Sales Manager (JR101602)

At Clarion, our people are at the absolute heart of what we do. We’re proud that our core values of PASSION, CARE, IMAGINATION, and TRUST define the way we carry out our work across all of our exhibitions and conferences. If you share our values and want to be a part of a successful, dynamic, and creative global business, then we want to hear from you.

The Opportunity: Clarion Events is one of the world’s leading event organisers, headquartered in London across a variety of sectors including Retail, Defense & Security, Digital Marketing, Energy, and Technology. An exciting opportunity has arisen for a talented Sales Manager to work within the Retail Division, leading the Top Drawer sales team. This is a great opportunity to have input into the future success of this fantastic event, hone your skills, and develop as a sales professional in a vibrant, energetic, and successful team.

You will manage a sales team, drive sales selling both sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, as well as develop sales strategies and initiatives to ensure the ongoing growth of the events. The ideal candidate will have solid media or exhibition sales experience, as well as experience managing a high-performance sales team. With a proven track record in making high volume outbound sales calls with success, you will be assertive and confident, with excellent customer service along with practiced sales ability, and possess a hunger to reach and exceed set targets.

You will adopt a tenacious ‘can do’ approach to creative problem solving, be able to work calmly to a consistently high level of output, especially when busy and under pressure, and have the ability to multi-task. Reporting into the Show Director, the successful candidate will join an ambitious high-performance portfolio and become a key player in our continued growth. You will develop new revenue streams, both internally and through discussions with key clients, as well as deliver existing products according to set budgets. A great sense of team spirit and highly tuned motivational skills are necessary. A thorough understanding of floorplan management and sales promotional skills is also required. The role will work closely with the Marketing and Operations teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Tele-Sales calls to existing and potential customers in order to meet and beat personal sales revenue targets.
• Maintain and beat KPI’s (including those set on Salesforce) across the department.
• Management of the Sales team to ensure they meet their personal revenue targets and KPIs.
• Management and curation of the floor plan alongside allocation of stand space in conjunction with the Sales team and Show Manager, together with the Operations Team.
• Liaise with the Marketing Team to ensure they are appraised of all aspects of the content of the event.
• Develop and maintain excellent relationships with sellers, exhibitors, sponsors, partners, and the rest of the show team.
• Keep abreast of market developments and identify and research new growth areas.
• Source relevant and show enhancing new business across the portfolio.
• Handle enquiries on the telephone, by email and produce mailings and general office correspondence.
• Liaise with the whole show team including the Marketing, Operations, and Finance departments to ensure maximum awareness of each element of the events and marketplace.
• Resolve exhibitor/seller conflicts both in the office and on-site.
• Maintain key customer care objectives.
• Ensure that all sales administration is completed to a high and accurate standard and in a timely manner.
• Attend industry functions when required (including occasional weekends) and visit relevant UK and international based exhibitions.
• Visit clients when necessary/appropriate – with other team members.
• Liaise with the Finance department to assist in deposit collection where necessary.

Requirements Knowledge, Skills & Behaviours:

• Proven Sales Leadership: Demonstrated success as a Sales Manager with a strong track record of results.
• Data-Driven Approach: Proficient in using Salesforce or similar CRM to manage and optimize performance.
• Tech-Savvy Sales Process Management: Confident in working with automated sales processes and customer handoffs.
• Industry Knowledge: Experience within exhibitions is desirable, with an understanding of the value of face-to-face engagement.
• Strong Communication & Negotiation: Excellent active listening, verbal and written skills, with the ability to build rapport and handle objections effectively.
• Organisational Excellence: Exceptional time management, problem-solving, and ability to perform under pressure.
• Customer-Focused Mindset: Ability to build trust, credibility, and long-term relationships with clients.
• Target-Driven & Resilient: A tenacious, goal-oriented approach with a passion for exceeding targets.
• Team Player & Independent Worker: Capable of working collaboratively while taking ownership of individual responsibilities.

About Clarion Events: Clarion Events is one of the world’s leading event organisers, producing and delivering innovative and market-leading events since 1947. Clarion Events embrace diversity and equal opportunities in all that we do. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. Our purpose is to deliver exceptional customer outcomes and experiences, by making every connection count. Our vision is we want every one of our products to be a market leader in customer satisfaction and delight.