At a Glance
- Tasks: Drive commercial growth through strategic partnerships and premium memberships in sports and entertainment.
- Company: Join a leading UK sports and entertainment venue with a dynamic culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, autonomy, and exposure to high-profile clients.
- Other info: Opportunity for career growth within a recognised entertainment destination.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the exciting world of live events and premium experiences.
- Qualifications: Proven business development experience in sports, entertainment, or hospitality.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Sporting Jobs are exclusively partnering with a leading sports and entertainment venue to recruit a Head of Business Development. This is an exceptional opportunity to join one of the UK's premier live entertainment businesses, helping drive commercial growth across a portfolio of world‑class sporting events, concerts, live entertainment and premium hospitality experiences.
We're looking for an ambitious and commercially driven business development professional who thrives on creating opportunities, building relationships and closing high-value deals. You'll enjoy opening new doors, developing strategic partnerships and engaging with senior decision‑makers to deliver sustainable revenue growth. Reporting into the Commercial Director, you'll lead the acquisition of new premium clients and corporate partnerships, helping maximise revenue across an outstanding portfolio of live events and premium hospitality products.
If you're passionate about sport, entertainment and premium experiences, this is an opportunity to join an organisation that continues to set the benchmark for live events in the UK.
The Role
As Head of Business Development, you'll take ownership of generating new business opportunities across premium memberships, hospitality products and commercial partnerships. Leading the full B2B sales cycle, you'll identify new prospects, engage senior stakeholders and guide opportunities from initial conversations through to successful contract negotiations. Working closely with colleagues across commercial, programming, marketing and operations, you'll ensure products are positioned effectively, commercial opportunities are maximised and clients receive an exceptional experience throughout the sales journey.
This is a highly visible role where your ability to build relationships, develop innovative sales strategies and consistently deliver against ambitious revenue targets will directly contribute to the organisation's continued commercial success.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and execute a proactive business development strategy focused on premium memberships, hospitality and partnership opportunities.
- Build and maintain a strong pipeline of qualified corporate prospects through networking, outreach and targeted business development activity.
- Lead the full sales process from initial engagement through to contract completion.
- Deliver compelling sales presentations, venue tours and commercial proposals to senior business leaders and C‑suite decision‑makers.
- Identify new market opportunities, industry sectors and commercial partnerships that support long‑term revenue growth.
- Work closely with internal teams to align commercial activity with event schedules, product availability and operational delivery.
- Maintain accurate CRM records, sales forecasting and pipeline reporting.
- Use market insight, customer feedback and commercial data to support product development and pricing strategies.
- Represent the organisation at industry events, networking functions and corporate hospitality occasions.
- Contribute to the ongoing development of the commercial strategy, identifying opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.
About You
You'll be an experienced business development professional with a proven track record of delivering commercial growth within sport, entertainment, hospitality or another premium B2B environment. You're confident engaging senior decision‑makers, enjoy building long‑term relationships and understand how to create value for both clients and your organisation.
You'll ideally bring:
- Proven success in business development, corporate sales or partnership acquisition.
- Experience selling premium products, hospitality, sponsorship or commercial services.
- Outstanding presentation, negotiation and relationship management skills.
- A track record of winning new business and consistently delivering against revenue targets.
- Strong commercial awareness and an understanding of consultative sales techniques.
- Experience using CRM systems, pipeline management and sales forecasting tools.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
- A proactive, resilient and self‑motivated approach to business development.
- A genuine interest in the sports, entertainment or live events industry.
Experience working within venues, professional sport, live entertainment, hospitality or premium events would be highly advantageous.
Why Apply?
This is a rare opportunity to join one of the UK's leading sports and entertainment venues at an exciting stage of its commercial growth. You'll work alongside an ambitious leadership team, represent a portfolio of internationally recognised events and premium experiences, and play a central role in driving future business performance.
For an experienced commercial professional looking to take the next step in their career, this role offers genuine autonomy, exposure to high‑profile clients and the opportunity to make a measurable impact within one of the UK's most dynamic live entertainment businesses.
Head of Business Development employer: Sporting Group International
Join a leading sports and entertainment venue that is at the forefront of the UK's live events industry, where your role as Head of Business Development will be pivotal in driving commercial growth. With a vibrant work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration, you'll have access to exceptional employee growth opportunities and the chance to engage with high-profile clients while representing a portfolio of world-class events. This is not just a job; it's a chance to make a significant impact in an exciting and dynamic environment.
Contact Details:
Sporting Group International Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Business Development
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We think you need these skills to ace Head of Business Development
Some tips for your application 🫡
Highlight Your Analytical Skills:In the business intelligence field, showcasing your analytical skills is a must. Make sure your CV includes relevant experience with data analysis tools, programming languages like SQL or Python, and any projects where you've interpreted complex data sets to drive business decisions.
Showcase Your Business Acumen:Don't just focus on data; show us how you can apply your insights to real-world business problems. Highlight projects where you made a tangible impact on company performance, and be prepared to explain your thought process in your cover letter.
Tailor Your Documents for Us:When applying for a full-time role at Sporting Group International, tailor your CV and cover letter to reflect our organisational goals and strategies. Mention specific tools and methodologies that align with what we do—this shows you’ve done your homework and are genuinely interested in our mission!
Include Relevant Certifications:Certifications like Google Data Analytics or similar qualifications can really make you stand out in business intelligence. Include these in your application, as they demonstrate your commitment to the field and your willingness to stay current with industry standards.
How to prepare for a job interview at Sporting Group International
✨Show off your analytical skills
In a business intelligence role, you're going to need to demonstrate your analytical prowess. Be prepared to discuss specific tools you've used, like SQL, Tableau, or Power BI. Have real-world examples ready where you’ve turned data into actionable insights – this is what makes us shine in interviews!
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✨Portfolio of Projects
Since it's a full-time role, having a strong portfolio is key! Compile case studies demonstrating your previous projects, preferably showing how your insights led to business improvements. This can help us display how you think through complex datasets and your problem-solving process, which is what employers are keen on seeing.
✨Know their business model
Get familiar with Sporting Group International’s business model and recent data-driven decisions. Be prepared to discuss how your skills can specifically support their objectives or challenges. Understanding their landscape shows that you’re not just a data buff, but you’re also genuinely interested in how BI can impact their bottom line.
