Vp, Events Jobs

Company Description

Informa is a leading international events, digital services and academic knowledge group. We're here to champion the specialist. Through hundreds of brands and a range of products and services, we connect businesses and professionals with the knowledge they need to learn more, know more and do more. Informa is listed on London Stock Exchange and a member of FTSE 100, with 11,000 colleagues working in more than 30 countries.

Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio is comprised of more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience, and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content, and actionable data solutions. As the world’s leading exhibitions organizer, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year.

Informa Markets Fashion connects and inspires the global fashion community through online experiences, industry insights, and worldwide fashion trade events including MAGIC, COTERIE, PROJECT, and SOURCING at MAGIC. From more effective manufacturing and supply chain opportunities to creative design inspiration and retail on the wholesale floor, Informa Markets Fashion’s diverse portfolio supports the entire fashion ecosystem - fostering innovation and driving creativity year-round.

The VP, Events is accountable for managing their brands' success and growth in various mediums. This individual will bring a robust understanding of the fashion industry, events space, and digital marketplaces and in partnership with the President, will be financially savvy to ensure thoughtful proposals are put forth to inform decisions made leading to the growth of the events. They will be skilled at facilitating strong partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, be willing to take calculated risks, have strong analytical skills, and can lead in a cross-functional, matrix environment. To be successful in the role, this leader will need a high level of maturity, agility, and the ability to work and collaborate with colleagues and clients throughout the organization across all departments, up to the most senior levels.

Role Accountability and Duties:

• Lead the team of Sales Directors, Managers, and Executives to identify cross/upsell opportunities to grow the size of accounts and instill best practice sales techniques to effectively close deals.
• Deliver effective line management of the team through regular 1:1’s, professional development, and Sales coaching.
• Work with finance and sales director to review and approve sales rep commission reports.
• Contribute to the design of the budget and P&L for the portfolio and manage the team to execute against the event plans.
• Support the development of new sponsorship opportunities.
• Manage the team’s budget and cost of sales, effectively targeting Sales activity in relation to customer value.
• Work with finance to set future season goals by event, category, and sales rep.
• Partner with the SVP of Marketing to ensure alignment on marketing strategy, marketing budget, goals, and objectives for both attendee and sales marketing.
• Leverage data to gauge customer sentiment, using it as a mechanism to determine necessary adjustments to the strategy and delivery of the events.
• Partner with the finance team and president to properly forecast and contribute to weekly sales reports for the vertical. Identify challenges, solutions, and opportunities, communicating weekly with the President.
• Manage retail community through the retail specialist and marketing team to improve attendee acquisition.
• Partner with the President to evolve, design and implement strategic plans for these events, both digital and in person, resulting in enhanced revenue, profitability, growth, competitive advantage, and customer outcomes. Focus on accelerating growth and improving margins.
• Work with marketing and operations leadership on the look and feel to deliver a rewarding event experience for attendees and sponsors, building event plans that include floor plan development to live event features.
• Collaborate daily with marketing, brand, sponsorship, experiential teams, operations, and digital to deliver on events, ensuring these teams are aligned to your direction and delivering against goals.
• Develop and implement new sales initiatives, strategies, and programs to capture key opportunities.
• Represent the DNA of the brand, by being the event’s market-facing identity and defining the value proposition (its “brand,”), and delivering event experiences that drive strong long-standing relationships with the event’s attendees, content providers, and sponsors.
• Liaise with the PR team to develop KPIs and ensure delivery against goals, advising on subject matter experts to maximize the impact of PR activities.
• Lead development of Sales campaigns, and team account allocations, and define individual team members’ sales targets.
• Work with the Content team to ensure that content is aligned with the event strategy.
• Manage the team on a day-to-day basis (sales, brand, copywriting, retail, and experiential teams), including liaising with the event operations team to deliver on events.
• Build a report with senior-level peers and management, and be able to Lead by influence, even with those that do not report to you.
• Ensure the team is leveraging technology effectively (Salesforce, Eloqua, etc.), reporting as needed, and analyzing trends to keep pace of various activities.
• Partner with marketing, marketing automation, and data teams to achieve success and reinforce an enduring platform for scalable and profitable growth.
• Using brand expertise and partnering with marketing, ensure attendee targeting and messaging aligns to the greater value proposition.
• Partner with the President to set targets and establish the strategy and tactics to deliver on the plan.
• Support the team by mentoring and nurturing them to enhance their existing customer relationships.
• In partnership with the President, collaborate with the creative team to ensure the visual identity is represented in all aspects of the event, including pre-and post-show activities.
• Organize 2 to 3 high-level quarterly meetings with a group of key customers from targeted categories to help understand and create solutions for our customers’ needs.
• Lead sales campaign execution, including targeting, pipeline management, deal closing, and accurate reporting of performance to the President.
• Leverage sales insights and product knowledge to deliver the targeted existing customer revenue (excluding key account revenue), by account and brand (event/product).
• The primary duty of this role is shaping the strategy and growth for Contemporary Markets for both physical events and digital solutions. Including but not limited to:
• Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Sales team, leading with performance development to create and maintain a best-in-class sales team.
• Engage with and understand customer groups to drive deep community understanding.

Qualifications

• Proven success managing teams in a remote or flexible work environment
• Strong culture builder with a good eye for talent and able to develop and motivate staff
• Ability to multitask and prioritize responsibilities and work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• 5 years of experience successfully leading dynamic and agile teams by encouraging personal and professional growth
• 3-5 years of experience in budget management/P & L accountability
• You possess exceptional interpersonal, communication, and problem-solving abilities. You are articulate and responsive when communicating, and you have a way with words in both written and spoken form.
• Passion for the fashion industry, always interested in staying on top of industry news, insights, and projections
• Expansive knowledge of the contemporary women’s fashion industry, from brands and showrooms to global retailers
• 5-8 years of experience in leading in a commercial role within the digital events space and/or digital client solutions, preferably within the fashion or luxury industry
• You are well-traveled, culturally sensitive, and balance human factors with professional expectations
• Objective Leadership: you effectively manage the team; getting work done is a function of leadership and character, not rank
• Proven success working in matrixed organizations and influencing internal stakeholders, services, and platforms. Comfortable collaborating internally and externally.
• Ability to be very decisive, excellent judgment is essential
• Out-of-the-box thinking: You are willing to challenge norms and identify fresh ideas and approaches for reaching audiences and engaging attendees
• 5-8 years of experience in a commercial role within the events industry, preferably within the fashion or luxury industry
• Comfortable with traveling for work and have the flexibility to travel domestically and internationally, up to 25% of the time
• Problem-solving: you manage stakeholder expectations while maintaining brand and business objectives
• Strong passion for creating a collaborative work environment and developing solid relationships.
• You are highly organized and have extreme attention to detail

Additional Information

We offer:

• Access to LinkedIn Learning and other development/training opportunities
• 401K and Matching
• Work-life balance
• Employee Stock Purchase Program
• Generous PTO policy
• Health and Wellness Benefits (medical, dental, eye)
• Additional discounts through various partnerships
• The pay range for this position is $180,000 - $190,000, depending on experience.

We know that sometimes the 'perfect candidate' doesn't exist, and that people can be put off applying for a job if they don't fit all the requirements. If you're excited about working for us and have most of the skills or experience we're looking for, please go ahead and apply. You could be just what we need! We believe strongly in the value of diversity and creating supportive, inclusive environments where our colleagues can succeed. As such, Informa is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other protected characteristics under federal, state, or local law.