Senior Manager, Conferences Exhibit Operations

About the role

We are seeking a passionate, collaborative, and effective leader with experience in conferences, events or trade shows to join the Exhibit Operations team. This leader will direct a team of associates to deliver exhibits and sponsorships across Gartner’s B2B conference portfolio, with a focus on strategic direction, people leadership and successful conference delivery across NA/LATAM portfolios.

Responsibilities

• Exhibit/Sponsorship product delivery & inventory management
• Develop strategies for engagement between conference attendees and exhibitors
• Collaborate on strategic projects and identify key initiatives with leadership
• Enhance financial forecasting for scalability and profit margin growth
• Establish positive relationships with internal and external partners
• Oversee all aspects of sponsorship delivery and conference planning for Gartner’s destination Senior Leaders portfolio of 11+ conferences in NA and LATAM, including project management of operational strategy, new venue launches and co-located events
• Lead and inspire a rapidly expanding and diverse team focusing on ongoing development through continuous feedback, coaching and training
• Liaise and collaborate with key partners and team members (both internal and external) to ensure successful execution; build and maintain good relationships by establishing trust
• Develop and execute attendee-to-exhibitor engagement strategies, establish KPIs and analyze data to evaluate performance and mitigate delivery risks
• Effectively lead supplier management and contract negotiations, collaborating with vendors, agencies and internal teams to support conference delivery and reduce expenses to improve margins
• Consistently innovate conference delivery processes and procedures to create efficiencies and improve output
• Manage product inventory and projection modeling for various exhibit and sponsorship products
• Create and maintain product strategies to drive maximum revenue
• Develop and present risk assessments for various components of exhibitor products based on shifts in market demand or capacity
• Partner with Exhibit Operations leadership team on projects by providing feedback and maximize output to scale the business
• Analyze data to develop metrics-driven exhibitor retention and attendee engagement strategy to determine best course of action on various conference elements
• Attend conferences as the onsite lead for in-person delivery including managing the production schedule, conference staff and liaising with agency partners and vendors
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of Gartner’s business including the value proposition for attendees and exhibitors
• Become an expert on Gartner’s exhibitor products, pricing strategy and conference financials
• Achie operational excellence and execute conferences on time, within budget and with great attention to detail
• Become a respected leader and mentor across Gartner and build a strong personal brand reputation

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred
• 8+ Years Experiential Marketing, Event Management, Event Marketing and/or Tradeshow Management
• Track record of creating or fulfilling revenue driving sponsorship products in complex live-event environments
• Project management experience on detailed programs with multiple variables and dependencies
• Proven ability to improve business processes resulting in increased efficiency and productivity
• Proven management of teams and talent development
• Effective people management and leadership skills with a passion for a collaborative work environment
• Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills with senior professionals, agency partners, vendors and internal teams
• Creative, innovative and strategic thinker with a strong attention to detail
• Demonstrated ability to adapt, implement, manage change and strive for continuous improvement
• Strong oral & written communication skills with experience motivating or persuading
• Excel in finance and budget management
• Motivated team player with desire to learn and grow
• Ability to thrive in high pressure situations and meet deadlines