Director of Events

Director of Events

South Carolina Event Productions / The Post and Courier

The Director of Events is charged with leading South Carolina Event Productions (SCEP), a division of The Post and Courier under parent company Evening Post Publishing Newspaper Group. The Director of Events is responsible for building out SCEP’s portfolio of events, all with the goal of driving revenue and audience growth. This includes growth of existing events such as Steeplechase of Charleston and Columbia Food and Wine Festival, conceptualizing and launching new events, and managing paid event planning partnerships with outside partners. This position is the senior events leader in Evening Post Publishing and is the direct supervisor for a team of event planners in Charleston and Columbia and should be based in one of these markets.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead events team in management and production of multiple events per year from conception through execution, overseeing expense management, revenue generation, promotional efforts and event execution.
• Develop strategy to build out South Carolina Event Productions and Evening Post Publishing’s events business as a whole with the goal of events continuing to become a larger source of emerging revenue for the company
• Serve as a leader in the events space, continually noting industry trends, best practices and monetization opportunities around events, and adjust SCEP strategies accordingly
• Partner with SCEP staff in the planning of and strategy development for our events, being engaged, knowledgeable and hands-on in the details of SCEP events
• Direct overall operations for signature SCEP events with event managers and coordinators (full time employees and contractors), vendors and partners including the effective and management of labor, productivity, cost efficiency, quality control and safety measures for each event.
• Provide on-site execution support to team of events managers as needed
• Supervise on-site set-up, dismantle, and management of suppliers/vendors involved as needed
• Supervise vendor agreements and fulfill certificate of insurance need requirements for all events organized by South Carolina Event Productions.
• Oversee budget management for all SCEP events, focusing on attaining target GOP objectives.
• Achieve targeted objectives for event revenue, expense management and profit margins.
• Submit financial projections around events, denoting variances to budget in both revenue and expense.
• Partner with advertising sales teams to prospect for businesses who will benefit from aligning their company’s brand with events to reach their target audiences through event sponsorships and partnerships
• Collaborate with advertising sales team to develop sponsorship opportunities and other avenues to drive revenue through SCEP events, and to execute once they are sold
• Work to secure auxiliary revenue streams for events, including grants, government funding and more
• Prospect and secure paid partnerships where outside partners pay SCEP staff to plan/execute their events
• Produce contracts and statements of work (SOWs) for strategic level sponsors and paid partnerships
• Partner with marketing team to develop branding for all SCEP events and market the programs (B2B and B2C) as needed
• Partner with publishers and staff in The Post and Courier’s expansion markets to produce annual readers’ choice events
• Secure trade partnerships and negotiated vendor contracts to lower expenses where possible.
• Develop SCEP staff (team members) to ensure all are strong in communication, organizational skills, multitasking, budget and expense management, sponsorship sales and partnership development.
• Develop strong relationships with internal and external customers and business partners.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements, minimum education level, and experience:

• BS/BA in event management, hospitality, marketing or related field, or equivalent work experience
• 6+ years of experience in marketing, events, PR or sales with no less than four years in event planning or event management
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail
• Proficiency in event management software tools