Hospitality Is a Relationship. Trust Is the Real Deliverable.
Written by Michael Cerbelli
After publishing Hospitality Is the Job. Everything Else Is the Detail; I was humbled by the response. Tens of thousands of people read it, shared it, and reached out. That told me something important.
People aren’t just hungry for great events. They’re hungry for trust, clarity, and real partnership.
So I want to talk about the other side of hospitality. The side that doesn’t always get written about.
The client relationship.
In our world, it’s easy to think the goal is signing the contract. Getting the deal done. Locking in the date.
But the truth is, that’s just the beginning.
Every client relationship goes through what I like to call the newlywed stage. Some people call it the honeymoon phase. It’s that moment where everyone is excited, optimistic, aligned, and saying all the right things.
And then reality sets in.
You start learning how your client really communicates. How they make decisions. What stresses them out and what puts them at ease. What details matter deeply to them and which ones don’t.
It’s like realizing your significant other leaves the cap off the toothpaste.
That’s not wrong. It’s just different.
And this is where great hospitality truly lives.
Too often, people think partnership means convincing a client that your way is better. That your approach is the right one.
But in my experience, it’s rarely about a “better” way. It’s about another way.
Listening first. Understanding second. Adapting third.
Not lowering standards. Not compromising excellence. But learning how to meet people where they are while still guiding them toward something exceptional.
That mindset is what has made Cerbelli Creative and the Cerbelli Collective Brands different.
Our approach has always been unorthodox. We deep dive. We ask uncomfortable questions. We challenge ideas respectfully. We don’t rush to execution just to check a box.
Because this isn’t about producing an event. It’s about producing something meaningful.
And meaningful doesn’t come from only understanding the macro of a company. It comes from caring about the micro.
Yes, understanding a brand matters. The mission, the goals, the message they want to put into the world. But what matters just as much is understanding the people behind it.
Where did they come from? What shaped them? What excites them right now? What are they proud of? What are they nervous about?
I’ve heard people say, “I know my client’s favorite drink.” And that’s great. But I want to know more than that. I want to know about their family. Their background. Their story. What this moment actually means to them.
Because when you know those things, you stop being a vendor.
You become an extension of their team.
We may not be in their office every day. We may not do what they do internally. But we understand the big picture and then help translate it into the details that make an experience feel personal, intentional, and unforgettable.
That’s why relationships last.
That’s why clients come back.
And that’s why one of my favorite moments isn’t hearing, “That was an incredible event.” Of course, that matters. We all want to hear that.
But the compliment that stays with me is when I walk into a room, see familiar faces, and someone looks at me and says:
“So…what are we going to do this year?” That excitement before the event. That trust before anything is built. That curiosity about what’s coming next.
That’s the real deliverable.
When trust is built, expectations become clearer. When expectations are clear, decisions become easier. When decisions are easier, the work becomes better. And when the work is better, relationships last.
Some of our strongest partnerships didn’t start with perfection. They started with conversation. With alignment. With learning each other’s rhythms.
Over time, those relationships became something bigger than a single event. They became collaborations built on honesty, respect, shared standards, and mutual care.
That’s the side of hospitality I care most about. The part where clients feel heard. The part where teams feel empowered. The part where excitement builds long before the doors open and trust remains long after the lights go out.
As we move further into this year, my focus isn’t just on producing flawless events. It’s on continuing to build meaningful, lasting partnerships with people who value communication, curiosity, and care.
Because great hospitality doesn’t end when the event does.
It begins with the relationship.