Director of Global Events & Experiential Marketing

Role Purpose & Context

Role Summary

The Director of Global Events & Experiential Marketing owns our entire worldwide events strategy. You'll be setting the multi-year vision for how we show up in the market, making sure our events aren't just great experiences, but powerful drivers of revenue, brand loyalty, and market position. This role sits right at the intersection of marketing, sales, and product, acting as the central nervous system for all our customer-facing experiences. When this role is done well, our events become a competitive advantage, directly contributing millions in pipeline and revenue, and significantly boosting our brand's reputation. If it's not, we risk wasting huge budgets on events that don't move the needle, losing market share, and missing critical opportunities to connect with our customers. The challenge? You'll be balancing long-term strategic planning with the immediate, often chaotic, demands of a live events business, all while managing a substantial global budget and a diverse team. The reward, though, is immense: you'll genuinely shape the company's growth trajectory and leave a lasting mark on our brand's story.

Reporting Structure

• Reports to: Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
• Direct reports: Roughly 5-8 direct reports, typically Lead Events Strategists or Senior Events Managers, who then manage their own teams.
• Matrix relationships: VP, Global Events Strategy, Head of Experiential Marketing (Global), Director, Enterprise Events, Global Events Lead,

Key Stakeholders

Internal:

• Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
• Chief Sales Officer (CSO)
• Chief Product Officer (CPO)
• Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
• Regional Sales and Marketing VPs
• Legal & Compliance teams
• HR and Talent Acquisition

External:

• Key Strategic Partners & Sponsors
• Major Event Agencies (AV, Production, Creative)
• Venue & Hospitality Executives
• Industry Associations & Thought Leaders
• Investors and Board Members (via presentations)

Organisational Impact

Scope: This role directly shapes our business strategy and market position. You'll be accountable for a significant portion of our marketing spend and the resulting pipeline and revenue generated through events. Your decisions influence brand perception, customer acquisition, and retention on a global scale. Frankly, you're building a key pillar of our growth engine.

Performance Metrics

Quantitative Metrics

1. Metric: Event-Influenced Revenue & Pipeline
2. Desc: The total revenue and sales pipeline directly attributed to or significantly influenced by our global events programme.
3. Target: Achieve £2M-£10M+ in event-sourced pipeline and £5M-£25M+ in event-influenced revenue annually.
4. Freq: Monthly and Quarterly, with deep dives for Board reporting.
5. Example: If our Q2 events generated £3M in new pipeline and helped close £1.2M in deals, you'd be tracking that against targets, explaining the 'why' behind the numbers to the CMO.
6. Metric: Global Event Portfolio ROI
7. Desc: The return on investment across our entire global events portfolio, factoring in direct revenue, pipeline acceleration, and brand value.
8. Target: Maintain a portfolio ROI of at least 4:1, aiming for 6:1+ on flagship events.
9. Freq: Quarterly and Annually.
10. Example: Presenting to the CFO that our £5M global event spend delivered £25M in influenced revenue, showing a 5:1 ROI, and explaining how we plan to optimise for 6:1 next year.
11. Metric: Brand Sentiment & Awareness Growth
12. Desc: The year-over-year increase in positive brand sentiment, awareness, and perception among target audiences, as measured by third-party tools.
13. Target: Drive a 15%+ year-over-year growth in key brand sentiment and awareness metrics directly linked to experiential initiatives.
14. Freq: Bi-annually and Annually.
15. Example: Working with the brand team to show how our new experiential activations at industry events led to a 20% increase in positive social mentions and a 10% lift in brand recall among surveyed attendees.
16. Metric: Global Event Attendance & Engagement Growth
17. Desc: The growth rate of qualified attendees across the global event portfolio and their measurable engagement during and after events.
18. Target: Achieve 10-20% year-over-year growth in qualified event attendees and a 75%+ average engagement score (e.g., session attendance, content downloads, booth visits).
19. Freq: Monthly, Quarterly, and Annually.
20. Example: Overseeing the global team to ensure our regional user conferences are consistently hitting or exceeding attendance targets, and that post-event surveys show high satisfaction and intent to engage further.

