Director / Assistant Vice President, Meeting & Event Strategy

Salary: $150,000+ base salary, with flexibility for an exceptional candidate
Bonus: 25-30%
Working pattern: Hybrid, ideally 2-3 days per week in the office
Travel: Approximately 25-35%

The Opportunity

We are partnering with an established membership-led organization to appoint a Director / Assistant Vice President of Meeting & Event Strategy.

This senior leadership position will provide the strategic vision and operational oversight for a diverse portfolio of high-profile corporate meetings and events. These range from intimate Board-level gatherings hosted at luxury properties to complex, multi-day conferences for up to 1,300 attendees.

The successful candidate will lead an experienced events team, strengthen the organization's use of data and performance metrics, and ensure every event supports wider business, brand and stakeholder engagement objectives.

Although experience within insurance, financial services or professional services may be beneficial, it is not essential. Candidates from the pharmaceutical sector may be particularly relevant due to the scale and complexity of its conferences, leadership meetings and incentive events.

Key Responsibilities

Event Strategy and Leadership

• Develop and deliver an enterprise-wide strategy for internal and external meetings, conferences and event programs.

• Translate organizational priorities into engaging, high-quality event experiences.

• Lead the strategic planning of large, multi-day conferences for audiences of up to 1,300 people.

• Oversee smaller, high-touch meetings involving Board members, C-suite executives and other senior stakeholders.

• Identify new technologies, processes and platforms that improve operational efficiency and the attendee experience.

• Establish a clear framework for measuring event performance, impact and return on investment.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, mentor and develop a high-performing team of event professionals.

• Provide strategic direction while empowering the team to manage day-to-day delivery.

• Establish consistent standards across planning, communication, service, risk management and execution.

• Create a positive, collaborative and accountable team culture.

• Support team members' professional development and progression.

Executive and Stakeholder Management

• Act as a trusted strategic adviser to senior executives, Board-level stakeholders and internal business leaders.

• Manage differing stakeholder priorities while maintaining clear direction and event objectives.

• Demonstrate confidence and discretion when working with high-profile attendees and senior decision-makers.

• Collaborate across multiple departments to ensure events support business goals, brand positioning and key messaging.

Budget and Vendor Management

• Oversee enterprise-wide meetings and events budgets, including multi-million-dollar conference expenditure.

• Develop multi-year financial plans and identify cost-optimization opportunities.

• Lead negotiations and strategic relationships with luxury hotels, destination management companies, production agencies, technology providers and other event partners.

• Manage contracts, service standards, risk and vendor performance.

• Introduce meaningful KPIs and performance metrics across major suppliers and event categories.

Operational Excellence

• Ensure consistent and scalable processes are used across the full events portfolio.

• Provide senior oversight of event logistics, production, registration, technology, communications and attendee experience.

• Act as a calm and effective trouble-shooter during complex or high-pressure situations.

• Oversee risk management, contract compliance, contingency planning and duty-of-care requirements.

• Lead post-event evaluation and reporting, using insight and data to improve future programs.

About you:

• Approximately 12-15+ years of progressive corporate meeting and event management experience.

• Significant experience leading complex, multi-day conferences for up to approximately 1,300 attendees.

• Experience delivering intimate, high-touch Board and executive meetings within luxury hotels or premium venues.

• A proven track record of leading, mentoring and developing experienced events professionals.

• Strong strategic thinking combined with the ability to troubleshoot operational challenges.

• Experience managing enterprise-level and multi-million-dollar event budgets.

• Confidence influencing C-suite executives, Board members and senior internal stakeholders.

• Strong executive presence, communication skills and stakeholder judgment.

• Extensive vendor management, contract negotiation and risk-management experience.

• Knowledge of event technology, including registration systems, mobile applications, reporting tools and attendee analytics.

• An ability to introduce data, KPIs and performance measurement into an events function.

• Established relationships across hotels, production agencies, DMCs and other strategic event partners.

• An undergraduate degree or equivalent professional experience.

A CMP qualification, advanced degree or comparable industry accreditation would be beneficial but is not essential.

We Are Aspire Ltd are a Disability Confident Committed employer