Croydon
Business: emap\n\nBrand: Quality Food Awards\n\nBase Location: Croydon, London\n\nEmployment Type: Full-time, Permanent, Hybrid\n\nSalary: £32,000 – £35,000 DOE + Bonus\n\nAbout our company and the brand:\n\nemap is a progressive B2B media, content, events, subscription and networking business. We connect influential people and organisations with a high-value network of decision-makers, data and ideas through our industry-leading B2B portfolio of brands.\n\nQuality Food Awards (QFA) has been running for over 45 years in the UK and over 10 years in Ireland. QFA is a large-scale product awards programme for the grocery retail and foodservice sectors.\n\nOverall Purpose of the Role:\n\nThe Event Manager will be responsible for overseeing the logistics for QFA’s awards, judging and bespoke events.\n\nWorking within a team of 3, alongside QFA’s Marketing Manager and Sales Manager the Event Manager will report into the QFA Brand Director and be responsible for all operational elements of the QFA event portfolio.\n\nThe Event Manager will work in a hybrid setting, based in our Croydon office, 3 days per week and working from home 2 days a week. During judging periods, the Event Manager will be expected to work onsite, up to 5 days a week, sometimes for periods of up to 3-4 weeks.\n\nThe Event Manager will be expected to travel regularly, particularly to Dublin, where we run the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards and Judging. The successful candidate will assume logistical responsibility of the QFA event portfolio and will oversee the events from inception through to execution.\n\nKey Responsibilities:\n\nManage a network of contract and freelance support in the lead up and during judging events taking ownership of recruitment and onsite processes.\n\nCollaborate with central operations team and utilise junior support where required throughout the year, identifying key points for additional support.\n\nBecome an ambassador for the brand, attend networking events and build a network of senior contacts in the industry. Build exceptional working relationships with judges.\n\nManage a portfolio of pre-defined leading industry awards and judging days (physical & virtual) on time, below budget, and to the required standard – ensuring that brand values are met\n\nManagement of P&L/Budgets for individual events with a focus on value for money and maximising contribution to the wider business. Tracking and monitoring P&L of individual events – including revenue, costs and profit\n\nThorough knowledge and tight control of the cost base for each event, ensuring profit targets are beaten\n\nBuilding cross functional relationships with internal stakeholders to support the success and strategic aims of the event and/or brand.\n\nBuilding strong relationships with suppliers including AV teams, venues, entertainers, etc. negotiating to ensure the best value is achieved.\n\nManage customer relationships with critical and strategically important sponsors, judges and delegates, acting as a point of contact. Problem solving, decision making and escalating issues as they arise. Ensuring that the overall experience is positive, exceeds expectations and collates customer feedback identifying areas for improvement.\n\nFulfill sponsorship deliverables with attention to detail to maximise return on investment.\n\nAnalysing year on year performance and leading or participating in event debrief discussions, identifying future trends or improvements.\n\nIdentifying areas for event growth and future opportunities for the brands, particularly new launches in the grocery retail sector\n\nProof-reading content throughout the event process.\n\nResponsible for ownership, accountability, and reporting for all logistical elements of the allocated events\n\nImplementing and scheduling event timelines and planning cycle according to planning framework, ensuring all deadlines are adhered to.\n\nManaging and assisting with full awards entry process.\n\nManaging awards judging days – both in person and virtually. Inviting and maintaining regular communication with judges and VIPs.\n\nAccurate and regular reporting upwards of revenues, profits and KPI’s vs target, recording weekly entries and shortlist conversion rates.\n\nCommunicate regularly and coherently all relevant information and key developments with your line manager and full project team.\n\nWorking with AV providers to create full-scale first class event production, collating shortlist, winners, and sponsors content to create awards presentations etc.\n\nLiaise with event venues on menus, final numbers, specific event requirements and function sheet.\n\nProduce Risk Assessments and collate Health & Safety documentation from all third-party suppliers.