Qualitative Metrics

1. Metric: C-Suite & Board Confidence
2. Desc: The level of trust and confidence that the executive team and board have in the global events strategy and its execution.
3. Evidence: Regularly invited to C-Suite strategic planning sessions; event strategy is seen as a core pillar of the business plan; positive feedback on board presentations; proactively consulted on major market entry or product launch events. Frankly, they trust your judgment and your numbers.
4. Metric: Strategic Partner & Sponsor Satisfaction
5. Desc: The satisfaction and retention rate of our key strategic partners and event sponsors, indicating strong, mutually beneficial relationships.
6. Evidence: High renewal rates (80%+) for major sponsors; positive feedback from partners on value delivered; partners actively seeking to expand their involvement in future events; unsolicited testimonials from key partners. They're not just paying; they're getting real value.
7. Metric: Innovation & Market Leadership
8. Desc: Our ability to innovate in event formats, experiential design, and technology, positioning us as a leader in how we engage audiences.
9. Evidence: Industry awards or recognition for event innovation; competitors attempting to replicate our event formats; positive press coverage highlighting our unique experiential approaches; successful piloting and scaling of new event technologies or engagement models. We're setting trends, not following them.
10. Metric: Global Team Development & Retention
11. Desc: The growth, development, and retention of the global events team, ensuring we have top talent and a strong succession plan.
12. Evidence: Team retention rate above 90%; clear career paths and development plans in place for direct reports; positive feedback in employee engagement surveys; successful internal promotions; a reputation for being a great place to work in the events industry.

Primary Traits

• Trait: Strategic Visionary
• Manifestation: You're not just thinking about next quarter's event; you're sketching out a 3-5 year roadmap for our global experiential presence. You can connect the dots between a single event in Berlin and our overall market share in EMEA. When the C-Suite asks 'what's next?', you've already got a well-thought-out plan, complete with contingencies and ROI projections.
• Benefit: At this level, individual events are just tactics. Your job is to define the overarching strategy that makes sense for the entire business. Without a clear, long-term vision, we'd just be throwing money at events without a coherent plan, which is a fast way to burn through budget and lose impact.
• Trait: Resilient Leader in Chaos
• Manifestation: When a major global event faces a last-minute venue cancellation or a key speaker drops out, you're the calm in the storm. You don't just solve the immediate problem; you rally the team, communicate clearly to executives, and ensure morale stays high despite the immense pressure. You've seen it all, and you know how to navigate the inevitable curveballs of live events without breaking stride.
• Benefit: Live events, especially at a global scale, are inherently unpredictable and high-stakes. Your ability to remain composed, make tough decisions under pressure, and inspire confidence in your team and stakeholders is absolutely critical. Panicking or losing control isn't an option when millions are on the line and the company's reputation is at stake.
• Trait: Executive Storyteller & Influencer
• Manifestation: You can distill complex event strategies, detailed budgets, and intricate ROI models into a compelling 10-minute presentation for the Board. You can get the CSO excited about committing their top sales reps to an event by clearly articulating the pipeline benefits. You're a master at earning buy-in from senior leaders across different departments, even when their priorities might initially conflict with yours.
• Benefit: Your success hinges on securing significant resources and cross-functional support. You'll need to influence without direct authority over many critical partners. Being able to articulate the 'why' and the 'what' in a way that resonates with busy executives is paramount to getting your global strategy funded and executed effectively.

Supporting Traits

• Trait: Globally Minded
• Desc: You naturally think about cultural nuances, international regulations, and diverse audience needs when planning events across different regions. You're comfortable managing teams and vendors across multiple time zones.
• Trait: Financially Astute
• Desc: You don't just manage a budget; you own a P&L. You understand cost centres, revenue drivers, and can confidently defend multi-million-pound investments to the CFO with solid business cases.
• Trait: Master Negotiator
• Desc: You can secure favourable terms with major venues, agencies, and strategic partners, ensuring we get maximum value for our significant event investments. You're comfortable with high-stakes contract discussions.
• Trait: Talent Developer
• Desc: You genuinely enjoy mentoring and growing a large, diverse team. You're committed to building a strong bench of future leaders within the events function.

Primary Motivators

1. Motivator: Shaping Enterprise Strategy
2. Daily: You'll spend a good chunk of your week in strategic planning meetings with the C-Suite, discussing market entry, product launches, and how events can drive these initiatives. You're not just executing; you're defining the direction.
3. Motivator: Driving Large-Scale Transformation
4. Daily: You'll be constantly looking for ways to innovate our event formats, integrate new technologies, and streamline global processes. This means challenging the status quo and leading significant change initiatives across the department.
5. Motivator: Building High-Performing Global Teams
6. Daily: A significant part of your role involves coaching your direct reports, setting clear expectations for their teams, and fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement across different geographies.

