This is a newly created position with ownership of two of RetailX's highest-value delegate products: the One-to-One Meetings Programme and our Think Tank events.
The One-to-One Meetings Programme is a hosted buyer format embedded in every RetailX event. Between 50 and 100 sponsor companies pay to be pre-matched with senior decision-makers for structured, face-to-face business conversations on the show floor. The commercial value of the whole event — and sponsor satisfaction — depends on the quality of the buyers in the room and the quality of the matches. This is a demanding, high-stakes logistics and relationship job done well in advance of the event itself, not on the day.
Our Think Tanks are closed-door, senior sessions — typically 40 to 60 participants — that run as curated panel debates and roundtable discussions over two to three hours. Sponsors make significant investments. They do so because the delegate quality is high, and the conversations are substantive. Maintaining that quality — recruiting the right people and ensuring they show up — is a continuous process that starts months before each event.
You will be the person who ensures both products consistently overdeliver. That means building and managing a pipeline of senior buyers and delegates year-round, not just in the weeks before an event.
What You'll Do
One-to-One Meetings Programme:
· Own end-to-end delivery of the hosted buyer meetings programme across all RetailX events — from initial buyer recruitment through to on-site execution and post-event sponsor reporting.
· Build and manage the buyer pipeline: proactively identify, invite, and qualify senior decision-makers from across the retail, commerce, media, hospitality, and technology sectors to participate as hosted buyers at each event.
· Match sponsors with buyers based on commercial objectives, delegate seniority, and mutual relevance — ensuring every sponsor meeting has genuine value on both sides.
· Build and manage the meetings schedule: coordinate sponsor preferences, buyer availability, and on-site logistics to produce a seamless, conflict-free programme. Manage changes and last-minute adjustments without the schedule unravelling.
· Manage the relationship with RetailX's third-party hosted meetings platform provider: ensuring the platform is configured correctly for each event, that all technical and logistical requirements are met, and that delivery is on time and to a high standard. You are the day-to-day point of contact with the supplier.
· Drive profile completion and meeting selections from all participants: chase sponsors and buyers to ensure their platform profiles are fully completed and their meeting preferences submitted well ahead of the matching deadline. Incomplete profiles and late selections are the single biggest cause of poor matching — proactive, persistent follow-up is essential.
· Overdeliver on meeting commitments. Sponsors are sold a minimum number of meetings. The job is to exceed that number, with quality matches — not to hit the contractual minimum and stop.
· Manage on-site delivery of the dedicated meetings area: briefing sponsors, guiding buyers, handling real-time scheduling issues, and ensuring the experience feels professional and well-run.
· Post-event sponsor reporting: provide timely attendance data, meeting summaries, and GDPR-compliant contact details for all confirmed meetings.
· Work closely with freelance team who supports the meetings programme, and with the sales team to understand each sponsor's specific commercial objectives ahead of matching.
Think Tank Events:
· Own delegate recruitment for all RetailX Think Tanks — Commerce Media, Commerce AI, CustomerX and Retail MediaX. These are senior, invitation-only sessions; the quality of the room is everything.
· Build and maintain a pipeline of senior participants across the sectors each Think Tank addresses. Senior executives have full diaries — recruitment needs to begin months in advance, not weeks.
· Work with Ian Jindal (Content Director) on the format, running order, and delegate mix to ensure the right balance of perspectives in the room.
· Manage all delegate communications: invitations, confirmations, briefing materials, logistics, and day-of coordination. Participants should arrive prepared and feeling well looked-after.
· Support on-site delivery of Think Tank sessions: managing delegate arrival, room logistics, and any facilitation support needed during the sessions.
· Post-event reporting to sponsors: a summary of the session, participant list, and key themes, delivered promptly after each event.
· Track and improve delegate quality and session satisfaction after each Think Tank, and use those learnings to improve future recruitment.
General:
· Maintain accurate CRM records for all buyer and delegate contacts - participation history, seniority, sector, and engagement. This data is the foundation of every future recruitment effort.
· Collaborate with the sales and content teams to ensure the meetings programme and Think Tank delegate mix are aligned with each event's commercial and editorial objectives.
· Contribute to post-event reviews and drive continuous improvement in how both products are delivered.
· Represent RetailX professionally with senior industry figures. The people you are recruiting are senior executives — the quality of your outreach and communication is a direct reflection of the RetailX brand.
What we're looking for
Essential:
· Experience in B2B events, conferences, or exhibitions — ideally in a meetings coordination, delegate management, or hosted buyer role.
· Strong organisational skills: able to manage multiple overlapping programmes across several events simultaneously without losing detail.
· Confident and professional in written and verbal communication with senior business people — you are recruiting C-suite and Director-level executives, and your outreach needs to reflect that.
· CRM discipline: you keep contact records accurate and up to date, and you use data to make better recruitment decisions.
· A proactive approach to pipeline building — you do not wait to be given a list of names; you research, identify, and approach the right people.
· Self-starter: this is a new role with real ownership. You will need to shape how it works, not just follow a playbook.
Desirable:
· Experience in retail, e-commerce, media, hospitality, or technology sectors — understanding the audience we are recruiting makes outreach significantly more effective.
· Experience managing hosted buyer or structured networking programmes at scale (50+ participants).
· Familiarity with CRM platforms (HubSpot, Salesforce, or similar).
· Experience with hosted meetings or matchmaking platforms (such as Grip, Brella, ExpoPlatform, Swapcard, or similar) — understanding how these tools work from both the sponsor and buyer side is a distinct advantage.
· Experience recruiting senior delegates for closed-door or invitation-only events.
The Kind of Person Who Will Thrive Here
RetailX is a small, fast-moving business where everyone's work is visible. This role will suit someone who takes real pride in getting the details right, who is genuinely comfortable dealing with senior people, and who wants to own something important rather than support someone else's programme.
The people you are recruiting are busy and senior — persistence, professionalism, and good judgement about when to push and when to wait are all essential.
Company Description
RetailX is a leading B2B events and media business serving the retail, commerce, and technology sectors. We run a growing portfolio of flagship events — including CustomerX, the Commerce Media Festival, Commerce AI Summit, and Retail Media X — alongside a dinner programme, podcast series, and reports that connect senior decision-makers across retail, media, hospitality, travel, and technology.
Two of the most commercially important products within our events are the One-to-One Meetings Programme and our Think Tank sessions. Both depend on recruiting the right senior people into the room. Getting that right is what this role is about.
No recruiters please!!!
