Job Title: Operations Manager (Exhibitions)
Industry: Events
Salary: Up to £38k
Contract Type: Temporary (6 months)
Our client is looking for an experienced event operations professional to manage the end-to end delivery of two large scale exhibitions.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:
- To work with the Event Director and key stakeholders to understand the needs of the events, its visitor and exhibitor profile, and to deliver an exceptional product based on these needs.
- To outline costings, ensuring these are adhered to throughout the show cycle: managing operations budgets to ensure year-round accurate reporting, capturing changes as required by event development, and compiling regular budget updates for the Event Director.
- To advise Event Director on any operational issues, presenting solutions where possible, to ensure the smooth running of the events.
- To take real ownership of each event and meticulously plan to ensure all elements are organised on time and within budget, collaborating with the wider show team.
- To establish operational procedures and implement/adapt systems to support overall show and conference planning, including creation of production schedules and overseeing exhibitor manual content, production and platform.
- To have an excellent understanding of current health and safety regulations in order to create and maintain a safety policy to which all stakeholders should adhere, contracting external expertise as necessary.
- To successfully interpret marketing collateral and to understand the visitor profile of an event to enable successful delivery of visitor attractions and signage
- To deliver sponsor areas based on their specifications, balancing show budget and sponsor requirements
- To manage events onsite to oversee operational delivery
- To organise staffing of events both through internal and external resource (security, hosting, safety management) to ensure the event runs smoothly and is sufficiently resourced
- As appropriate, to assist with supplier appointment and negotiation to ensure best value in procuring services
- To manage supplier relationships, communicating show dates and details to contractors and stakeholders to ensure services are supplied in a timely and appropriate manner, and to ensure contracted suppliers adhere to the terms of their SLAs
- To plan the resource on each event to ensure that it can be organised on time, determining and upholding deadlines throughout the show cycle
- To ensure operations team members are working to their schedules leading to timely organisation of key elements
- Staff housekeeping (managing & tracking holidays and lieu time, and discipline)
- As appropriate, to deputise for the operations team in their absence to ensure continuity of service
BEHAVIOURS AND KNOWLEDGE:
- Experience delivering B2B exhibitions and conferences.
- Valid IOSH certification
- Experience working at exhibition and international convention centres, ideally Excel London
- Experience developing and maintaining exhibition floor plans.
- Experience of delivering successful virtual events
- Ability to manage event timelines and deliverables
- Line management experience
- To display effective people and stakeholder management skills and to be confident in communicating on all levels, with both internal and external stakeholders
- Experience in exhibition operations, demonstrating an understanding of the key considerations, priorities and challenges associated with delivering a successful event
- Negotiation/influencing skills, which maximise opportunities through supplier contracts/rates
- Demonstrate prioritisation and time management skills, through delivery of multiple activities and events, whilst managing conflicting deadlines
- Financial acumen and budgeting skills
- Excellent attention to detail to ensure financial accuracy in reporting costs and seamless operational delivery of events
Handle actively welcomes applicants from under-represented backgrounds - we pride ourselves on attracting the best talent for every opportunity through a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