Potential Demotivators

Honestly, this role isn't for you if you crave a predictable 9-to-5, or if you prefer to be an individual contributor. You'll be spending more time in strategic discussions and leadership meetings than on the ground at every event. If you struggle with ambiguity, or if you need every decision to be black and white, you'll find this tough. We're operating at a scale where perfect information is a luxury we rarely have. You'll also need to be comfortable with the political dance that comes with managing a large budget and influencing senior leaders.

Common Frustrations

1. The 'HiPPO' effect: when a senior leader's subjective opinion overrides months of data-backed strategy, leading to last-minute, costly changes.
2. The sales-marketing chasm: spending millions on events to generate leads, only to see poor follow-up from sales, making ROI harder to prove.
3. Budget battles: constantly having to justify and defend significant event investments against other company priorities, even when the data is clear.
4. Vendor roulette: a critical global vendor failing spectacularly during a live event, creating a massive headache and reputational risk.
5. The physical and mental grind: the intense pressure and long hours during peak event seasons, coupled with significant global travel, can be exhausting.

What Role Doesn't Offer

1. A quiet, predictable work environment with minimal travel.
2. The opportunity to be hands-on with every single event detail (you'll be delegating that).
3. A role where you can avoid executive-level presentations and tough financial scrutiny.
4. An environment free from high-stakes decision-making and the occasional crisis.

ADHD Positives

1. The need to manage multiple, complex global projects simultaneously can be a strength, allowing for hyperfocus on different strategic initiatives.
2. Rapid problem-solving and decisive action in high-pressure event crises are often natural strengths.
3. The dynamic nature of global events, with constant new challenges and opportunities, can be highly engaging and stimulating.

ADHD Challenges and Accommodations

1. Delegating detailed operational tasks and focusing on high-level strategy can be a challenge; clear frameworks for delegation and regular check-ins with direct reports are essential.
2. Sustained attention on routine administrative tasks (e.g., budget reconciliation, contract review) might require dedicated support or structured time blocks.
3. We can offer flexible work arrangements to manage energy levels and provide tools for strategic planning and task management that suit your style.

Dyslexia Positives

1. Often brings exceptional spatial reasoning, which is brilliant for visualising complex event layouts and experiential flows on a global scale.
2. Strong 'big picture' thinking and strategic pattern recognition, which are crucial for defining multi-year event roadmaps.
3. Excellent oral communication and storytelling abilities, which are vital for executive presentations and influencing stakeholders.

Dyslexia Challenges and Accommodations

1. Reading and reviewing extensive global contracts or detailed board reports might be time-consuming; we can provide access to proofreading tools and support staff for critical document review.
2. Organising complex written documentation for global policies or processes could be a challenge; templates, voice-to-text software, and collaborative writing tools are available.
3. We encourage verbal communication for complex ideas and provide tools like Grammarly Business for written communications.

Autism Positives

1. Deep analytical insight and pattern recognition are incredibly valuable for dissecting complex event data, optimising ROI models, and identifying market trends.
2. A strong focus on logic and systems can lead to highly efficient global processes and robust risk management frameworks.
3. Exceptional attention to detail, particularly in strategic planning and financial oversight, can prevent costly errors at an enterprise level.

Autism Challenges and Accommodations

1. Navigating complex organisational politics and unspoken social cues in C-Suite meetings might be challenging; we can offer coaching and explicit feedback on stakeholder engagement strategies.
2. The highly social and often chaotic environment of large-scale events could be overwhelming; clear roles, structured communication, and designated quiet spaces during events can be arranged.
3. We value direct, clear communication and can provide structured meeting agendas and pre-reads to ensure you're fully prepared for discussions. We also offer quiet working spaces.

