Director of Content & Programming (Marketing)

Who We Are: IMG is an industry-leading global sports marketing agency, specializing in media rights management and sales, multi-channel content production and distribution, brand partnerships, digital services, and events management. It powers growth of revenues, fanbases and IP for more than 200 federations, associations, events, and teams, including the National Football League, English Premier League, International Olympic Committee, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, ATP and WTA Tours, the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (Wimbledon), EuroLeague Basketball, DP World Tour, and The R&A, as well as UFC, WWE, and PBR. IMG is a subsidiary of TKO, a premium sports and entertainment company.

What You’ll Do: At IMG, we power the world’s passion for sports. We are the beating heart of the sports industry and every September we bring together some of the biggest global names in the industry from major rightsholders, media platforms, leagues, technology companies, brands and other industry powerhouses for an exclusive 3-day conference. The conference convenes these senior leaders and high-profile industry game-changers to engage in hard-hitting discussions and debates about the future of sports.

We are seeking an experienced, visionary consultant to provide specialised services to us as a Director of Content & Programming on a 6-month freelance contract basis. The services will involve curating and leading the intellectual framework of the retreat. This is a unique opportunity to shape the premier executive gathering in the global business of sports, influencing the industry’s direction at the highest level.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a 6-month freelance role based at our facility in Chiswick Park, London. You may be required to travel to the event and provide services on-site for the duration or as necessary. We are open to flexible days/hours in this role, with more hours required closer to the event. Ideally 3 days per week in Q2 moving to 4-5 days in Q3, subject to commercial needs.

Key Responsibilities Include But Not Limited To:

• Strategic Theme Development: Define the overarching themes and key discussion points that will drive The Summit’s agenda, ensuring alignment with the most pressing challenges and opportunities in global sports.
• Content Innovation & Programming: Design a cutting-edge program that goes beyond traditional panels—incorporating debates, interactive discussions, fireside chats, and innovative session formats that foster real thought leadership.
• Speaker Curation & Engagement: Identify, invite, and secure top-tier speakers, including CEOs, commissioners, investors, disruptors, and cultural influencers, ensuring a balanced and thought-provoking line-up.
• Trend Analysis & Industry Insights: Stay ahead of industry trends to ensure content relevance, leveraging insights from media, technology, sponsorship, and fan engagement.
• Seek Input from Internal Teams: Gather input from Marketing, Comms, Global Partnerships, and our Brand Experiences teams to align content strategy with Summit goals and overall event experience.
• Contracting & Logistics: Lead negotiations and contracting with speakers, moderators, and talent, ensuring seamless integration into the event experience.
• Speaker Question Development & Briefing: Manage the end-to-end development and curation of all topics, questions and discussion points to ensure robust and rigorous conversations and lead all programming briefings and prep with individuals, the Comms team, and groups of panellists.
• Event Stakeholder Management: Help manage internal and external stakeholders for The Summit, to ensure everyone is aligned on expectations, roles and responsibilities in the lead up to the event and while on-site.
• On-Site Execution: Oversee the delivery of programming at the retreat, managing speaker prep, session flow, and helping ensure the highest quality discussions.

You Will Have The Following Strengths:

• A sports industry insider with a deep understanding of the sports media, rights, broadcast, sponsorship, entertainment landscape and the evolving business of sports.
• A thought leader who can identify and articulate major shifts in the industry.
• An innovator who can create new conference formats that drive engagement and real-world impact.
• A connector with strong relationships across leagues, media companies, brands, and investors, comfortable in working with senior and high-profile individuals.
• A highly organized strategist capable of managing multiple speakers, contracts, and program elements simultaneously.
• Strong financial acumen and experience in optimising talent budgets and spend.
• Superior organization, prioritization, and project management skills.
• A self-starter, also happy to work with different people and functions.

Our Vision: Power the World’s Passion for Sport.

Our Mission: Be Vital. Work as one.

And Our Values:

• We are BOLD and not afraid to take risks.
• We are PASSIONATE and proud of our legacy.
• We are DYNAMIC and constantly evolving.
• We are AUTHENTIC and human.
• We are UNITED in our pursuit of excellence.