Event geeks. At your service.

We’re Sophie, Edward and the For Real Collective. Nice to meet you.

We founded For Real Events in 2025 to bring senior, hands-on support to B2B event organisers who want to grow faster, smarter and without losing the human touch.

We love events and we’ve lived every part of them - the strategy, the storytelling, the signage deadlines and the sleepless nights. And the best part: watching people on-site at our shows, getting huge value and joy from what we’ve created.

We’ve spent our careers leading some of the world’s most influential (and beautiful) B2B events across tech, retail, financial services and beyond. Now we use that experience to help other event obsessives do their best work.

Two excited people wearing sunglasses taking a selfie at an outdoor concert with a large stage and crowd in the background.

Our manifesto. When digital noise is deafening, the stuff that happens in the real world is what cuts through.

We’re advocates (you could even call us zealots) for IRL experiences.

We believe that engagement trumps reach every time. Digital tools mean brands can move faster and get more eyeballs on themselves than ever before, but in a world of AI slop, cookie tracking and doomscrolling, it’s real, human connections and experiences that stick. The kind that impeccably designed, perfectly executed events deliver in spades.

Our roots are in B2B, but we love events in all their forms, from startup summits to music festivals, expos to the Edinburgh Fringe. Whatever the format, the goal’s the same: make sure people feel something real and get real value. That’s what we help event teams do for their customers.

Here's how we do it

Behind every great event is a great team. Here’s ours.

  • Young woman with long wavy brown hair wearing a blue ribbed top, smiling with a neon-lit stage background.

    Sophie Wawro

    FOUNDER & CEO
    Experience & Product Design | Team & Culture | Branding, Positioning & Content

    Sophie’s obsessed with making live experiences magical. She has over a decade of experience leading global shows like Shoptalk and Money20/20 Europe, and has advised teams from early-stage launches to $100M portfolios. She knows how to spot what’s missing - a clearer story, an elevated moment of connection, a clear sign, an accountable team - and how to fix it.

    Sophie’s strength is in the detail: shaping story, staging and flow so that what happens in the room creates real impact - the kind that drives loyalty, reputation and growth.

    Connect with Sophie
  • A smiling man with a beard and mustache in front of colorful stage lights

    Edward Bishop

    FOUNDER & COO
    Business Operations & Strategy | P&L, Procurement & Pricing | Sales Excellence

    Edward’s the one who turns ambition into action. He’s spent years shaping finance, commercial and operational strategy for a global events group, guiding complex portfolios through growth, integration and change. He understands how the numbers, the plan and the people fit together, and how to make them all run like a well-oiled machine. He also has a weird passion for event security.

    Edward builds engines for scale: pricing that works, plans teams can deliver and sales systems that stick — the structure and rigour that turn strong shows into strong businesses.

    Connect with Edward
  • Multiple hands holding and playing with various LEGO minifigures in a group setting

    The For Real Collective

    A MODULAR TEAM OF SPECIALISTS HAND-PICKED FOR YOUR PROJECT
    Marketing | Sales | Project Management | Operations | Design | Content

    Every project starts with us, then we build the right team around it, drawing from our Collective of trusted collaborators so we can slot in expertise exactly where you need it.

    You get people who know events inside out and can hit the ground running. No training, no drama, just resource that helps your team run faster. We’ve built and run some of the world’s leading events, and we only work with people who match that standard and take the same hands-on, human approach that we do. And who are nutty about events, of course.

    Start building your crack squad

We’ve led and advised some of the most influential B2B shows in the world, including:

The image features the word 'hlth.' in white lowercase letters on a black background, with a blue dot at the end.
Black background with bold white text reading 'MONEY 20/20'.
Text reading 'SHOP TALK' in bold white letters on a black background.
Grocery shop logo with the words "Grocery shop" in white text on a gray background, enclosed in a circular design.
Logo of the word 'possible' with the 'in' merged into the 'p' and the 'p' stylized to resemble an infinity symbol.
Close-up of a logo with the word 'bett' in white lowercase letters on a black background
Pixelated text reading "Twitch Fest" with a black background and neon pink and white border.

The best way to understand who we are is to see us in action.
Press play

  • Kudos to Hyve’s CEO for supporting Sophie Wawro’s vision. I spent some time with her, and it is rare to encounter so much talent and ability to deliver in one event professional.

    Julius Solaris, the events industry’s most influential analyst

  • Sophie's been the driving vision and rock-solid will behind Shoptalk’s constant push for reinvention. She sets a high bar and gives the entire team room to do big, bold things in service of our customers. That combination of big-picture thinking and trust creates an environment where everyone aims higher.

    Matthias Clock, VP Marketing, Shoptalk

  • Shoptalk, under Sophie Wawro’s leadership, is setting a new bar for what executive networking, industry events, and strategic growth look like.

    The Ecommerce Toolbox Podcast

Let’s make it real.

We love to poke around under the hood of other people’s events, so we’d love to hear about what you’re building, even if you’re not sure we can help.

Drop us a line and let’s talk.