Head Of Events Strategy & Propositions

Head of Events Strategy & Propositions

Are you a target driven and proactive B2B events strategist experienced in commercial proposition development?

We are seeking a senior professional ideally with a background in consumer goods, to help plan, drive and deliver sustainable commercial growth of IGD’s leading events programmes.

About the role

As the Head of Events Strategy and Propositions, you will play a key role in developing the long-term strategy for IGD events and engagements. You will define and develop propositions inclusive of programme development, speaker acquisition, sponsorship and go-to-market strategies that set IGD up for sustainable commercial growth within the event space. You will be responsible for staying abreast of and analysing the competitive landscape to drive new areas of opportunity and growth for IGD.

The responsibilities

Reporting to the Director of Customer Engagement, these include:

• Strategic Planning · Develop a 2-to-3-year strategic vision for the IGD events portfolio grounded in customer and market research. 
• Collaborate with the Head of Events Operations to operationalise this vision within an 18-month rolling plan with linked financial targets. 
• Define and implement a process that puts our customers at the heart of our proposition development and allows for customer testing. 
• Develop first class programmes that deliver exceptional delegate experience and tangible value back to IGD.

Executional Excellence 

• Acquire industry speakers that align to our programme content delivery ·
• Develop and coordinate an internal speaker pipeline aligned to an 18-month rolling plan. 
• Consult with internal and external speakers to support development and coordination of all content and materials for speaker presentations.
• Manage and coordinate speaker rehearsals. 
• Develop sales-ready sponsorship packages and communication collateral that maximise selling potential. 
• Oversee and support the development of the go-to-market planning and execution for all events. 
• Define and project manage the end-to-end critical path inclusive of internal and external touchpoints.

What you bring 

• Experience working in the events industry building customer-first propositions and programmes. 
• Significant delegate management experience, managing both internal and external stakeholders. 
• Experience working within or alongside the consumer goods industry, with an appetite to understand key industry trends and apply them to our events portfolio. 
• Customer focus mindset, you will need to be the voice of the delegate, with an inquisitive mind to want to understand our customers’ needs and advocate to deliver against them. 
• Collaborative with very strong influencing and people management skills, able to build networks to reach desired outcomes both internally at IGD and externally, especially with retailer partners. 
• Commercially minded, with the ability to create pitch and close proposals as well as creating new commercial opportunities. 
• Previous experience of leading and influencing at all levels to gain buy-in to event proposals. 
• Tenacious, self-motivated and with the ability to carry out multiple pieces of work at any given time. 
• An understanding on go-to-market strategies and marketing channels is preferred but not essential.

Success Measures ·

• Successful management of event P&L evidenced by; Achievement of agreed revenue targets linked to events P&L, Meet sponsorship targets linked to events, Reach acquisition targets linked to events ·
• Evidenced growth in speaker acquisition pipeline 
• Delegate experience metrics 
• Marketing ROI metrics

Person specification

• Meticulous planning and project management skills
• High attention to detail 
• Strong stakeholder management  and a proactive, can-do mentality 
• Commercially focused and results-driven 
• A proven collaborator, able to work cross-functionally with sales and product teams · Customer-centric mentality 
• Resilient  and adaptable and flexible in style and approach

The rewards

We offer a range of benefits, including a market leading pension, a bonus scheme, the ability to buy and sell annual leave plus a generous medical insurance package At IGD, we have a great work-life balance, where you are empowered & trusted to manage your time.

The location

We are operating a hybrid approach to working with a mix of home and office-based working. We are based in a very accessible location within the M25, just 20 miles from central London.

More about our people

We’re looking for inspiring professionals; talented people who seek personal and career growth and are ambitious to develop their potential and unlock opportunities for society, for our customers and themselves.

We seek and attract the very best people and create an environment that supports and includes them. We aim to encourage a culture where people can be themselves and be valued for their contribution. We therefore welcome applications from diverse candidates. This includes people with disabilities, so please discuss any adjustments that you may require throughout the selection and assessment process.

More about IGD

IGD is a truly unique place, we connect and inspire, provoking and leading constructive debate that creates impact. Together we are working to make a tangible difference for Society, Business, and the Individual.

We use in-depth commercial understanding to uncover rich insights and data, leading to action that powers success.

We reinvest profit from our Trading company into delivering Social Impact, through the Charity, aimed at uniting and mobilising our industry around the most crucial issues affecting society and business today.

#Inspire. Grow. Change: Join our team to help us make a positive impact and drive change.

Get in touch – we’re looking forward to working with you.