Madrid
Vice President, Events Location: Madrid, Spain (with international travel) Department: Events Reports to: CEO About World Travel & Tourism Council The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the global private sector of Travel & Tourism. Our Members include the world’s leading travel and tourism companies, destinations, hospitality groups, airlines, cruise operators, technology providers, and industry leaders. WTTC works to raise awareness of the economic and social importance of Travel & Tourism, advocating for sustainable growth, public-private collaboration, and policies that support the sector globally. As the organisation continues its international growth and transformation, we are seeking a highly strategic, operational, and commercially minded Vice President, Events to lead the delivery and evolution of WTTC’s global events portfolio. Role Overview The Vice President, Events will lead the strategic planning, commercial development, operational execution, and continuous improvement of WTTC’s global events programme, including the Global Summit, Regional Summits, Executive Committee meetings, member engagement events, and strategic partner activations. This individual will oversee the end-to-end events function, ensuring world-class execution, strong stakeholder management, financial oversight, sponsorship integration, and alignment with WTTC’s strategic priorities and member value proposition. The role requires a highly collaborative leader with extensive international events experience, exceptional organisational capability, strong people leadership skills, and the ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, high-profile, and politically sensitive environments. Key Responsibilities Strategic Leadership • Develop and implement WTTC’s global events strategy aligned with organisational objectives and member engagement priorities., • Lead the long-term planning and evolution of WTTC flagship events, ensuring innovation, scalability, and commercial sustainability., • Partner closely with senior leadership to align events with advocacy, membership, destinations, communications, and business development initiatives., • Contribute to the organisation’s strategic growth plans through high-impact event experiences and global stakeholder engagement. Event Management & Delivery • Oversee the planning and execution of all WTTC global and regional events from concept to post-event evaluation., • Ensure seamless delivery of high-profile international events involving government representatives, CEOs, ministers, media, sponsors, and global partners., • Lead venue sourcing, supplier negotiations, production management, logistics, delegate experience, security coordination, and operational planning., • Ensure all events are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards., • Establish and maintain operational frameworks, processes, timelines, and contingency plans for all events. Commercial & Sponsorship Integration • Work closely with the Business Development & Members and Destination teams to support sponsorship opportunities and partner engagement initiatives., • Collaborate on commercial proposals, sponsorship deliverables, and activation strategies., • Ensure contractual obligations and partner expectations are delivered successfully across all events., • Support revenue generation through scalable event models and strategic partnerships. Stakeholder Management • Build and maintain strong relationships with governments, tourism boards, destination partners, suppliers, sponsors, and WTTC Members., • Act as a senior representative of WTTC during events, industry engagements, and stakeholder meetings globally., • Coordinate cross-functional collaboration internally to ensure alignment and successful delivery., • Manage complex and sensitive stakeholder relationships with professionalism and diplomacy. Team Leadership • Lead, develop, and mentor the Events team, fostering a high-performance, collaborative, and solutions-oriented culture., • Define team structures, responsibilities, objectives, and development plans aligned with organisational growth., • Promote accountability, operational excellence, and continuous improvement within the team., • Support workload prioritisation and resource planning across multiple concurrent projects., • Manage external vendors and outsource parts of the events. Budget & Financial Oversight • Own and manage event budgets, forecasting, supplier negotiations, and cost controls., • Monitor financial performance and identify efficiencies while maintaining premium event standards., • Ensure accurate reporting, invoicing coordination, and financial reconciliation processes. Risk Management & Compliance • Ensure compliance with health & safety, legal, financial, and operational requirements across all events., • Develop risk mitigation and crisis management plans for international events and high-profile gatherings., • Ensure appropriate governance and operational protocols are followed globally. Candidate Profile Experience • Significant senior leadership experience managing large-scale international events, conferences, summits, or hospitality experiences., • Experience working with C-level executives, government officials, sponsors, and international stakeholders., • Proven ability to lead complex global event operations with multiple concurrent priorities., • Strong commercial understanding including sponsorship integration and budget management., • Experience managing and developing international teams in fast-paced environments., • Experience within Travel & Tourism, hospitality, membership organisations, global events, or related sectors is highly desirable. Skills & Competencies • Exceptional organisational and project management skills., • Strong leadership and people management capability., • Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills., • Commercially minded with strong negotiation skills., • Ability to remain calm and solutions-oriented under pressure., • Highly collaborative with strong cross-functional working capability., • Strategic thinker with operational execution excellence., • Strong attention to detail and high standards of delivery. Education • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience in Events Management, Hospitality, Business, Communications, or a related field., • Additional certifications in event management or project management are advantageous. What We Offer • Opportunity to work at the forefront of the global Travel & Tourism sector., • Exposure to international leaders, governments, and industry decision-makers., • Dynamic and collaborative international environment., • Competitive compensation package., • International travel opportunities., • Opportunity to shape and elevate WTTC’s global events strategy and experience.