATE B
Strong hotel brand experience
Builds corporate and MICE accounts
Negotiates rates and develops account plans
SALES, NEW BUSINESS & CLIENT GROWTH
01
New Business Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Which pitches deserve the agency's time — not just winning them.
HOW IT VARIES
RFP-led in some agencies; relationship-led long before a brief in others.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"Tell us about a pitch you walked away from."
02
Client Services Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
The gap between what the client expects and what the fee covers.
HOW IT VARIES
Full P&L and renewal authority, or delivery lead with pricing held elsewhere.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"When did you last renegotiate scope mid-year?"
03
Account Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Growth that doesn't turn into unpaid over-servicing.
HOW IT VARIES
Performance agencies build media economics; creative agencies build judgement on ambiguous briefs.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"How did the account's margin move under you?"
MARKETING
04
Agency Marketing Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Attracting the kind of brief New Business actually wants.
HOW IT VARIES
Visibility and awards in some agencies; proposition and pipeline in others.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"Which piece of thinking brought a client in?"
05
Communications Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
The agency's reputation, and sometimes its clients' too.
HOW IT VARIES
Corporate narrative in-house, or crisis and media work on behalf of clients.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"What didn't you say, and why?"
06
Content Strategy Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Connecting audience insight to measurable commercial outcomes.
HOW IT VARIES
Client-facing strategy lead, or the agency's own thought-leadership engine.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"How did you prove it worked?"
We also recruit across media sales, partnerships, PR, performance and digital marketing, and sales & marketing leadership.
Discuss a role in this sector →
03 — ROLES
What the title doesn't tell you
We also recruit across media sales, partnerships, PR, performance and digital marketing, and sales & marketing leadership.
Discuss a role in this sector
→
MARKETING
04
Agency Marketing Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Attracting the kind of brief New Business actually wants.
HOW IT VARIES
Visibility and awards in some agencies; proposition and pipeline in others.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"Which piece of thinking brought a client in?"
05
Communications Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
The agency's reputation, and sometimes its clients' too.
HOW IT VARIES
Corporate narrative in-house, or crisis and media work on behalf of clients.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"What didn't you say, and why?"
06
Content Strategy Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Connecting audience insight to measurable commercial outcomes.
HOW IT VARIES
Client-facing strategy lead, or the agency's own thought-leadership engine.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"How did you prove it worked?"
SALES, NEW BUSINESS & CLIENT GROWTH
01
New Business Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Which pitches deserve the agency's time — not just winning them.
HOW IT VARIES
RFP-led in some agencies; relationship-led long before a brief in others.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"Tell us about a pitch you walked away from."
02
Client Services Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
The gap between what the client expects and what the fee covers.
HOW IT VARIES
Full P&L and renewal authority, or delivery lead with pricing held elsewhere.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"When did you last renegotiate scope mid-year?"
03
Account Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Growth that doesn't turn into unpaid over-servicing.
HOW IT VARIES
Performance agencies build media economics; creative agencies build judgement on ambiguous briefs.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"How did the account's margin move under you?"
03 — ROLES
What the title doesn't tell you
MARKETING
Makes the agency's thinking visible before a brief appears
Uses case studies to demonstrate decisions and outcomes
Builds reputation that helps the agency enter consideration early
Communicates a clear proposition rather than a capability list
Aligns agency marketing with the work New Business actually wants
SALES
Qualifies opportunities before consuming pitch resource
Understands what is really driving the client's decision
Sells the agency that will actually deliver the work
Understands how the pricing model affects account economics
Protects scope, margin and relationship quality as accounts grow
04 — WHAT EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR
Strength signals
SALES
01
Qualifies opportunities before consuming pitch resource
02
Understands what is really driving the client's decision
03
Sells the agency that will actually deliver the work
04
Understands how the pricing model affects account economics
05
Protects scope, margin and relationship quality as accounts grow
MARKETING
01
Makes the agency's thinking visible before a brief appears
02
Uses case studies to demonstrate decisions and outcomes
03
Builds reputation that helps the agency enter consideration early
04
Communicates a clear proposition rather than a capability list
05
Aligns agency marketing with the work New Business actually wants
04 — WHAT EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR
Strength signals we listen for
04 — WHAT EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR
Strength signals we listen for
SALES STRENGTH SIGNALS
Judges the value of the booking rather than volume alone
Qualifies genuine demand and commercial complexity
Understands capacity and possible displacement
Builds repeatable account and partnership demand
Works with Revenue and Operations to protect total value
MARKETING strength signals
Connects marketing activity with availability and rate
Understands the cost and role of booking channels
Builds direct and repeat demand
Uses seasonality and booking behaviour to shape activity
Connects reputation and customer experience with future demand
40-person Belfast brand agency needed a Commercial Director during a major repositioning.