Key Responsibilities

Experience Levels Responsibilities

1. Level: Director of Global Events & Experiential Marketing (Level 6)
2. Responsibilities: Define the multi-year global events and experiential marketing strategy, ensuring it directly supports overarching company goals for revenue, brand building, and market expansion. This means looking 3-5 years out, not just next quarter.
3. Own the global events P&L, managing a budget typically ranging from £2M to £10M+. You'll be accountable for every pound spent and the measurable ROI it delivers, presenting these figures to the CFO and CMO.
4. Lead, mentor, and develop a large, diverse global team (25-100+ individuals, including direct reports and their teams), fostering a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement across different regions.
5. Present regularly to the C-Suite and Board of Directors on the strategic impact, performance, and future direction of our global events portfolio, articulating complex strategies in clear, concise business terms.
6. Drive significant innovation in event formats, experiential design, and technology adoption, positioning our brand as a leader in how we engage audiences and create memorable experiences worldwide.
7. Oversee and negotiate high-value, complex contracts with major global venues, production agencies, and strategic partners, ensuring favourable terms and mitigating enterprise-level risks.
8. Lead the integration of event functions during any M&A activities, ensuring seamless transitions, standardisation of best practices, and optimisation of the combined event portfolio.
9. Establish and enforce global risk management frameworks and contingency plans for all major events, covering everything from health & safety to data privacy and geopolitical risks. You're the ultimate guardian of our brand's reputation at events.
10. Supervision: You'll operate with full strategic autonomy, reporting directly to the CMO, with regular alignment sessions with the C-Suite and Board. Your focus is on setting the direction, not day-to-day supervision of every project. You'll lead through your direct reports.
11. Decision: Full strategic authority within the global events business unit. This includes setting the annual budget up to £10M+, approving major vendor contracts (up to £500K without further executive sign-off), hiring and firing for your direct reports, and making critical decisions during live global events. M&A integration decisions for events fall under your remit, with C-Suite consultation.
12. Success: Success at this level means our global events portfolio is a recognised, significant driver of company growth and brand equity. You'll have built a high-performing, innovative team, and our event ROI will consistently exceed targets, demonstrating clear value to the C-Suite and Board. You'll be seen as a strategic partner, not just an operational lead.

Decision-Making Authority

• Type: Global Event Strategy & Portfolio Investment
• Entry: N/A
• Mid: N/A
• Senior: N/A
• Type: Annual Global Events Budget Allocation (within approved limits)
• Entry: N/A
• Mid: N/A
• Senior: N/A
• Type: Major Global Vendor/Agency Selection & Contract Negotiation
• Entry: N/A
• Mid: N/A
• Senior: N/A
• Type: Global Team Structure & Key Hires (Director Reports)
• Entry: N/A
• Mid: N/A
• Senior: N/A
• Type: Crisis Management during Live Global Events
• Entry: N/A
• Mid: N/A
• Senior: N/A

Competency Requirements

Foundation Skills (Transferable)

At this level, your foundation skills aren't just about doing the work; they're about leading, influencing, and shaping the organisation. You'll be operating at an executive level, so the ability to think strategically, communicate complex ideas clearly, and build high-performing teams is paramount.

• Category: Executive Leadership & Vision
• Skills: Visionary Leadership: Ability to articulate a compelling, long-term vision for global experiential marketing that inspires and aligns the entire organisation.
• Organisational Design & Development: Skill in structuring a global events team, defining roles, and building capabilities to meet future business needs.
• Strategic Decision-Making: Making high-stakes decisions with incomplete information, considering long-term implications for the business unit and enterprise.
• Talent Management & Succession Planning: Developing and mentoring senior leaders within your team, ensuring a strong talent pipeline and effective succession.
• Category: Influence & Communication
• Skills: Executive Presence: The ability to command respect and confidence in C-Suite and Board discussions, representing the events function authoritatively.
• Board-Level Communication: Distilling complex strategies, financial performance, and market insights into clear, concise, and impactful presentations for non-specialist executives.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Building strong relationships and securing buy-in from senior leaders across Sales, Product, Finance, and Legal without direct authority.
• High-Stakes Negotiation: Expertly negotiating multi-million-pound contracts with major vendors and partners, securing optimal terms for the organisation.
• Category: Business Acumen & Financial Stewardship
• Skills: P&L Management: Full ownership and accountability for a multi-million-pound global events P&L, including budgeting, forecasting, and cost control.
• Investment Justification: Developing robust business cases and ROI models to justify significant event investments to the CFO and Board.
• Market & Competitive Analysis: Deep understanding of market trends, competitor event strategies, and industry benchmarks to inform our global approach.
• Risk Management (Enterprise Level): Identifying, assessing, and mitigating strategic, financial, operational, and reputational risks across the global event portfolio.
• Category: Adaptability & Resilience
• Skills: Crisis Leadership: Leading effectively and maintaining composure during major event crises (e.g., global health emergencies, venue failures, security threats).
• Change Management: Driving large-scale organisational change within the events function, securing buy-in, and managing resistance.
• Global Cultural Agility: Navigating diverse cultural contexts, business practices, and communication styles across international teams and markets.

