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