Event jobs in United Kingdom

The Events Manager will project manage a range of events within NHS Confederation's event portfolio. The events portfolio is a major part of the NHS Confederation's extensive programme of commercial activities which play a critical role in generating income to support the organisation. The Events Manager will be responsible for the delivery of the national event programme.

As an Event Manager at the NHS Confederation, you will be responsible for the logistical delivery, delegate management, and project management for a range of conferences and events that the NHS Confederation plans and delivers.

These events could be anything from webinars and full-day virtual conferences through to large conferences for 500+ delegates and annual dinners.

You will:

• Be the account manager for specific networks within the Confederation and be responsible for the logistical delivery of their annual event programmes by delivering a full end-to-end event service.
• Plan and project manage approximately 30-40 webinars, conferences, and exhibitions ensuring buy-in and support from internal colleagues and external stakeholders.

The role requires flexibility in the lead-up to and during events. Although based at our Leeds office, you will be expected to travel across the UK to support with events (travel and subsistence is paid).

The NHS Confederation is a membership body that brings together and speaks on behalf of all organisations that plan, commission, and provide NHS services.

Project management

• Project manage, plan, and execute a diverse event portfolio of 35-40 events per year, on time achieving the aims and objectives within the agreed event budgets, upholding the standards and reputation of excellence associated with all NHS Confederation events.
• Managing and delivering the end-to-end event logistics across the full spectrum of formats including in-person, virtual, webinars, meetings, and hybrid. These can range in scale from 10 attendees to large scale events (e.g., 600 plus attendees).
• Successfully lead on multiple concurrent projects and project manage the team's actions within the delivery of the entire event planning process, ensuring clear lines of communication and effective delivery of the event.
• The scope of the role will vary according to the size and requirements of each event, to include but not limited to managing the:

• Coordination with teams and stakeholders to understand their event requirements and ensure all details are captured.
• Setting the project plan and driving project deadlines, often working to tight timelines and schedules.
• Managing full delegate registration and logistics.
• Delivering full event logistics.
• Researching and recommending external venues.
• Source and manage event suppliers including venue selection, catering, audiovisual equipment, transportation, and accommodations.
• Speaker management including serving as the main point of contact for speakers, creating logistical session briefings for conference sessions, and managing speaker expectations during events.
• Manage health and safety efforts for in-person events and ensure all risk assessments are in place and implemented.
• Supporting the communications team through the event marketing process, including content creation for delegate materials to maximize the delegate experience.
• Manage and lead on all on-site event delivery, acting as the main point of contact for all stakeholders and troubleshooting any issues that may arise.
• Conduct post-event evaluations to gather feedback and identify areas for improvement.

Financial management

• Use expertise and knowledge to create pricing strategies to maximize income for projects and effectively manage event budgets, including budget creation and management, new supplier processes, invoices, and comprehensive reporting on bookings and overall income vs expenditure.
• Financial responsibility for managing multiple event budgets (up to £200k per budget), controlling costs, and ensuring events achieve expected financial outcomes.
• Following the procurement process, source and lead on negotiating and liaising with external suppliers and contractors to get the best value for money and maximize the level of service the organisation receives. Including managing tender processes and relationships.
• Collaborate with the commercial team and programme teams to fulfil sponsor contracts, working with the commercial team to ensure we deliver all onsite expectations of our key sponsors. Including exploring ideas for income sources within events and identifying opportunities to reduce event costs.
• Work collaboratively with the wider events and commercial team on delivering all events. Including assisting colleagues across the team with onsite support at events.
• Use expertise and skills to influence key decisions along the project timeline that will affect the outcome of the event.
• Identifying innovative ways to make events more sustainable aligning to the NHS Confederation's Sustainability goals.
• Identifying solutions to deliver high-quality events in a challenging climate, including decreasing budgets, more complex requirements, and greater stakeholder involvement.

Stakeholder management

• Build and develop strong relationships with networks and teams across the NHS Confederation.
• Work proactively to understand team event priorities and objectives, establishing relationships and understanding audiences.
• Supporting internal team members to ensure their tasks are delivered in line with the event project plan.
• Successfully managing internal relationships to enable the smooth project management and delivery of all events.
• Monitor progress against targets and engage and consult relevant stakeholders on key decisions.
• Update project team and key stakeholders on progress.
• Provide professional events guidance and support to internal teams to manage the planning of their in-person and online events, conferences, and workshops, in accordance with policies and in the most cost-effective way.

General

• Support the Assistant Director of events and operations with expertise and advice on continuously enhancing and improving event processes and documentation and participate in key decision-making for future projects.
• Using expertise and knowledge to come up with creative ideas to enhance the event experience.
• Regularly contributing to team meetings and planning days to ensure a well-balanced event portfolio.
• Stay updated on industry trends, bringing fresh ideas and innovation to our events.
• Exploring new ideas for income sources and cost reductions in events.

• Minimum of 3 years leading on event management and logistical delivery including in-person events, virtual events, and webinars.
• Experience in delivering live events in excess of 100 delegates.
• Experience of delivering webinars and virtual events including knowledge of platforms and skills in building virtual event platforms.
• Ability to project manage multiple concurrent projects with conflicting deadlines and pressures.
• Proven ability to procure and liaise with external suppliers, contractors, and stakeholders, showcasing strong communication skills at all organisational levels.
• Ability to work in a high-pressured environment in a busy team.
• Demonstrable financial management skills and experience of managing budgets in excess of £15k per event (up to £200k per year). Ability to quickly and accurately re-forecast projects in the face of changing circumstances.
• Experience of working with CRM or a delegate management system.
• Good practice in event management and delivery of events.
• Ability to negotiate and influence effectively.
• Proficiency in IT skills, particularly Excel, software applications, databases, and online platforms.

• Experience working on commercial events.
• Knowledge of the Health sector.

NHS Confederation

Calls Wharf 2

The Calls

Leeds

West Yorkshire

LS2 7JU

https://www.nhsconfed.org/ (Opens in a new tab)

Assistant Director of Events and Operations

£32,284 a year and £4000 London Weighting (if applicable)

Permanent

Full-time, Flexible working, Home or remote working