Speaker Spotlight: Beatrice Ronchetti

With London Build 2026 in just a few weeks, the countdown is officially on! How can you make sure you're getting the most out of your involvement, both before and during the show? We spoke to with Beatrice Ronchetti, international speaker and award-winning personal branding specialist for the built environment, to hear her top tips ahead of of her workshop at London Build. 

With London Build 2026 just around the corner, what are your top marketing tips for exhibitors, speakers and ambassadors looking to make the most of their involvement before the event even begins?

First things first, let people know you're going!

The London Build team has done a great job of creating promotional graphics for exhibitors and speakers, so it's very easy to shout about your involvement.

Share it on LinkedIn – and more than once. Remember, not everyone sees every post. If you have an email database, let your contacts know too.

But beyond broadcasting your involvement, my biggest piece of advice is to be intentional about who you want to meet.

London Build brings thousands of people together, but realistically, who are the 10 or 20 people you'd really benefit from having a conversation with?

Do your research. A great starting point is searching the #LondonBuild hashtag on LinkedIn. You'll find plenty of people announcing that they're attending, exhibiting or speaking. You can also look up the other speakers on the London Build website.

If there are specific individuals you'd love to meet, connect with them now on LinkedIn. Start engaging with their content, introduce yourself and give them an opportunity to get to know you before the event. You might even arrange a few meetings in advance.

By the time London Build comes around, you want to have already started some of those conversations, rather than relying entirely on who you happen to bump into on the day.

With so many companies competing for attention at major industry events like London Build, how can exhibitors and speakers use LinkedIn to stand out from the crowd and their competitors?

When I look at pieces like this with clients, I always start by asking: why should anyone care?

Most businesses will announce that they're attending and perhaps post a few photos from the event. That's fine, but it's hardly going to make you stand out.

Instead, think about what your ideal clients actually care about.

What challenges are they facing? Why now? What questions are they asking? What expertise or perspective can you bring to the conversation?

Rather than simply telling people where to find you, give them a reason to want to find you.

For example, if you're speaking, share an interesting perspective or challenge a common misconception around your topic. If you're exhibiting, talk about a problem your clients are facing and share some practical advice on how to solve it.

I'd also encourage businesses to get their people involved. Your directors and specialists have their own networks, relationships and expertise, and often their voices will carry far more weight than another corporate announcement.

Ultimately, the businesses that stand out aren't necessarily the ones posting the most – they're the ones giving the right people a compelling reason to pay attention. The aim is not for everyone to know about you – just the key people that hold the opportunities that you strive for.

How can smaller businesses compete for attention alongside larger, more established brands on socials?

Smaller businesses actually have a huge advantage when it comes to personal branding.

You don't need a big marketing budget or a dedicated content team to become known as an expert in your field.

What you do need is a clear understanding of who you're trying to reach, what you want to be known for and the unique value you bring to those people. And this is where founders and business leaders can make a real difference.

People buy from people, particularly in an industry like construction where trust and relationships play such a big role in winning work.

Smaller businesses often have an advantage here because their founders and leaders are much closer to their clients. People get to hear directly from the individuals they'll actually be working with, rather than through a polished corporate marketing campaign.

And on LinkedIn, personal profiles generate far more engagement than company pages – they are 8x more powerful. People are interested in genuine expertise, opinions and the human side of a business.

I've worked with business leaders who've generated millions in project opportunities through their personal brands. Not because they had enormous audiences or posted every day, but because they became visible to the right people, for the right reasons.

You'll be running a workshop at London Build 2026 on “How to Attract Clients Through Your Personal Brand”. Can you give us a sneak peek into some of the key themes you'll be exploring and what attendees can expect to take away from your session?

My clients have collectively generated over £140M in project opportunities through their personal brands. And I’m going to show attendees exactly how they've done it.

Because here's the thing - plenty of people are posting on LinkedIn, growing their networks and getting likes. But the tricky piece is turning that attention into tangible, new clients and projects.

That's what we're going to get into.

I'll be breaking down the framework behind those results, including how to position yourself so the right clients take notice, build a reputation that makes people want to work with you and turn your visibility into actual business opportunities.

We'll also look at the mistakes I see even experienced business leaders making, and what it really takes to stand out and win work through your personal brand in 2027.

People will leave with a clear understanding of what their personal brand can unlock for them and a clear roadmap they can put to work straight away. I’m looking forward to it!

What advice would you give to someone speaking at an industry event for the first time who wants to make the most of the opportunity?

Remember that nobody came to your talk to learn when your company was founded, how many offices you have or to sit through your corporate credentials deck!

If there are potential clients in the audience, you want them leaving thinking, "This person understands exactly what we're dealing with. We need to speak to them."

So before you even open PowerPoint, ask yourself: What do I want someone in the audience to understand or do differently after hearing me?

Build your talk around that. Address a problem they're struggling with, help them understand what's keeping them stuck and give them practical advice they can take away.

And if you're sharing projects, don't just show the glossy completion photos. Talk about the challenges, the decisions and the thinking behind the results. That's what demonstrates your expertise – and helps the audience see how your approach could help them.

Finally, think beyond the stage. Give people a reason to connect with you afterwards and continue the conversation, and make it very easy for them to do so!

Whether you're exhibiting, speaking or attending London Build 2026, Beatrice's advice is clear: it's not just about being seen, but about being seen by the right people.

Want to learn how to turn your personal brand into new clients and projects? Don't miss Beatrice's workshop, "How to Attract Clients Through Your Personal Brand", at London Build 2026. Register for your free tickets now!