Functional Skills (Role-Specific Technical)

Your functional expertise needs to be at the highest level—you're not just executing; you're defining the 'how' and 'why' for a global team. This means deep strategic understanding of experiential marketing, advanced analytics, and the tech stack that powers it all.

Technical Competencies

• Skill: Experiential Design & Journey Mapping (Strategic Oversight)
• Desc: You'll define the overarching philosophy and standards for creating immersive, multi-sensory brand experiences across all global events, ensuring a cohesive narrative from initial awareness to post-event follow-up. This isn't about designing individual booths; it's about architecting the entire customer journey.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Event ROI & Attribution Modelling (Enterprise Level)
• Desc: Beyond basic metrics, you'll be responsible for developing and defending sophisticated, multi-touch attribution models that quantitatively link global event spend to enterprise-level business outcomes like pipeline acceleration, closed-won revenue, and customer lifetime value. You'll present these models to the CFO and Board.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Sponsorship & Partnership Strategy (Global Scale)
• Desc: You'll design and oversee the execution of global tiered partnership programmes, securing major anchor sponsors and defining co-marketing agreements that deliver significant value for both parties. This includes negotiating multi-year, multi-million-pound deals.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Global Logistics & Supply Chain Management (Strategic Vendor Management)
• Desc: You'll define the strategic approach to managing international vendors, freight, AV production, and venue contracts across different countries and complex regulatory environments. This involves selecting and managing global agencies, not just individual vendors.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Audience Acquisition & Growth Strategy (Multi-Year)
• Desc: You'll define the multi-year, multi-channel marketing plans (digital, social, partnerships, content) to attract and grow the right personas for our global flagship events, ensuring we consistently meet or exceed registration and engagement targets at scale.
• Level: Expert

Digital Tools

• Tool: Cvent (Enterprise Strategy & Governance)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Leading the evaluation and selection of enterprise-wide event tech platforms, overseeing global data governance, negotiating multi-year contracts with Cvent or its competitors, and ensuring the platform aligns with our strategic objectives. You're not using it day-to-day, but you're dictating how it's used.
• Tool: Salesforce (Revenue Impact & Attribution)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Defining the end-to-end lead flow from event capture to sales pipeline, using executive dashboards to report on event-influenced revenue to the board, and working with RevOps to ensure accurate, enterprise-wide campaign attribution. You're setting the strategy for how events integrate with our CRM.
• Tool: Asana / Monday.com (Global Portfolio Management)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Managing the entire global event portfolio within the platform, standardising processes across all regional teams, using workload views for capacity planning across dozens of projects, and ensuring consistent project management methodologies. You're the architect of how work gets done.
• Tool: Tableau / Power BI (Event Analytics Architecture)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Architecting the overall event analytics strategy, presenting high-level insights to the executive team, and using data to justify multi-million-pound event investments and strategic shifts. You're defining what data matters and how we'll measure success.
• Tool: Marketo / HubSpot (Marketing Automation Integration)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Overseeing the deep integration between our marketing automation platforms and the entire event tech stack to create a seamless, personalised customer journey from pre-event nurturing to post-event follow-up at a global scale. You're ensuring the tech works together strategically.
• Tool: Anaplan / Workday Adaptive Planning (Global Events P&L)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Owning and managing the entire global events P&L within the corporate planning platform, conducting complex scenario planning for different market conditions, and rigorously defending budget requests to the CFO and board. This is where you prove the financial value of events.
• Tool: Slack / MS Teams (Global Communication & Crisis Management)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Establishing global communication protocols for the entire department, championing tool usage for seamless global collaboration, and leading real-time communication during enterprise-level event crises. You're defining how the team communicates and collaborates at scale.

Industry Knowledge

• Area: Global Event Market Dynamics
• Desc: A deep understanding of international event trends, emerging technologies, regulatory landscapes, and competitive offerings across key global markets. You'll know what's working where, and why.
• Area: Experiential Marketing Best Practices
• Desc: Expert-level knowledge of the latest methodologies and best practices in creating engaging, measurable, and impactful experiential activations that resonate with diverse global audiences.
• Area: Event Technology Ecosystems
• Desc: Comprehensive understanding of the full spectrum of event technologies (registration, mobile apps, virtual platforms, analytics, engagement tools) and how they integrate to create a seamless, data-rich experience.
• Area: Sustainability & ESG in Events
• Desc: Advanced knowledge of how to integrate environmental, social, and governance principles into global event strategy, measuring impact, and ensuring ethical practices across the supply chain.

