Meet Tom!

Tom Chelednik has over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing, with 16 specifically in the wedding industry. From 2008 - 2020, Tom held several sales positions at The Knot, including Regional Director of Sales and Director of Training and Enablement. He led teams instrumental in growing and retaining new business across 20 states and Canada, ultimately helping wedding professionals book more weddings and grow their businesses. During his time at The Knot, Tom traveled the country 70% of each year to speak with and learn from wedding professionals. Tom is passionate about sharing the knowledge he has gained over the years and continues to coach pros, specifically to help them increase their leads and bookings. In addition to The Knot, Tom was the COO of The Treasury Venue Collection in St. Augustine, Florida, where he learned firsthand what it was like to operate a wedding venue. During that time, he also helped build an online learning platform called Venue Profit Pro, designed for wedding venues nationwide to improve their marketing and sales results.  Tom rejoined The Knot Worldwide in the summer of 2022 and is now The Director of Vendor Engagement.    When he's not traveling around the country, Tom can spend time with his family, which now includes three grandchildren.

Breakout Session:

“Reviews that Book: Turning Client Feedback into Your Best Marketing Tool”

Get ready to deep-dive into one of the most powerful—and often underused—marketing tools in the wedding industry: client reviews. In this session, we’ll go beyond the stars and testimonials to uncover how reviews can strategically attract more of the right leads, build trust quickly, and convert interest into bookings.

Your online reputation matters more than ever. With today’s couples relying on peer feedback and social proof before making a decision, reviews don’t just reflect your service—they sell it.

This session is about action, not just theory. You’ll leave with a personalized strategy that helps you collect stronger reviews, share them more effectively, and use them to filter for and land your ideal clients—those who value what you do and are happy to pay for it.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Build Your Review Plan:
    Create a proactive, repeatable process to collect great reviews consistently—not just when you remember or feel awkward asking.

  • Boost Profitability Through Social Proof:
    Learn how reviews influence buyer behavior and how the right ones can justify premium pricing, reduce ghosting, and close sales faster.

  • Position Reviews Where They Matter Most:
    We’ll explore where to share reviews—your website, social platforms, Google, The Knot, WeddingWire—and how to make sure they’re seen by the right people at the right time.

  • Craft Review Requests That Convert:
    Discover templates and timing strategies that turn happy clients into your best marketers without sounding pushy or generic.

  • Use Reviews as a Filter for Ideal Clients:
    Showcase the language and values you want to attract—because your future clients are reading them right now.

By the end of this session, you’ll walk away with a plug-and-play review strategy that saves time, drives bookings, and supports long-term growth.