Account Director - Partnerships, Events & Hospitality

THE OPPORTUNITY

This is an exciting opportunity to become a key member of the Bright Partnerships US team. As one of the early hires you will not only service clients but help to shape the offering in the US. The Account Director will lead one of our key client accounts to oversee a variety of deliverables around their global Formula 1 partnership - brand experience, customer hosting, guest experience, VIP hospitality, guest management, market engagement and travel & logistics.

You will be expected to add real value to our client's business. You will plan, create and activate a range of experience-led B2B customer engagement programs. In addition to this you will have the opportunity to work on B2C event activations as and when needed.

You will support the client across all planning and activation, and oversee the team in managing the on-the-ground event & activity, in order to deliver seamlessly, on time and on budget. You will be required to manage a team of event managers & executives, onsite staff, as well as oversee all suppliers & key stakeholders involved.

The position is based in New York, USA with 2-3 days in the office and frequent national & international travel.

The ideal candidate must have extensive experience within Formula 1, with a working knowledge of race circuits/locations, The Paddock & The Paddock Club. You should love working in the sponsorship space, be brimming with ideas, grounded in smart strategic & practical thinking, and keen to deliver results.

KEY PROJECTS

This role will support the agency as a whole, specifically around the following areas;

• Detailed project planning & management. The right candidate will be able to show how they have successfully developed and delivered VIP hospitality experiences for clients/brands within the Motorsport sector. The candidate should also have a strong working knowledge of designing and activating complex guest programmes, design & build projects and successful end-to-end event delivery
• Brand Management. A key part of the role will be to ensure that all deadlines are met, brand guidelines are adhered to & that the client's objectives and brand touch points & story telling opportunities are top of mind during all activation planning & delivery. This will involve day to day communication with key Global Sponsorship Managers, internal stakeholders, local markets and 3rd party agencies and rights holders
• Stakeholder Communication. Successful candidates will also be able to demonstrate advanced communication skills, and proven management of broad range of internal / external / client-led stakeholders across multiple international markets
• Client Servicing. As an agency we pride ourselves not just on delivering world class, innovative programs, but also on the way we service our clients. A key task will be ensuring that you are always one step ahead of the client. You will need to be able to truly add value & to ensure the client has a positive experience of working with our agency
• Team Management. This role requires someone who is comfortable managing and leading a team, assigning and delegating projects and giving clear, regular direction when necessary. Regular planning meetings will be critical to help educate the team of what's planned, expected & how as a team we may need to support one another at peak periods of activity
  
  
  

Specific Responsibilities

• Develop strong knowledge of our client's business strategy, solutions & services
• Oversee a wide range of events & guest programmes
• Oversee communications with local markets, providing support around and their local activations
• Lead on all guest communication, ticketing, invitations and delegate management
• Build relationships with key stakeholders, and key suppliers to ensure results & continual improvement
• Have prior experience / a good working knowledge across all Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE), sustainability and any other relevant protocol, and therefore be confident in taking a leading role across these areas
• Demonstrate prior working knowledge of live event planning & delivery within Formula 1
• Create and present client-facing presentations, managing critical timings & client decision deadlines clearly & well in advance
• Negotiate and review supplier contracts, with support from legal team
• Oversee general operations planning & develop best practice processes and techniques
• Oversee project budgets & report to Finance and Vice President regularly
• Oversee and keep up to date on all areas of clients' event activation projects
• Oversee and keep abreast of branding and production areas of the account with Vice President, Head of Live Experiences and Creative department (and/or clients' existing creative agencies where required)
• Support the Vice President with new business opportunities
  
  

CLIENT REPORTING & SERVICING ACROSS FOLLOWING AREAS:

• Weekly project status reports: Document all status meetings & calls (supported by wider team when applicable)
• Discuss all major progress, changes & any challenges whilst presenting solutions
• Add value to wider team & agency by developing and encouraging innovation and new thinking
• Provide post-program reports / budgets
  
  

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Weekly team meetings and day-to-day management of team/responsibilities and account delivery
• Ensuring and encouraging high work standards and attention to detail
  
  

EVALUATION & REPORTING

• Review successful delivery, best practices, key learnings and client learnings / insights
• Identify & share best practice & client insights with team & wider agency
• Reporting & presenting to agency on the clients' business
• Regular client progress reports for client senior management
  
  

FINANCE / LEGAL

• Oversee our client budgets with Finance team, and ensure monthly and quarterly forecasts are submitted on time
• Ensure billing is up to date
• Ensure suitable insurance, risk assessments, HSE documentation completed & provided by 3rd parties
  
  
  

Requirements

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• 3 years experience in Formula 1
• 8 years of experience in project management, design, build, hospitality, activation experience on large scale international sport & entertainment events
• Experience working within the sponsorship / event industry for global B2B / B2C brands
• A blended knowledge across all aspects of large event delivery including experiential, VIP hospitality and production
• Experience of activating in global markets, managing large scale project budgets,
• An advanced understanding of the role sponsorship activation plays
• Experience in managing a small team with appropriate use of delegation to drive efficient workflow amongst department team members
• Exceptional client management experience
• Ability to adhere to and follow corporate processes and policies
• Capable of multi-tasking and working on several projects at one time
• Detailed knowledge of event operations and management
• Excellent inter-personal communication skills, both verbal and written
• Excellent organizational and time management capabilities
• Ability to work flexible work hours, including weekends when required
• Excellent expertise in all Microsoft Office product
  
  
  

Benefits

WHO WE ARE

Bright Partnerships is the world's most pioneering sports and lifestyle agency. We pride ourselves in building innovative, ground breaking campaigns and activations in sponsorship & brand partnerships, brand experiences and digital communications. Our client portfolio comprises blue chip B2B and B2C brands headquartered both in the UK and internationally including DHL, Glenmorangie, Ardbeg, Infosys, AWS and Castrol and bp.

As such, we have developed a world-class delivery and approach to client servicing that helps us activate campaigns across multiple markets and channels. Our ethos is to be brave and challenge convention, listen and be collaborative, and above all be a trusted partner.

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT?

Our USP is Pioneering Storytelling which talks to our success at bringing innovative solutions

to the marketplace that position our client's stories in relevant and engaging ways.

• Exploring new ideas and pushing boundaries
• Redefining partnerships to make them stronger and more productive
• Adapting to local and global differences to deliver truly relevant solutions
• Creating compelling and believable worlds through inspired brand storytelling
• Being your best partner - trusted and truly collaborative
  
  
  

OUR VALUES

We are adventurous

We don't settle for safe or tried and tested solutions. We free ourselves to explore new ways of

doing things better for our clients and for each other.

We are collaborative

We work collaboratively with our clients, building mutual trust through consistent success.

We work collaboratively in our Bright team, inspiring and challenging each other to do great work.

We are authentic

We speak our minds honestly and transparently. We ask our clients to be open and direct with is.

We encourage each other to be true to ourselves and play to our personal strengths.

BRIGHT PERSONALITY / CULTURE

We are Bright; Lively and adventurous with an end purpose: inspiring storytelling.

We are Curious; Enquiring and quick to learn with clients and colleagues.

We are Brave; Always ready to be first, to explore new territories.

We are True; To ourselves and to our clients.

We are One Team; Equals who respect each other's talents and unique differences.