Event Director - Education Conference & Exhibition

Strategy •    Develop and implement a comprehensive long-term event strategy that aligns with management and stakeholder expectations for growth, positioning and profitability. •    With department heads, create an event delivery plan, that supports the long-term event strategy. •    Provide weekly and monthly management reporting, tracking progress against the event delivery plan and highlighting risk. •    Work with government supporters and host partner to ensure event strategy continues to align with their priorities and implementing changes where required. •    Engage with and analyse significant developments and trends in the industry, interpreting their likely impact on the event and initiating change when necessary. Management •    Mentor, manage, motivate, and when required recruit, a high-performance cross-functional team to drive event growth. •    Ensure KPIs, compensation and resources are aligned with business and stakeholder expectations. •    Facilitate clear and consistent communication and information flow between departments and senior management. •    Work closely with HR teams to identify training requirements and opportunities for career progression, document succession plans and minimise staff turnover. Stakeholder •    Build outstanding relationships with existing and potential government supporters and host partners ensuring an exceptional event experience that exceeds expectations. •    Leverage key stakeholder relationships to grow the event revenues, exhibitor base, visitor attendance and speaker seniority. •    Recruit and manage a high level Executive Steering Committee, developing strong relationships with members, and enlisting their networks to drive progress against the event delivery plan. •    Cultivate and maintain a substantial and senior level personal network within the industry. Commercial •    Own the overall event revenue target, maximising commercial opportunities, building and managing a substantial pipeline to deliver on exhibition, sponsorship and delegate revenue streams. •    Develop a comprehensive sales plan to support the achievement of the long-term event strategy. •    Support the commercial team to maintain the high quality of proposals and volume of activity required to achieve revenue targets. •    Work with the commercial team to manage key accounts and drive additional revenue through increased exhibition, sponsorship and delegate spend. •    Ensure KPIs, compensation and resources are aligned with business and stakeholder expectations. •    Manage and grow the international agent network to increase the number of exhibitor pavilions at the event. Marketing

•    Work closely with the marketing team to develop engaging and relevant event collateral, positioning the event at the forefront of the market. •    Support the marketing team to produce a topical and compelling message house and that messaging across marketing channels is consistent. •    Work with the marketing team to ensure relevant cross sector data is available, identifying gaps and facilitating solution. •    Review marketing reports and analysis to ensure successful campaigns are maximised and spend is correctly allocated. •    Support the marketing team to deliver EXPROM, VISPROM and DELPROM campaigns, delivering on revenue, attendee and delegate targets. •    Work closely with the marketing team to generate media coverage through PR, interviews and articles, and substantial media attendance to the event. Production •    Work closely with the production team to develop engaging and relevant content streams that support the overall vision and growth of the event. •    Support the production team with internal and external validation of content to ensure the event is deeply rooted within the industry. •    Work with the production team to ensure delivery timelines are met and conference programmes launched in good time prior to the event. •    Ensure delegate sales briefings are clear and concise, highlighting key benefits and driving revenue. •    Support the production team to deliver an enriching and engaging onsite experience for speakers and delegates. Operations •    Work closely with the operations team to develop market leading features, stage sets and signage. •    Support the operations team to ensure procurement is efficient and cost competitive while maintaining required standards. •    Build strong relationships with venues and suppliers to support the successful execution of the event delivery plan. •    Support the exhibition administrator to ensure the event floorplan is functional for participants, compliant with regulations and maximises revenue. •    Work closely with the registrations team to deliver a seamless onsite experience for event participants. Finance •    Own the event P&L, ensuring budgeted costs are accurately adhered to and cost savings are made wherever possible. •    Work with the finance team to ensure event revenues are collected in a timely manner and cancellation risk is minimised. •    Work with the commercial finance team to provide accurate and detailed financial reporting, highlighting opportunities and risk where appropriate. Experience:

•    Significant experience working for an international events organiser in a senior leadership role. •    A demonstrated track record of launching and growing international events. •    A keen understanding of the education sectors and the ability to build events and features around the key issues. •    A proven ability to position exhibitions and conferences that attract significant high-level stakeholder interest. •    Knowledge and experience of Profit & Loss responsibility. •    Substantial customer facing experience with a demonstrated history of building relationships and developing partnerships at a senior level. Competencies:

•    Presentation and public speaking abilities. •    Account management and customer care. •    Networking and information gathering. •    Advanced Microsoft Office skills and a familiarity with software such as Salesforce. •    Project management. •    Superior oral and written communication skills. •    Ability to communication effectively with diverse groups of stakeholders and colleagues. •    Internal and external relationship building. •    Management reporting. •    Problem solving. •    Strong analytical and critical thinking skills. •    Time and priority management skills. Attributes:

•    A positive, proactive, and flexible attitude. •    Willingness to take the initiative. •    Enthusiastic and ambitious with a strong desire to succeed. •    A mature and common-sense approach to managing challenges. •    Organised with strong attention to detail and ability to multitask. •    Deadline and results oriented. •    Comfortable working independently and under pressure. •    An engaging, professional and diplomatic demeanour. •    A creative and collaborative approach teamwork. •    Willingness to travel. If you have not had feedback from us within 14 days, please consider your application as unsuccessful for this round.**