Head of Operations

Overview

Head of Event Operations - Exhibitions

Salary: £70,000 - £75,000 Base up to 15% Bonus • Hybrid • London

Leading international events business seeks a highly talented Head of Operations to join their team working across their leading expo business.

Responsibilities

• Head of Operations - Team Related
  • Develop a high-performance culture by championing best practices and professional development
  • Build a 'one team' ethos for all levels of the operational functions to support career development, succession planning and sharing of skills
  • Ensure the team delivers a first-class service for each client
  • Manage and develop direct reports using KPIs to track performance
  • Recruit and train new team members

• Portfolio & Event Related
  • Responsible for portfolio event delivery with end-to-end accountability for operational management of all events, including customer journeys and improving onsite experience
  • Maximise profitability, sustainability, and quality of each event through effective budget management
  • Focus on continuous improvement: learn from other events, customer feedback, industry technology
  • Project manage events and control costs to deliver within budget
  • Manage end-to-end delivery of events each year across varying size, format, and complexity in multiple geographies
  • Responsible for risk and compliance at events - ensure security plans are adhered to and that each event has a full risk assessment

Profile Required

• Established track record of delivering international, large-scale and complex events and awards in B2B or B2C space, managing large-scale exhibitions (150+ stands) and multi-stream conferences globally
• Must have expo experience - 1000 attendees
• Technical experience from floor plan creation, rigging, health & safety, and introducing creative networking experiences
• Experience collaborating with partners ancillary to a large-scale event (e.g., city, transport, partners)
• Extensive experience in people management for 4+ team members, with coaching and development
• Examples of implementing innovation and creativity for large-scale international events (6,000+ people, 150+ stands, 120+ meeting rooms, 3+ conference stages)
• Experience in venue and supplier contracting and negotiation upwards of £2.5m
• Confident decision-making, thought leadership, and a solutions-focused approach with accountability

Employer note: Lipton Media is a specialist media recruitment agency based in London. Our clients range from small startups to FTSE 100/250 businesses. We work with candidates and employers at various career stages.