Director Conference Content

Location: London with hybrid working

Position type: Permanent; full-time

What the hiring manager says: “The role provides the opportunity to lead a team that plays a key role in planning and developing one of the world’s leading trade shows, among other premium events. The team is very involved in the planning and execution of our broad range of events, spread across the globe. Events are by their nature full of hard deadlines, and we often work at a fast pace both in the lead up and on site at events. The team works very closely together and teamwork is critical when onsite at events, due to the pressure and live nature of the work. A positive can do attitude, good interpersonal skills and senior stakeholder management are therefore crucial, along with good organisational skills and calmness under pressure.” Nick Spencer, Head of Marketing – Outreach

About the Role: The Director Conference Content is responsible for conference from inception to delivery at every GSMA event. This includes working with internal and external teams throughout this process to ensure the success of the event. As part of the GSMA, you will ensure our conferences shape and drive our industry, and society, to a better future. Creating a clear narrative and purpose to each event is of paramount importance. As is the ability to create a credible and original value proposition that secures the leading speakers and audiences across an increasingly wide range of industries, to ensure we create a unique premium product and must attend event. You will manage a high performing team of content specialists working on the conference content programming of 8 to 10 events across the world each year. The delivery and organisation of these events is crucial to the attendee, exhibitor and speaker experience. The conference content team plays a major role in delivering the GSMA’s premium portfolio of events. The team environment ranges from working with a small team on smaller events, to working with 100+ people on larger events.

Key activities and responsibilities will include:

• You will drive the strategic direction, objectives, and positioning of each conference and the event overall in consultation with a range of key industry stakeholders internally and externally.
• You will carry out face to face, desk and phone research to identify market trends, hot topics and conference opportunities.
• You will develop the high-level themes and the agenda for your conferences through a clear and rigorous research process.
• You will align the content, themes and positioning of the event into a cutting-edge, original and coherent value proposition that helps drive the marketing strategy.
• You will work with the event team to ensure cost effective, and high quality running of conference, with costs maintained within or below budget.
• You will input into annual budget planning process.
• You will keep up to speed with events industry trends including format, style, technology and make recommendations to the events team.

About You:

• You will have a deep understanding of the connected technology industry.
• You will have experience presenting research to senior executives.
• You will have experience managing content across a matrix system with multiple stakeholders.
• You will have experience developing strategic relationships with key clients, influencers and other stakeholders across a range of industry sectors to ensure our events are top of mind and we can secure the leading keynote speakers.
• You will have excellent knowledge and experience of speaker management.
• You will have excellent knowledge and experience of conference production delivery.
• You will ensure the high quality delivery of our conferences onsite.
• You will have experience of leading a teams of conference content producers and constantly drive standards and rigorous processes.

What We Offer: Working at the GSMA offers you unparalleled access to the mobile industry. We offer a chance to truly shape the direction of mobile, whatever your role. By joining the GSMA, you will be exposed to a fast-paced rapidly evolving environment, working on global solutions, genuinely fascinating and industry-changing projects and a stimulating and dynamic environment designed to enable you to flourish. In addition to architect-designed offices and competitive compensation, our benefits include fantastic learning & development opportunities, generous holiday allowances, four additional days off for professional development and many others.

Being You at the GSMA: We are one of the most diverse companies you will ever come across, we care deeply about equality and inclusivity and aspire to be the best at it. Your well-being and work/life balance is important so if you prefer to work flexi-time or a day from home, just ask. We’re keen to ensure everyone is equal, represented and connected so we particularly encourage applications from all demographics. The success of the GSMA year on year will continue to be contributed by people from all walks of life.

GSMA Values: Our values not only drive our culture – they shape how we work and interact inside and outside our global organisation. Passionately driven: We approach everything we do with unparalleled capability, tenacity and commitment, knowing that the challenging scale, pace and complexity of our work is what leads to its world-changing impact. Insightful leaders: We continually develop and engage our expertise, insight and creativity so that we’re always ready to respond to the changing landscape with authority, agility and nuance. Stronger together: We lean on each other so the industry can lean on us, embracing our diversity by actively seeking out perspectives and skill sets beyond our own, fuelling each other’s successes and constantly asking how we can help. Underpinning our values is our collective mindset to show up purposefully as good human beings every day, in every situation. When we’re at our best – we are collaborative, considerate and compassionate to others, and we create a safe space for one another to thrive, assuming positive intent in our colleagues. And if we aren’t at our best and the pressure is on – we feel free to be ourselves but still remain curious, lean into the tough stuff and we are always respectful to others and accountable for the part we play.