Conference Production Director

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Company Description

Informa Markets, a division within Informa, creates global platforms for industries. We organise over 500 large-scale branded and transaction-oriented events in 14 specialist markets. These are typically not-to-be-missed annual events where buyers and sellers build relationships, see and show products and do business.

We also provide year-round online platforms where companies showcase their businesses and products and buyers conduct research, generating valuable leads, and we provide data and digital content that supports the flow of knowledge and transactions in markets.

Job Description

Smarter Shows is a division of Informa Markets - Engineering, with a regional head office in Brighton, UK. The Smarter Shows portfolio includes a number of market-leading advanced manufacturing expo events with affiliated free-to-attend conferences, located primarily in North America and Germany.

Reporting to the Managing Director, through running a limited number of your own conference campaigns (1-2) as well as through the management of a small team of 2 conference producers currently, you will be responsible for the formation and delivery of all live conference content and supporting digital content for our brands throughout the year - currently 10 brands held over 6 distinct events (thus with some brands being collocated) in the United States, Germany and including an upcoming launch in Mexico for 2025.

Through leading by example and ensuring your teams' commitment to an objective, research-based and systematic approach, ensuring representative coverage of all applicable stakeholders, you will deliver compelling and engaging content for our range of event communities globally.

You will work in close collaboration with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, but especially with the Event Directors and Marketing team to ensure timely delivery of our agendas and related supporting documents in support of the attendee marketing campaigns and overall success of the events.

This role would suit an experienced senior conference producer preferably with some management experience, looking to step up into a leadership role with huge potential to influence the direction, development and growth of a portfolio of events globally.

Key responsibilities

• Managing the Conference Production team to ensure key production milestones (such as draft agenda, agenda at-a-glance, early confirmed speakers, full agenda) are met to a timely high standard in accordance with set speaker quality / quantity KPIs.
• Creation of content for your own personal conference campaigns via a research-led conference production process including writing agendas, securing speakers, speaker liaison and communication and onsite delivery.
• Conducting regular 1to1 meetings with the team to ensure campaigns are on track, to help tackle obstacles and to review work at key times to ensure relevance and quality.

• Ensuring team members meets the agreed digital content requirements for each campaign, typically including an industry-based webinar or webinars, blog posts and speaker interviews in support community engagement, the marketing campaigns and the live events

• Ensuring the delivery of set documents to key event stakeholders as part of the overall conference production schedule including the content marketing plan and post-show conference analysis and ensuring proofing of key assets such as onsite agendas and show guides is completed within outlined timeframes.
• Cross-functional collaboration with sales and marketing on sponsorship and marketing deliverables
• Liaison with the Operations team regarding the onsite requirements for conference delivery, such as seating, stage & AV set-up and technical support required.
• Upkeep and monitoring of key systems and infrastructure in support of the delivery of the conference campaigns including the conference management system (ConfMan plugged into Salesforce currently), the project management system (Wrike), and Webinar and onsite tools (Zoom and Sli.do).
• Support in team member's preparation for onsite delivery; ensuring that checklists are created and followed, and everything is prepared, accurate, and complete for onsite delivery including keeping all relevant documents fully up to date with changes, creation of onsite tech packs, establishment of the dedicated onsite SharePoint to include all applicable documentation for the onsite team, ordering of any onsite conference supplies needed in time for the operational freight deadline
• Contributing to the Campaign Brief process that sets out the strategic objectives for each event, based on past performance and analysis to establish a clear, cohesive and evidence-based vision for the event team to follow through to delivery
• Collaboration with other head of department, the leadership team, on strategic initiatives and process improvements to the benefit of the events and overall division

Qualifications

• A minimum of 4+ years' successful experience producing conference/event content
• Management / supervisory experience of 1+ years is preferable
• Outstanding academic record - minimum 2:1 honours degree in economics, business studies, humanities, journalism, marketing or similar
• The successful candidate will be an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual with the ability to engage and inspire positive action and delivery
• Proven analytical ability - you excel at making sense of lots of different types of information. Drawing your own well-founded conclusions and presenting it concisely
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• You are results driven, resourceful in finding solutions, determined to meet your targets and adaptive to a change in plans
• The ability to work independently and to communicate well with a wide range of people.
• Demonstrable experience of successfully dealing with clients and sponsors to understand their marketing needs is desirable.
• You have an efficient, meticulous, and detail-oriented work ethic
• You are approachable, confident, and articulate
• You must be able to work flexible hours as the role requires and be able to travel internationally
• Knowledge of using data analytics tools such as Excel, Mircrosoft BI, or similar is a bonus

Additional Information

We work hard to make sure Life at Informa is rewarding, supportive and enjoyable for everyone. Here's some of what you can expect when you join us. But don't just take our word for it - see what our colleagues have to say at LifeAt.Informa.com

Our benefits include:

• Freedom & flexibility: colleagues rate us highly for the flexibility and trust they receive and most of us balance time in the office with time working remotely
• Great community: a welcoming culture with in-person and online social events, our fantastic Walk the World charity day and active diversity and inclusion networks
• Broader impact: take up to four days per year to volunteer, with charity match funding available too
• Career opportunity: the opportunity to develop your career with bespoke training and learning, mentoring platforms and on-demand access to thousands of courses on LinkedIn Learning. When it's time for the next step, we encourage and support internal job moves
• Time out: 25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after two years, plus a birthday leave day and the chance to work from (almost!) anywhere for up to four weeks a year
• A flexible range of personal benefits to choose from, plus company funded private medical cover
• A ShareMatch scheme that allows you to become an Informa shareholder with free matching shares
• Strong wellbeing support through EAP assistance, mental health first aiders, a healthy living subsidy, access to health apps and more
• Recognition for great work, with global awards and kudos programmes
• As an international company, the chance to collaborate with teams around the world

We're not solely focused on a checklist of skills. We champion energy and ambition and look for colleagues who will roll their sleeves up, join in and help make things happen. If it sounds like a match and you have most - although not all - of the skills and experience listed, we welcome your application. At Informa, you'll find inclusive experiences and environments where all perspectives and backgrounds are welcomed. As part of this approach and our diversity and inclusion commitments, we are also formally an Equal Opportunities Employer. This means we base decisions on relevant qualifications and merit and do not discriminate on the basis of key characteristics and statuses, including all of those protected by law. Ask us or see our website for full information.

See how Informa handles your personal data when you apply for a job, https://www.informa.com/talent/informa-applicant-privacy-notice/.