Events Specialist

Events Specialist – Business Development & Marketing

The team

The Global Business Development (BD) Leadership team sets the strategy in consultation with the Global Strategy Board and Global Practice Groups. The BD teams (comprising communications, marketing, business and client development experts) are led by regional heads of Business Development who are aligned to our regional boards: Asia Pacific, Middle East Africa, North America, UK, Europe.

Our strategy seeks to:

• Manage and develop clients and profile in our global sectors
• Adopt a content and product led approach in taking our practice groups to market
• Prioritise the use of integrated digital marketing channels
• Position our most senior staff as advisors to the business, supported by expert execution teams
• Ensure that the highest value clients and opportunities command the highest value BD attention and bespoke tactics

Key responsibilities

This role is a part of the Middle East and Africa (MEA) Business Development team who work across our MEA markets, sectors and practice groups with a majority focus on engagement and conversion stages of the sales pipeline. The events specialist will provide end-to-end event management of the firm's extensive portfolio, ranging from small technical events to large showpiece hospitality events designed to achieve specific objectives, such as:

• Brand awareness: To increase the firm's visibility and enhance brand recognition
• Client insights: To gather valuable feedback and insights from clients regarding their business needs and priorities
• Knowledge sharing: To provide timely insights and know-how on the latest industry developments
• Lead generation: To support lead generation by providing opportunities to attract, engage, and generate ROI
• Networking and client development: To create a platform which supports client networking and enables the development of client relationships
• Strategic alliances and partnerships: To establish or strengthen the firm's alliances with third-party associations, businesses, and government entities

Event management:

• Plan and execute the firm's external events across the MEA region, from concept to completion
• Ensure event objectives are set at the planning stage and follow-up procedures are in place
• Manage strategic internal events, i.e. quarterly regional Town Halls, ensuring all the logistics are executed to a high standard
• Advise key stakeholders on the best format and structure to meet the event objectives and requirements
• Prepare project plans and ensure deadlines are met by all parties involved in an event
• Monitor and communicate budgeting and financial information to both the sponsoring partner and the relevant business development manager
• Communicate regularly with partners and business development managers to plan and coordinate their activities
• Manage third-party external events, i.e. sponsorships, collaborative events
• Assist with registering and managing external cross-practice event attendance, i.e. award ceremonies
• Support with event marketing requirements i.e. the preparation of invitations in line with the firm's brand guidelines
• Ensure all event activity is recorded on InterAction pre-and post-event
• Conduct post-event evaluations to assess event outcomes and identify areas for improvement
• Review and manage the events feedback process and produce a quarterly summary report of feedback

Event infrastructure:

• Continually review and improve the event processes
• Source venues and assess their suitability based on various event requirements and objectives
• Maintain a preferred venues and supplier list
• Develop a central resource of event materials for use by secretaries and fee-earners to help plan and execute events
• Manage and update the MEA events calendar to support with planning and visibility across the business on all event activity
• Oversee the coordination of the external events tracker and calendar to ensure it is regularly updated to reflect key industry events which will be of relevance to our fee earners
• Source relevant event materials (banners, stands, merchandise etc.) and pitch suggestions to the business development and marketing team for upgrading such items
• Manage and oversee the firm's branded merchandise, source suppliers and potential products
• Connect with the global events team to share best practices and ideas on how to evolve and enhance the firm's event processes and client experience
• Stay up to date with the latest digital technologies, audio/visual, and trends in the event industry to improve event processes

Candidate profile

The ideal candidate will:

• be educated degree level desirable
• have a minimum of five years' experience managing a range /high-volume events
• have experience in managing multiple events at the same time and displays strong organisational skills
• have excellent English language skills (spoken and written)
• have good interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and liaise with a range of stakeholders
• have exceptional detailed event planning and project management skills
• be flexible and willing to travel across the MEA region for on-site event management and execution
• be creative with strong attention to detail
• be able to work under pressure and manage conflicting priorities
• be able to work independently on the event planning process
• be willing and able to develop and implement ideas and strive for practical solutions have strong Excel skills, with experience