Regulatory Compliance Regulations

• Reg: GDPR & International Data Privacy Laws
• Usage: Ensuring all global event data collection, storage, and usage practices comply with GDPR, CCPA, and other relevant international data privacy regulations. You'll work closely with Legal to define global policies and manage compliance risk.
• Reg: Global Health & Safety Regulations
• Usage: Establishing and enforcing robust health and safety protocols for all global events, ensuring compliance with local laws, venue requirements, and industry best practices. This is paramount for attendee and staff well-being.
• Reg: International Contract Law & Vendor Agreements
• Usage: Expertly reviewing and negotiating complex international contracts with venues, agencies, and suppliers, understanding key legal clauses, liabilities, and dispute resolution mechanisms across different jurisdictions.
• Reg: Anti-Bribery & Corruption (ABC) Laws (e.g., UK Bribery Act, FCPA)
• Usage: Ensuring all global event-related expenditures, sponsorships, and hospitality adhere to strict anti-bribery and corruption policies, especially when dealing with international partners and government officials.

Essential Prerequisites

• A proven track record of 16-20 years in events, experiential marketing, or a related field, with at least 8-10 years in a senior leadership role overseeing a significant global portfolio.
• Demonstrable experience managing a multi-million-pound P&L (£2M-£10M+) and consistently delivering strong ROI for event investments.
• Extensive experience leading, mentoring, and developing large teams (25+ individuals, including managers) across multiple geographies.
• A strong history of presenting to and influencing C-Suite executives and Board members on strategic initiatives and financial performance.
• Deep understanding of the full event lifecycle, from strategic planning and experiential design to complex global logistics and post-event analytics.
• Proven ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments and build consensus among diverse internal and external partners.

Career Pathway Context

You'll have already mastered the operational and project leadership aspects of events. This role demands a shift to enterprise-level strategic thinking, P&L ownership, and executive influence. We're looking for someone who has already 'done' the work and is now ready to define the 'what' and 'why' at the highest level.

Qualifications & Credentials

Emerging Foundation Skills

• Skill: AI-Driven Predictive Event Modelling
• Why: Moving beyond historical data, AI will allow us to predict attendee behaviour, lead quality, and even potential market shifts with far greater accuracy. Competitors who master this will gain a significant strategic advantage in resource allocation and event design.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Machine Learning for Audience Segmentation', 'description': 'Using AI to identify highly granular audience segments and predict their likelihood to attend, engage, or convert based on vast datasets.'}, {'concept_name': 'Predictive ROI Algorithms', 'description': 'Developing and training AI models to forecast the financial return of event investments under various scenarios, optimising budget allocation.'}, {'concept_name': 'Real-time Sentiment Analysis', 'description': 'Using AI to monitor and interpret attendee sentiment during live events, allowing for immediate strategic adjustments to content, flow, or engagement tactics.'}, {'concept_name': 'Generative AI for Experiential Concepting', 'description': 'Using AI to brainstorm and visualise novel event concepts, themes, and interactive experiences based on strategic inputs and audience preferences.'}]
• Prepare: This quarter: Engage with our data science team to understand their current ML capabilities and how they could apply to event data.
• Next 6 months: Commission a pilot project using AI for predictive attendance or lead scoring for a major upcoming event.
• Next 12 months: Develop a clear roadmap for integrating AI into our global event strategy, including necessary tech investments and team upskilling.
• Ongoing: Read industry reports and attend executive briefings on AI's impact on marketing and events, sharing insights with your C-Suite peers.
• QuickWin: Start experimenting with generative AI tools (like Midjourney or ChatGPT) to brainstorm event themes, content ideas, or even initial experiential concepts for internal discussions. No need for formal approval, just get hands-on.
• Skill: ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Event Strategy
• Why: Customers, investors, and regulators increasingly demand that companies demonstrate strong ESG commitments. Our global events, with their significant resource consumption and social impact, are under scrutiny. Integrating ESG isn't just 'nice to have'; it's becoming a critical aspect of brand reputation and compliance.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Sustainable Event Design Principles', 'description': 'Implementing practices like waste reduction, energy efficiency, local sourcing, and carbon offsetting across the global event portfolio.'}, {'concept_name': 'Social Impact & Inclusivity', 'description': 'Designing events that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, and contribute positively to local communities where they are hosted.'}, {'concept_name': 'Ethical Supply Chain Management', 'description': 'Ensuring all global event vendors and partners adhere to ethical labour practices and sustainable sourcing standards.'}, {'concept_name': 'ESG Reporting & Measurement', 'description': 'Developing metrics and reporting frameworks to track and communicate the ESG impact of our global events to stakeholders and the public.'}]
• Prepare: This quarter: Conduct an audit of our current global event practices against key ESG criteria, identifying major gaps and opportunities.
• Next 6 months: Develop a draft ESG policy for global events, including clear targets for carbon reduction, waste, and local community engagement.
• Next 12 months: Partner with a sustainability consultant to create a comprehensive roadmap for achieving ESG certifications for our flagship events.
• Ongoing: Educate your team and key vendors on ESG best practices, making it a core part of our event planning culture.
• QuickWin: Start by incorporating a 'local sourcing first' policy for catering and event materials at all new events. It's a simple step with immediate, visible impact.

