Head of Operations for Consumer Portfolio - 12 Month FTC Operations Kisaco Research

Position: Maternity Cover - 1 year - Head of Operations for Consumer Portfolio

Division: Operations

Location: London Bridge, London

Reporting to: Director of Operations

Kisaco Research

Kisaco Research works with the early adopters and leaders of growth markets in driving their respective industries forward and in providing the right knowledge, learning and social opportunities to stimulate business growth quickly and effectively. Kisaco Research produces, designs and hosts B2B industry conferences and exhibitions. Our platforms are neutral, so that our attendees get the right information from the most relevant people. Our level of research ensures the topics and products we offer are of utmost relevance and timeliness; our 30+ years of combined experience in the event industry means we have an unmatched level of strategic social engineering onsite.

Role Overview

The Head of Operations is responsible for the organisation and operational aspects of running a series of global business forums across the Consumer Portfolio (5 USA events in the year). The forums usually consist of a conference with sponsors, and can range in size up to 1000 attendees. The Head of Operations will be required to work with a proactive attitude and take on full responsibility for the delivery of the events, including a strict control of the event budget. They will be expected to offer solutions to any problems that occur within the business to deliver successful events. Research, book and sign contracts for venues across different portfolios.

The successful candidate should offer the following skills:

• Minimum 4 years of events experience
• Ambitious, driven to succeed
• Experience of working in a high-pressure environment
• Experience with Expo-style events delivery in the USA
• Experience preferred but not essential with US Convention centers (from booking to delivery)
• Track record of delivering events under budget and in profit
• Effective verbal and written communication skills
• Must be flexible and have the ability to work under pressure, accurately and calmly
• Excellent customer care skills
• Ability to work on multiple projects at the same time
• High level of IT competency - must have strong computer skills including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint

Key Job Responsibilities:

To deliver and project manage all logistical aspects of our events including:

• On-site delivery and management
• Speaker management & liaison
• Sponsor management & liaison with Customer Success team
• Venue liaison
• Management of suppliers
• Cost reconciliation & budget management
• Liaison with cross-functional teams: production, marketing, and sponsorship/sales
• Consistently come under budget

Speaker Management

• Following a hand-over brief from the Event Producer, register all speakers and send confirmation
• Book accommodation (where necessary and agreed with producer)
• Manage speaker expenses and costs (where necessary and agreed with producer)
• Co-ordination and collection of speaker presentations pre-conference, added to Holding slides

Venue

• Planning of menus & room setup
• Liaise with venue re: catering numbers
• Fulfilment of Health & Safety requirements
• Bedroom commitment responsibility

Suppliers

• Booking, briefing, and managing event suppliers such as Audio Visual / Graphics / Catering / stand builders etc.
• Organisation of signage and all event documentation
• Arrange creation, printing, and delivery of any Conference Documentation
• To ensure the fulfilment of all supplier requirements onsite

Liaison with event teams

• Ensure attendee lists, delegate and speaker badges are complete and accurate
• Regularly monitor and liaise with Conference Producers and Sales Managers regarding guests, speakers, sponsors and other attendees
• Badge preparation and creation
• Ensure all equipment, signage and documentation is dispatched safely and securely to the venue and back

At the Event

• Onsite preparation for conference
• Managing and overseeing all Health and Safety requirements and making contingency plans
• Ensure all A/V equipment is in place
• Quality control checks on all aspects including venue, room setup, A/V & catering
• Registration of delegates and speakers
• Liaison with suppliers e.g. A/V, venue, caterers, printers
• Ensure presentations run to time

Post Event

• Manage and collate event evaluations and appropriate distribution
• Make payments where necessary and manage invoices
• Update documentation where required
• Uploading of supplementary documentation on the websites
• Create wash-up report for logistics feedback

Financial Management

• Planning, monitoring, and reconciliation of all financials relating to the event
• Be involved and advise on cost savings during budget setup and sign off
• Look at the overall cost spend in the budget and advise on cost savings and doing things 'differently'
• Accurate and timely closing of event accounts

Venue Sourcing

• Once RFP received, contact hotels. Identify floor plan and capacity charts that will work for the event
• Stay within budget, negotiate as much as possible to get the best deal
• Sign off with Operations Director before requesting contract