Head of Event Operations, EMEA in City of London

We at PEI Group are looking for a ‘Head of Event Operations, EMEA’ to join our diverse, and growing team based here in London. Successful candidate will lead the EMEA Event Operations team through 9+ conferences plus smaller ancillary events and work alongside their global counterparts in APAC and US.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Leadership & Team Management
  • Manage and develop a team of Event Managers and Coordinators (4 direct reports and 3 indirect reports), conducting regular performance reviews and managing workload planning to foster a high-performance team culture.
  • Accountable for all EMEA-led events including smaller ancillary events: lead the EMEA Event Operations team in the end-to-end delivery of all events.
  • Planning yearly event resourcing: assess the annual event portfolio and allocate team resources to ensure effective capacity planning across the year.
  • Planning onsite staffing: determine staffing requirements per event, coordinating internal team members and external staff to ensure seamless onsite delivery.
  • Champion best practice processes and constantly seek to improve delivery, introducing efficiencies where required.
• Stakeholder Management & Reporting
  • Updating Senior Management: provide regular feedback and updates on event progress to the Global Head of Event Operations and Directors.
  • Collaboration with internal stakeholders: work closely with Associate Directors, Regional Heads, Sponsorship Managers, Head of Networks, Commercial Directors and the Global Head of Event Operations to ensure quality of delivery across all events.
  • Work with the Regional Heads of Event Operations and Global Head of Event Operations to ensure alignment and consistent application of best practice across all events.
  • Partner with sponsorship and commercial teams to build sponsorship inventories and manage the fulfilment of deliverables for each event.
  • Prepare and deliver recommendations on venue options – taking into consideration commercial risks and cost implications – to senior internal stakeholders, providing informed guidance to support decision-making.
• Budget & Financial Management
  • Budget setting: full responsibility for budget management (up to $1million) and post-event P&Ls, including setting the budget for each event and reforecasting three times a year, reviewing revenue forecasts against current budgeted costs.
  • Ongoing budget management: achieve budget goals through close monitoring of revenue and expenses, working closely with all departments to ensure spending remains within budget.
  • Invoicing: process all invoices to ensure prompt payment and accurate facilitation of post-event P&L accounts.
• Venue & Supplier Management
  • Venue contracting: lead venue search and contracting, cost comparisons.
  • Negotiating with and managing contractors: oversee third-party vendors including app developers, AV suppliers, caterers, photographers, printers and designers.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with key contractors and suppliers, ensuring consistent service quality and reliable partnerships to support event delivery.
• Event Planning & Delivery
  • Team timelines: develop and communicate detailed event timelines to the conference team, ensuring all workstreams are on track.
  • Onsite management: oversee all pre-event and live event operations, working with venues and managing onsite staff to deliver a seamless experience.
  • Leadership onsite: oversee the full onsite experience including registration, signage, meal functions, customer service, and event production across plenary and breakout rooms.
  • Evaluating event performance: produce post-event reporting on the onsite experience, capturing learnings and best practices to inform future events.
  • Lead key workstreams for the business's flagship global conference, taking ownership of defined project areas and working with the Head of Event Delivery to drive cross-functional collaboration and ensure world-class delivery.

About You

Qualification & Experience

• A minimum of 10 years' experience in event operations, ideally gained within a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
• At least 5 years' experience working within a B2B conference and/or exhibitions business, with a strong understanding of the full event lifecycle.
• Proven experience managing and leading a team of 7 or more, with the ability to inspire, develop and performance-manage both direct and indirect report.
• Commercially minded, with the ability to understand and contribute to the financial performance of events, including budget management, cost control and revenue awareness.

Personal Attributes

• A hands-on, sleeves-rolled-up operator who is equally comfortable thinking and acting strategically - able to shift between the detail and the bigger picture with ease.
• A confident and experienced leader who leads by example, motivating and developing their team while maintaining high standards of delivery across all events.
• A strong all-rounder with broad event operations knowledge spanning staff management, workload planning, stakeholder engagement, budget and P&L management, sponsorship fulfilment, delegate registration, event logistics and on-site delivery.
• Commercially astute, with a sharp eye for value - a skilled negotiator who consistently achieves best value from venues, suppliers and contractors.
• Up to date with the latest event industry trends, supplier landscapes, venue costs, event technology and innovative event formats and concepts.
• Confident working with and influencing a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, from commercial and sponsorship teams through to senior leadership.
• Practical, resourceful and solutions-focused - able to remain calm and diplomatic under pressure while keeping events on track.
• Highly motivated and positive, with a genuine can-do attitude and the drive to deliver world-class events consistently.

About Us

PEI Group is a subscriber-focused business intelligence company. With our multi-talented global team of over 490 people, spread across EMEA, USA & Asia, our purpose is to inform and connect investment professionals across global, specialised markets. We identify specific high growth, high value investment sectors and themes where deep insight, strong market relationships and active capital flows are critical for success.

PEI Group provides industry-leading journalism, data, and market insight to subscribing clients via a wide portfolio of specialist brands supported by our robust and scalable digital publishing, analytics, and database platform. We also track the firms and individuals who shape markets and bring client-communities together to enable knowledge sharing, profile building and relationship development through professional networks and events.

At PEI we value diverse talent and welcome applications from everyone – regardless of background. We are an equal opportunity employer and our inclusive culture at PEI is reflected in every stage of the recruitment journey. Please inform us at initial stages of the recruitment process if you require any reasonable adjustments and we can accommodate this.

PEI Group supports flexible working arrangements, and we welcome career returners.