Event industry marketer Alex Softley has launched a new strategic marketing consultancy aimed at helping event businesses connect their marketing activity more closely to commercial growth.
The new venture, Tenve, is due to launch in late summer and will work with event organisers, exhibition organisers, agencies, venues, event technology providers, suppliers, media businesses and brands that run their own events.
Softley, who is currently chief marketing officer at isla and its carbon measurement platform TRACE by isla, will continue in that role while opening Tenve to a select number of external clients.
The consultancy will offer marketing audits, one-off strategy projects, fractional CMO leadership, marketing coaching, and demand and lead generation strategy. It is designed for businesses seeking senior strategic marketing expertise without the need for a full-time marketing leader.
Softley brings more than 15 years of marketing experience, including senior roles with Northstar Meetings Group and Centaur Media.
Announcing the launch, Softley said:
“Event businesses are putting huge amounts of time, energy and budget into marketing, but many teams do not always have the space to step back and ask whether their activity is really working as hard as it should.
“I started Tenve to give event brands access to senior strategic marketing thinking that is practical, commercial and built around the realities of the industry. The goal is to help businesses understand what matters, where to focus, and how marketing can make a clearer contribution to growth.”
The launch comes as many event businesses continue to face pressure to grow despite leaner teams, tighter budgets and increasingly complex buyer journeys.
Tenve has been created to help businesses focus on the marketing decisions most likely to improve commercial performance and build stronger commercial momentum.
Anna Abdelnoor, CEO and co-founder of isla, said: “Working with Tenve’s founder Alex Softley over the last few years, first as partners and now with him as our CMO, has consistently reinforced one thing: he never lets you lose sight of the customer.
“Alex has a rare ability to cut through internal enthusiasm and anchor every decision to what the ICP actually wants. He is as precise and commercially sharp as he is creative, always scanning for gaps, uncovering growth opportunities, and connecting the dots from process improvements and positioning through to product ideation.
“And he delivers. Working with minimal marketing budget, Alex helped us grow engagement, sharpen our attribution, and become far more discerning about where we focus our efforts. Any business looking for a strategic marketer who brings both rigour and imagination, and who will always keep the customer at the centre of the room, would be lucky to work with him and Tenve.”
Tenve is currently inviting prospective clients to join a waitlist ahead of its launch, with places limited to a select number of businesses in the second half of 2026.
