Ed Christmas - Boosting Bookings, Secrets of Hospitality Sales

In this episode of Captive Conversations, Adam speaks with Ed Christmas, Managing Director of Bums on Seats — one of the most influential voices in hospitality sales, bookings, and operational efficiency.Ed shares how fragmented systems, under-utilised CRMs, and broken booking processes quietly drain revenue — often up to 30% of business turnover due to inefficiencies alone.  Together they explore:✔ The leaking bucket analogy and how brands can immediately plug revenue gaps  ✔ Why “tech should only enhance, never replace” in hospitality  ✔ How to streamline enquiry management and pre-booked sales✔ What operators should do before investing in new marketing or paid ads✔ The future of bookings, benchmarking and data-driven decision-making✔ Ed’s new AI-powered tool Heidi, now live in 50+ venues, built to give operators real-time clarity on performance, forecasting and conversions  This episode is packed with practical insights for restaurant groups, pubs, bars, competitive socialising venues, and hospitality marketers looking to drive measurable results.Keywords: hospitality bookings, restaurant CRM, Bums on Seats, hospitality data, pre-booked sales, restaurant marketing, Captive Conversations, hospitality tech, operational efficiency