July, 2026.- An event company starts with logistics—venue, format, footprint. A creative agency with an experiential mindset starts with a commercial problem and works backward to the right human moment. Grace Wright, Head of Growth Europe at Momentum, believes the difference shows up before a single brief is written. In the first month with Momentum, clients feel that shift in how the agency asks questions. Not “What do you want the event to look like?” but “What matters to you? What do you need people to do differently after this?” That way of thinking—outcome first, experience second—is the difference between a beautiful execution and a commercially valuable one.
Wright is described as a “smart sell, not a hard sell.” In a growth role where revenue targets are real, a smart sell means investing time in helping clients buy the agency, not in selling to them. It means genuinely understanding what a client is trying to solve before responding to their challenge. In practice, it looks like sharing a point of view they had not considered, making a useful introduction, or being honest when the agency is not the right fit. Hard sell is getting a meeting. Smart sell is a pipeline of relationships that convert when the timing is right.
In this interview, Wright discusses her belief that the most commercially powerful thing a brand can do is make people feel something real. For years, marketers have been forced to choose between brand and performance, emotion and effectiveness. She has never bought into the idea that emotion and commerciality are opposing forces. The work of Les Binet and Peter Field has shown that brands that create lasting emotional connections tend to outperform over time. The job today is to connect those emotional outcomes to business outcomes with greater confidence and precision. That is why measurement matters—connecting customer experience to the metrics that actually move the business: conversion, retention, advocacy, and growth.
Wright also addresses AI’s role. AI is extraordinary at predicting behavior and anticipating emotional responses. But prediction is not the same as human connection. The moments that matter most are not usually the most efficient or predictable. They are often surprising, imperfect, and deeply contextual. The future is not humans versus AI. It is humans using AI to create more meaningful connections.
Experiential Agency vs. Event Company: Matt Lewis said Momentum is “a creative agency with an experiential mindset, not an event company with a creative department.” What is the practical difference a client can see and feel within the first month of working with you?
The difference shows up before a single brief is written. An event company starts with logistics—venue, format, footprint. A creative agency with an experiential mindset starts with a commercial problem and works backward to the right human moment; we deliver experiences that make brands matter more. In the first month with Momentum, clients feel that shift in how we ask questions. We’re not asking, “what do you want the event to look like?” We’re asking, “What matters to you? What do you need people to do differently after this?” That way of thinking outcome first, experience second, is what Matt means—and it changes everything… the brief, the measurement framework, the team we bring in. It’s the difference between a beautiful execution and a commercially valuable one.
Smart Sell vs. Hard Sell: You’re described as a “smart sell, not a hard sell.” In a growth role where revenue targets are real, what does a “smart sell” actually look like? When does smart become soft?
I love that Matt described me that way. In my eyes, it means I invest time in helping clients buy us, not in selling to them. It means genuinely understanding what a client is trying to solve before responding to their challenge. In practice, it looks like sharing a POV they hadn’t considered, making a useful introduction or being honest when we’re not the right fit. Hard sell is getting a meeting. Smart sell is a pipeline of relationships that convert when the timing is right. When does smart become soft? Don’t mistake my patience for passivity, or my optimism for naivety. Relationships matter. Trust matters. Long-term thinking matters.
You Can’t Algorithm Your Way to a Moment: You said, “You can’t algorithm your way to a moment that genuinely moves someone.” As AI gets better at predicting human emotion, are you sure that statement will still be true in five years? What can’t AI ever replicate?
Yes, and I stand by it. AI is extraordinary, and it will become extraordinarily good at predicting behavior and even anticipating emotional responses. In many ways, it already is. But prediction isn’t the same as human connection.
The moments that matter the most aren’t usually the most efficient, optimized or predictable ones. They’re often surprising, imperfect and deeply contextual. They’re rooted in culture, relationships and shared human experience. AI will undoubtedly help us create smarter experiences. It will help us personalize, optimize and scale. That’s exciting.
What I don’t think it can replicate is genuine human connection and empathy. The future isn’t humans versus AI. It’s humans using AI to create more meaningful connections. The brands that win will be the ones that use technology to get closer to people, not further away from them.
Reading the Room as a Growth Skill: You’ve built a career on “reading a room, understanding what a client needs, and creating the moment that shifts a relationship.” In a world of Zoom pitches and remote relationships, how do you read a room you’re not physically in?
Oh yes, being physically present helps. But whether I’m in a boardroom, on a Teams call or meeting someone over coffee, I’m looking for the same things. What’s energizing them? What’s worrying them? What aren’t they saying? Where’s the tension?
Technology changes the format, but human signals remain remarkably consistent. Kahneman taught us that far more of our decision-making is intuitive than we’d like to admit. Whether you’re in a boardroom or on a call, people are constantly giving signals about what’s driving those decisions. Reading the room is really about noticing those signals.
In some ways, remote working has actually made listening more important. When you’re not relying on physical presence, you have to become better at hearing nuance, asking questions and creating space for honesty.
The Commercial Power of Feeling: You believe “the most commercially powerful thing a brand can do is make people feel something real.” Yet most brand metrics still measure reach and frequency, not feeling. How do you sell a feeling to a CFO who wants a spreadsheet?
This is probably the conversation I’m most passionate about. For years, marketers have been forced to choose between brand and performance, emotion and effectiveness. I don’t think that’s a real choice.
I’ve never bought into the idea that emotion and commerciality are opposing forces. If anything, the evidence points the other way. The work of gurus Les Binet and Peter Field has shown us that the brands that create lasting emotional connections tend to outperform over time. The job today is to connect those emotional outcomes to business outcomes with greater confidence and precision.
That is why measurement matters and becomes critical. At Momentum, we connect customer experience to the metrics that actually move the business: conversion, retention, advocacy and growth.
