Job Description

Who we are
We are William Reed.
We are a global media group delivering exceptional content through events, digital, data & insight.
From agribusiness, ingredients and food processing, to retail, hospitality & fine dining - we provide the inspiration, insight and connections to power our customers' success.
We have offices in Gatwick, Brighton and London, UK; Montpellier, France; Singapore and Chicago, US. The successful candidate will work from our Brighton office.
Position: Full time - permanent
Location: Brighton
Are you a self-motivated individual, driven to deliver outstanding events? Do you thrive in a collaborative environment?
If so, we have an exciting opportunity for an Events Manager to lead the organisation of our international business summits, from venue sourcing and supplier & client liaison, budget management to running events on the day.
Rethink Events, part of William Reed Group, is a highly ambitious, Brighton-based team that creates and delivers international business conferences promoting new technologies in sustainable agriculture, food, materials and water.
Based in Brighton, Rethink Events work globally, with events taking place in San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Mexico, Sao Paulo, London, Amsterdam, Dubai and Singapore.
What you'll be doing:

• Ensuring tasks, projects, and events are delivered on time, within budget, and to a high standard.
• Overseeing the logistics and operations of each event, from venue & AV liaison, hotel room blocks, floorplans, catering, exhibition planning and team travel & accommodation.
• Collaborating daily with Event Assistants and Executives on administrative tasks, and speaker and stakeholder communications to ensure seamless event delivery.
• Providing guidance and support to the team when needed, ensuring high performance and smooth operations.
• Supporting the Operations Director with strategic and operational tasks as required, including planning and allocating team workloads and managing timelines.
• Researching, shortlisting, and negotiating with new venues, AV companies, and internal and external suppliers for upcoming summits.
• Managing events on the day and overseeing the onsite team, including setup, registration, delegate support, and liaison with the venue and AV teams.
• Liaising with speakers prior to each summit, ensuring they are fully briefed and engaged throughout the event lifecycle. Gathering photos, biographies and presentations, and coordinating preparatory calls with session moderators.
• Coordinating with the marketing team to plan, contract, and deliver digital and printed branding, taking ownership of the sign-off process.
• Overseeing the networking event platform, keeping it updated in the lead-up to and during the summit, in collaboration with Event Assistants and Event Executives.
• Working closely with event partners to ensure the successful fulfilment of all contract deliverables and deliver a great onsite experience.

What you'll need:

• Strong event management experience, with the ability to oversee a full event cycle from venue sourcing, budget management, stakeholder and supplier liaison to running events onsite.
• Experience creating, monitoring and managing event budgets effectively, ensuring cost control, value for money, and accurate financial reporting throughout the event lifecycle.
• Excellent organisation skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities effectively and work to strict deadlines, as well as managing tasks for junior team members.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills, to ensure clear, effective communication and build relationships with colleagues, suppliers, speakers, delegates and partners.
• Self-motivated with a proactive and flexible approach in identifying and addressing challenges, ensuring a smooth and efficient operation.
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc).
• Experience using registration systems and online meeting platforms (Cvent and Swapcard would be desirable).
• Additional languages such as Portuguese, Spanish or Arabic would be advantageous but not essential.
• Willingness to travel to international events and flexibility in working hours.

Company Benefits and Initiatives Include:

• 25 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays - increasing by one additional day after 6 years, up to a maximum of 30 days.
• An additional day of leave for you to take on a cultural celebration day or on your birthday if you like. A day for you! At William Reed, we call this our "MeDay".
• A volunteer day to take for supporting a chosen charity and giving back to the community.
• Opportunity for hybrid working
• Contributory Pension
• Life Assurance Scheme
• Group Income Protection
• Enhanced family-friendly leave pay entitlements
• Wellbeing benefits, including: A health care cash plan, Employee assistance programme, Virtual GP service and Access to health & wellbeing resources and tools.
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Electric Car Scheme

Why work for us
We provide a supportive work environment and are committed to maintaining a healthy work/life balance for all of our employees. Working for William Reed means that you will be joining a stable organisation that is committed to developing its employees and brands.
We warmly welcome and encourage applications from talented individuals of all backgrounds and characteristics.
If you need any support in accessing this opportunity, please do not hesitate to discuss this with us.

Skills Required