Sales manager for exhibitions in London

We have an exciting career opportunity for a commercially driven and experienced Sales Manager to lead the sales function across Clarion’s market-leading Baby Show portfolio, the UK’s leading consumer exhibitions in the pregnancy, baby and early-years sector. Our flagship events include The Baby Show at ExCeL London, NEC Birmingham and Olympia London.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and deliver the sales strategy across all three events, taking ownership of revenue targets, budgets and commercial performance.
• Lead, motivate and develop the sales team, setting individual targets, monitoring performance and providing regular coaching and support.
• Drive new business acquisition, existing account growth and exhibitor retention to maximise revenue across the portfolio.
• Identify and develop new revenue opportunities, including sponsorship, partnerships, premium positioning and additional commercial products.
• Manage key accounts and build strong relationships with exhibitors, sponsors and strategic partners.
• Oversee sales pipelines, revenue forecasting and performance reporting, using Salesforce to monitor progress, identify risks and implement corrective actions.
• Analyse sales results, market trends and competitor activity to identify opportunities for growth and inform commercial planning.
• Oversee the development and management of commercially effective floor plans in collaboration with the Sales and Operations teams, maximising space utilisation and revenue yield.
• Ensure the exhibitor mix reflects the quality, positioning and target audience of The Baby Show.
• Work closely with Marketing to align sales activity with marketing campaigns, audience development and exhibitor promotional opportunities.
• Liaise with Finance to monitor invoicing, outstanding payments and debt collection.
• Ensure contracts, CRM records, sales administration and reporting are accurate and completed within agreed deadlines.
• Resolve exhibitor issues and commercial conflicts professionally, both in the office and on-site.
• Represent Clarion Events at client meetings, industry functions and relevant UK and international exhibitions, including occasional weekends.
• Contribute to post-event reviews and future business planning to support continuous improvement and portfolio growth.

Requirements:

• Proven experience in a sales management or team leadership role, ideally within exhibitions, events or a related commercial environment.
• A strong track record of achieving revenue targets, winning new business and growing existing accounts.
• Demonstrable experience managing, motivating and developing a sales team.
• Experience in sales strategy, pipeline management, revenue forecasting and performance reporting.
• Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to identify new revenue streams and maximise existing opportunities.
• Experience in consultative selling, negotiation and building long-term client relationships.
• Experience using Salesforce.
• Strong analytical, organisational and problem-solving abilities, with excellent attention to detail.
• A proactive, resilient and results-driven approach, with the ability to manage competing priorities and work effectively under pressure.
• A collaborative leadership style, with the ability to motivate others, take ownership and lead by example.
• Ability to work calmly under pressure with a consistently high level of output.

Desirable:

• Experience of running an onsite rebook campaign and team is highly desirable.

Conditions:

• 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays.
• End of year wellbeing shutdown (closed for the last week of the year).
• Employees on a permanent or fixed-term contract are gifted an extra day of leave that can be used for a celebration of your choosing, e.g. birthday, Eid, Diwali, etc.
• Summer Hours in August (3pm finish on Fridays).
• Helping Our World (HOW) Days – one paid day per quarter to carry out charity work.
• Pension Scheme.
• Private Medical Insurance.
• Health Cash Plan.
• Wellbeing Library (MYNDUP).
• Mentoring Programme.
• Season Ticket Loan.
• Cycle to Work Schemes.
• Free on-site gym and shower facilities.
• Free eyesight tests.
• Free flu vaccination – offered on site once a year for all employees.