Job description

Business Development Manager | Live Events
Corporate Events Agency
Swindon (hybrid, minimum 2 days in the office
£50,000 + 4% commission on gross profit

Events / Exhibitions / Live Events / Corporate Events

Our client is a well-established live events and production agency. They've spent 30 years delivering conferences, sales kick-offs, roadshows, internal comms events and awards for some of the biggest brands in the UK and Europe. They're now moving away from small one-off jobs and towards long-term event programmes with major corporate clients. They need a hunter to help make that happen.

What you'll be doing
This is a true new business role. There's very little inbound, so you'll build your own pipeline and own it from first conversation to signed contract. You'll research the organisations running big conferences and kick-offs. You'll get in front of the people who hold the budgets, like Heads of Internal Comms and Sales and Marketing Directors, rather than the event managers who run the logistics. From there you'll lead briefs, RFPs and pitches alongside an experienced production and client engagement team.
Sales cycles are long, often more than 12 months. A strong year might be around five meaty events at roughly £100k each, so this suits someone who plays the long game.

What you'll bring

A proven new business track record in events or exhibitions, selling a service rather than space, tickets or delegate places
Background at a corporate events, live events, experiential or brand activation agency, or in exhibition design and build selling direct to brands (show walks, end client relationships)
Experience with RFPs, pitches and writing proposals that win
Strong LinkedIn and research skills, and a genuine appetite for the legwork
Honesty, autonomy and people skills. You listen more than you talk, and you'll tell it straight when something isn't working.

What's in it for you