Advancing Technical Skills

• Skill: Integrated Event Tech Ecosystem Architecture
• Why: Fragmented event tech stacks lead to siloed data, inefficient workflows, and a poor customer experience. The future demands a seamlessly integrated ecosystem that connects registration, engagement, CRM, marketing automation, and analytics platforms to create a unified view of the customer journey.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'API Integration Strategies', 'description': 'Understanding how different event platforms can communicate via APIs to ensure smooth data flow and automation.'}, {'concept_name': 'Data Lakes & Warehousing for Event Data', 'description': 'Designing how event data is collected, stored, and made accessible for advanced analytics and business intelligence.'}, {'concept_name': 'Single Customer View (SCV) through Events', 'description': 'Architecting the tech stack to contribute to a unified customer profile, enriching our understanding of attendee behaviour and preferences.'}, {'concept_name': 'Security & Privacy in Integrated Systems', 'description': 'Ensuring that data security and privacy protocols are robust across all integrated event technologies, especially with global data flows.'}]
• Prepare: This quarter: Conduct a comprehensive audit of our current global event tech stack, identifying all platforms, integrations, and data flows.
• Next 6 months: Develop a strategic blueprint for our ideal integrated event tech ecosystem, outlining platform consolidation or new investments.
• Next 12 months: Lead the RFP process for new enterprise-level event technology solutions, focusing on integration capabilities and scalability.
• Ongoing: Collaborate closely with IT, RevOps, and Marketing Ops to ensure event tech aligns with broader enterprise architecture.
• QuickWin: Map out the data flow from one of our major event platforms into Salesforce and Marketo. Identify any manual steps or data gaps—that's your first integration opportunity.
• Skill: Hybrid & Virtual Event Platform Strategy
• Why: While live events are back, hybrid and virtual formats are here to stay, offering expanded reach and new engagement models. As Director, you need to define our long-term strategy for these formats, selecting the right platforms, and ensuring they deliver measurable value and integrate seamlessly with our physical events.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Audience Segmentation for Hybrid Experiences', 'description': 'Tailoring content and engagement strategies for in-person vs. virtual attendees to maximise value for both groups.'}, {'concept_name': 'Monetisation Models for Digital Events', 'description': 'Exploring new revenue streams through virtual sponsorships, premium content access, or digital product showcases.'}, {'concept_name': 'Interactive & Immersive Digital Experiences', 'description': 'Leveraging virtual reality, augmented reality, and advanced gamification to create engaging online event environments.'}, {'concept_name': 'Analytics & Reporting for Hybrid Events', 'description': 'Developing consistent metrics to measure engagement, reach, and ROI across both physical and digital components of hybrid events.'}]
• Prepare: This quarter: Review our past hybrid/virtual event performance, identifying what worked and what didn't from a strategic perspective.
• Next 6 months: Develop a clear strategic framework for when and how we'll deploy hybrid or virtual events, including platform selection criteria.
• Next 12 months: Lead the selection and implementation of a next-generation hybrid event platform that aligns with our strategic vision.
• Ongoing: Attend industry webinars and consult with experts on the evolving landscape of digital and hybrid event technologies.
• QuickWin: Identify one existing physical event and brainstorm 3-5 ways we could add a compelling virtual component to expand its reach and impact without significantly increasing costs.