\n\nWorking with the Marketing and Content teams to deliver on brand digital and print collateral including proofing and testing event websites, ensuring all event content is brand-aligned and meets guidelines.\n\nSkills and Experience:\n\nAble to demonstrate experience working in a B2B role in awards.\n\nExperience in delivering complex projects/bespoke events, ability to apply own initiative and ideas to process implementation.\n\nExceptional attention to detail and organisation skills.\n\nDemonstrable knowledge of managing costs within a budget.\n\nExperience of risk assessments/health and safety/contingency planning\n\nAbility to network, connect and foster relationships of a senior level\n\nA personal passion or work experience in food and drink preferred\n\nExceptional interpersonal and communication skills\n\nCore Competencies:\n\nExceptional verbal and written communication, with strong negotiation skills.\n\nA strategic thinker with excellent planning, and organisational skills.\n\nThe ability to work well under pressure, maintaining high standards in a fast-paced environment while meeting multiple deadlines.\n\nCommercially focused with a strong understanding of finance, profit and loss statements and budgets.\n\nAble to read and interpret data effectively.\n\nTakes a creative approach to every-day challenges\n\nCapability to multitask effectively, and prioritise a high-volume workload across multiple projects.\n\nCan demonstrate sound judgement with the ability to interpret and analyze complex and sensitive information.\n\nA team player, but secure working independently and on own initiative.\n\nProactive and confident – Not afraid to constructively challenge ideas, where appropriate.\n\nConfident at building strong working relationships both internally and externally.\n\nWillingness to travel abroad for events and be onsite for long periods of time.\n\nPersonal Attributes:\n\nConfident and enthusiastic events professional\n\nOrganised and resourceful\n\nSelf-motivated, self-sufficient and accountable\n\nDeadline driven and results orientated\n\nTeam player\n\nSharp attention to detail\n\nAdaptable and flexible to change\n\nWhat we offer\n\nLearning & Development:\n\nAt emap, we believe that employee learning and development are the key drivers of our success. To ensure continuous growth and meet the ever-changing demands of the workplace, we provide an environment that fosters continuous development for our employees.\n\nOur employees are encouraged to identify their areas of personal and professional development aligned with our strategic areas, including management development, health, safety & wellbeing, sales, events management, marketing strategy, editorial, and information technology. We have a structured framework designed to help equip our employees with the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviours to excel in their job roles, contributing to achieving our organisational objectives.\n\nTo support our employees’ career development, we have designed specialized programs, as well as other stand-alone role-specific and generic courses, under the emap academy.\n\nBenefits: emap is part of Metropolis Group. Together we are committed to providing a happy and healthy place to work, so we offer fantastic benefits and perks to our employees.\n\n25 days of annual leave, with the option to buy or sell additional days\n\nOne additional day of leave per year- Celebration Day\n\nHealth plan\n\nLife assurance\n\nPrivate virtual GP access\n\nSeasonal flu jabs available at the office\n\nContinuous learning & development opportunities\n\nIn-house Excellence Awards and other innovation projects\n\nCycle-to-work scheme\n\nDiscounted gym memberships\n\nRetail discount vouchers\n\nRail season ticket loans\n\nPension scheme\n\nOne paid volunteer day per year\n\nAnnual Summer & Winter Celebrations\n\nWork from home during August\n\nIncome protection and more\n\nPrivacy: Metropolis Group respects the privacy of every person for whom we have personal data. We comply with data protection legislation such as the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation which regulates the processing of data and ensures that your data is processed fairly and lawfully, is kept secure and only that data necessary for any processing is kept.\n\nDiversity and Inclusion: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity and inclusion. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, age, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability status.\n\nHow to apply: Please submit your CV and covering letter. Due to the volume of applications, we receive, we are unable to give individual feedback at the application stage, however if you are successfully shortlisted you will be contacted within 10 working days of your application
161 Stafford Road, CR0 4GE, Croydon