Result: 3-person shortlist. Successful hire remains in post today.
The brief required an unusual combination of strategic leadership, people management and new business ability. We mapped the relevant market thoroughly and narrowed a broad potential field to three candidates capable of operating across all three areas.
05 — A RECENT SEARCH
In practice
05 — A RECENT SEARCH
In practice
FOR EMPLOYERS
Discuss a Sales or Marketing Hire
For employers, we look beyond the obvious CV match and spend time understanding what someone has actually done, the environment they have worked in and how relevant that experience is to the role.
We look beyond the agency name and title to the proposition, pricing model, account economics and real commercial ownership behind someone's experience.
DISCUSS A HIRE
FOR PROFESSIONALS
Considering your next move?
We help make sense of the experience you've built, what you're genuinely good at and where it might take you next.
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST
CALL TO ACTION
Hiring in Agency & Media?
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER
[Sarah to write — one sentence]
Sarah, Founder
About MRKTSEARCH →
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER
[Sarah to write — one sentence]
Sarah, Founder
About MRKTSEARCH →
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER
[Sarah to write — one sentence]
Sarah, Founder · About MRKTSEARCH →
£78bn
England domestic tourism spend, 2025
€5.5bn
Ireland foreign visitor spend, 2025
227k
Ireland tourism-industry employees, Jul 2026
06 — THE NUMBERS
The Travel & Hospitality Economy
FOR EMPLOYERS
Discuss a Sales or Marketing Hire
For employers, we look beyond the obvious CV match and spend time understanding what someone has actually done, the environment they have worked in and how relevant that experience is to the role.
SOURCES
Advertising Association; Creative Communications Ireland.
£35.2bn
UK creative & media agency GVA, 2024
£46.7bn
UK advertising investment, 2025
€1.7bn
Irish advertising market, 2025
06 — THE NUMBERS
The agency & media economy
Sales & Marketing professionals in Travel & Hospitality get used to looking beyond the booking itself.
The same room, seat, table, tour place or event space can be worth very different amounts depending on when it is sold, who buys it, which channel they use and what demand might appear later.
A full hotel or sold-out event is not automatically evidence of good commercial performance. Experienced salespeople become more aware of rate, timing, acquisition cost, ancillary spend, repeat potential and whether one booking prevents the business accepting something more valuable later.
Marketing works with the same moving picture.
Creating demand is only useful if there is capacity to sell, at a rate that makes sense, and the experience customers eventually receive lives up to what they were promised. That connection between demand, revenue and delivery becomes much easier to see with experience.
01 — THE SECTOR
Unique Hiring Considerations
Sales & Marketing professionals in Travel & Hospitality get used to looking beyond the booking itself.
The same room, seat, table, tour place or event space can be worth very different amounts depending on when it is sold, who buys it, which channel they use and what demand might appear later.
A full hotel or sold-out event is not automatically evidence of good commercial performance. Experienced salespeople become more aware of rate, timing, acquisition cost, ancillary spend, repeat potential and whether one booking prevents the business accepting something more valuable later.
Marketing works with the same moving picture.
Creating demand is only useful if there is capacity to sell, at a rate that makes sense, and the experience customers eventually receive lives up to what they were promised. That connection between demand, revenue and delivery becomes much easier to see with experience.
01 — THE SECTOR