Education Requirements

• Level: Minimum
• Req: A Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field.
• Alts: We're open to candidates with exceptional, demonstrable experience (18+ years) in a similar strategic leadership role, even without a specific degree. Show us you've got the chops.
• Level: Preferred
• Req: A Master's degree, ideally an MBA, or a relevant postgraduate qualification.
• Alts: This shows a strong foundation in business strategy and financial management, which is crucial for this level. However, extensive executive leadership experience can certainly compensate.

Experience Requirements

You'll need roughly 16-20 years of progressive experience in events, experiential marketing, or a closely related field. This must include at least 8-10 years in a senior leadership position where you were responsible for defining global event strategy, managing multi-million-pound budgets, and leading large, diverse teams (25+ individuals). We're looking for someone who has genuinely 'been there, done that' at a significant scale and is now ready to shape the future.

Preferred Certifications

• Cert: Certified Meeting Professional (CMP)
• Prod: Events Industry Council (EIC)
• Usage: Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of meeting and event management, which is foundational, even at a strategic level.
• Cert: Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM)
• Prod: International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE)
• Usage: Useful for understanding the intricacies of large-scale exhibitions and trade shows, which are often part of a global event portfolio.
• Cert: Certified Event Marketing Professional (CEMP)
• Prod: Various industry bodies
• Usage: Highlights expertise in the marketing and strategic aspects of events, aligning with the role's focus on ROI and brand impact.
• Cert: Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Prod: Project Management Institute (PMI)
• Usage: While you won't be managing every project, a solid understanding of project management principles is essential for overseeing a complex global portfolio.

Recommended Activities

• Participation in executive leadership programmes (e.g., from top business schools) focused on strategy, finance, and organisational change.
• Active involvement in industry associations like PCMA, MPI, or Event Marketing Institute, ideally in a leadership capacity.
• Regular attendance at executive-level marketing and business conferences to stay abreast of broader industry trends.
• Mentoring other senior professionals within the marketing or events field.
• Undertaking courses or workshops on advanced financial modelling, P&L management, and investment analysis.

Career Progression Pathways

Entry Paths to This Role

• Path: Head of Experiential Marketing (Level 5)
• Time: 3-5 years
• Path: VP of Marketing (with strong events focus)
• Time: 4-6 years
• Path: Senior Director, Global Sales Enablement
• Time: 3-5 years

Career Progression From This Role

• Pathway: VP, Global Experiential Marketing
• Time: 3-5 years
• Pathway: Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
• Time: 5-8 years

Long Term Vision Potential Roles

• Title: Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
• Time: 5-8 years
• Title: Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)
• Time: 7-10 years
• Title: Board Member / Strategic Advisor (Events & Marketing)
• Time: 10+ years
• Title: CEO of a Global Event Agency
• Time: 8-12 years

How Zavmo Delivers This Role's Development

DISCOVER Phase: Skills Gap Analysis

Zavmo maps your current competencies against all requirements in this job description through conversational assessment. We evaluate your foundation skills (communication, strategic thinking), functional skills (CRM expertise, negotiation), and readiness for career progression.

Output: Personalised skills gap heat map showing strengths and priorities, estimated time to competency, neurodiversity accommodations.

DISCUSS Phase: Personalised Learning Pathway

Based on your DISCOVER results, Zavmo creates a personalised learning plan prioritised by impact: foundation skills first, then functional skills. We adapt to your learning style, pace, and neurodiversity needs (ADHD, dyslexia, autism).

Output: Week-by-week schedule, each module linked to specific job responsibilities, checkpoints and milestones.

DELIVER Phase: Conversational Learning

Learn through conversation, not boring modules. Zavmo uses 10 conversation types (Socratic dialogue, role-play, coaching, case studies) to build competence. Practice difficult QBR presentations, negotiate tough renewals, and handle churn conversations in a safe AI environment before facing real clients.

Example: "For 'Stakeholder Mapping', Zavmo will guide you through analysing a complex enterprise account, identifying key decision-makers, and building an engagement strategy."

DEMONSTRATE Phase: Competency Assessment

Zavmo automatically builds your evidence portfolio as you learn. Every conversation, practice scenario, and application example is captured and mapped to NOS performance criteria. When ready, your portfolio supports OFQUAL qualification claims and demonstrates competence to employers.

Output: Competency matrix, evidence portfolio (downloadable), qualification readiness, career progression score.