Event Director

Job Purpose:

This role ill be responsible for leading the Americas Energy Summit & Exhibition, New Orleans. This is a crucial time for the energy industry as it rapidly adapts and evolves to meet net-zero ambitions across the globe as part of the energy transition. dmg events is committed to playing a key role in bringing together the major stakeholders to meet critical decarbonisation goals. Our business is expanding rapidly, and we are looking to add talent to our internal talent portfolio to meet the demands of expansion.

Your primary responsibility is to direct, manage and develop the Americas Energy Summit & Exhibition.  Now in its 20th year, the event has previously been run as a conference. In 2022, an exhibition was launched alongside the event in Lake Charles. In line with the growth of the previous editions of the exhibition and the US energy industry in general, the event will move to New Orleans to a convention center. An integral part of the role is scaling the exhibition.

The role encompasses the following aspects related to the events - people management and direction, budget creation and management, financial performance and budget/plan delivery, marketing direction, sales and agent management, content production, operational direction, strategy and industry positioning/brand enhancement. The role involves the management of key accounts and direct sales on a daily basis.

Location could be either UK, US or Canada.

Key Accountabilities:

Sales/Sponsorship Delivery:

• Launch and deliver full-scale exhibition
• Manage key accounts and direct sales with a pool of clients on a daily basis
• Promote best practice in sales
• Develop existing relationships
• Achieve Sales and Sponsorship targets
• Appoint and manage Agent network
• Own the sales management process
• Build robust pipelines - exhibition/sponsorship and delegates
• Drive new business
• Engage sales networks and agents engaged to get scale
• Build effective sponsorship proposals and increasing inventory opportunities
• Manage key accounts and day to day sales, achieving individual and team targets set
• Monitor competitor activity to identify new strategies for the event
• Establish and maintain relationships with partners.
• Ensure the database is managed to maximise its effectiveness

Customer Focus

• A good understanding of customer needs, coupled with an ability to tailor solutions to meet those needs
• Achieve new business and ensuring customer retention rates are achieved

Strategy

• Implement new brand of Americas Energy Summit (previously Americas LNG & Gas Summit) and the related new verticals (Hydrogen, CCUS)
• Good knowledge of and contacts within relevant industry sectors
• Create and develop new ideas for the event.
• Monitor competitive show strategies
• Segmentation of market
• Manage the executive and technical committee process, recruit key members of each committee and influencers.
• Proven launch background and success markers in international markets
• Scale events
• Identify new revenue streams
• Main DMG's reputation as a producer of world-class energy events 

Business Development

• Develop the event brand
• Maximise the business development opportunities for each event
• Use internal resource to develop the event into new markets

People Management

• Demonstrate effective leadership skills (lead by example, behaviours)
• Recruit, motivate and empower a team
• Communicate effectively with the team
• Develop individual and team capability
• Contribute fully to wider business issues
• Develop sales incentive systems to help focus staff on target attainment
• Delegate and encourage others to do so
• Conduct appraisal system and review career development of each member of the team
• Develop team members to be brand ambassadors and adhere to the division's high levels of standards and quality
• Act as a mentor to high potentials
• Develop and train a succession plan for this role.
• Promote and utilise inter-team working to tackle business projects
• Coach at a range of levels on business and operational issues
• Use the experience of other teams to improve own team's performance
• Communicate business direction to team members through communication channels
• Manage people through the internal processes e.g. return to works, appraisals etc.

Stakeholder Management 

• Manage and develop key stakeholder relationships
• Understand and monitor supplier relationships
• Oversee floor planning
• Monitor and manage venue relationships

Finance 

• Establish realistic annual budget based on approved rate card
• Monitor ongoing performance against budget through regular review of revenue and costs using the budget tracker
• Establish monthly forecasting process to determine likely show result in budget tracker
• Achieve revenue and contribution budget/forecast
• Grow show margin in accordance with 5-year plan
• Ensure billing is done in accordance with contract
• Ensure debtors are collected in accordance with contract and in full prior to the show
• Monthly management reporting to a high standard and within deadlines.
• Prepare budgets to support regional growth.
• Drive new revenue streams to mitigate risk
• Manage operational costs
• Undertake accurate flash forecasting and reporting

Marketing

• Oversee the development of the marketing strategy and marketing objectives for the event alongside the Head of Marketing
• Work with Marketing Manager to increase visitor numbers and quality and improve the look and feel of the event.
• Establish and maintain relationships with relevant industry trade publications
• Ensure marketing branding is in line with DMG branding standards
• Oversee database development in conjunction with database department and Marketing Director from industry research competitive events, organic growth
• Oversee the creation of the energy narrative for the event and the message house
• Ensure websites are managed
• Create relevant digital and social strategies

Content

• Oversee the development of the programmes and speaker acquisition
• Create conference content that is superior to any other energy event
• Acquire key ministerial and leading industry support
• Ensure that speakers are recruited early
• Launch call for papers on time
• Get speakers amplifying the message
• Manage production team on Salesforce
• Effectively manage delegate sales campaigns with content to market on time
• Meet all content deadlines

Project Management 

• Own the GANNT chart for the event
• Ensure event timelines are met for Sales, Production, Delegates, Communication and Marketing

The ideal candidate will:

• 5-7 years experience within events with 2-3 years project management experience 
• 3-5 years people management experience 
• Full budget control and forecasting experience 
• Energy industry experience
• Sales background is essential 
• Large-scale event experience essential including selling and managing large-scale exhibitions
• Financial management and planning
• Proven track record with sales and sponsorship delivery 
• Need to develop an understanding of Salesforce
• Understanding and keen interest in the energy sector