Job Description
This critical position is responsible for developing the content, programs, and experiences of several major Gartner conferences that serve C-level business executives and their teams, making them must-attend events for those leaders, and achieving the annual financial targets for the referenced conferences. What you will do: The Senior Director, Program Management, owns several conferences and is tasked with 2 main missions: Develop the conference strategy and orchestrate cross-functional team collaboration to drive growth, profitability and customer retention. Create the most compelling attendee-driven conference agendas based on market needs and requirements, in close partnership with Gartner Research chair. To achieve desired results, the Senior Director, Program Management, collaborates with various stakeholders including: Gartner Business & Technology Insights (BTI) Audience Acquisition / Marketing Exhibitor/Sponsorship Sales Conference Operations / Logistics Gartner Sales and Services Delivery Specifically, the Senior Director, Program Management: Creates client-focused programs that will deliver the highest results Identifies and secures guest speakers (keynotes, panelists, case studies…) Drives primary and secondary market research to understand client needs and behaviors, as well as market trends Identifies target audience and defines positioning for assigned conferences Works with Exhibitor Products team to define and deliver sponsorship opportunities and content Identifies and evaluates competitive events, including attending competitive events Creates the conference or portfolio strategy, in collaboration with other global colleagues & stakeholders Evangelizes and promotes assigned conferences to internal and external constituents Innovates conference experiences, content and formats Works closely with Conferences Marketing to create compelling messaging and campaigns to drive growth and increase retention Collaborates with Exhibits Sales to identify prospective exhibitors, articulate the conference value proposition, and accelerate sales growth and retention Collaborates with Conference Operations to ensure we deliver a great attendee and sponsor experience in an efficient and cost-effective way Partners with financial-planning teams on annual budget and investment processes What you will need: Bachelors Degree; MBA preferred 8-12+ years’ experience in conference management, content-rich program planning, or content strategy, development and creation Experience with large, complex multi-day/multi-track conference programs preferred Proven ability to drive overall direction and development of conference programs: specifically content strategy and creation, agenda development, speaker management, etc. Experience in driving or supporting audience and sponsorship acquisition Proven track record creating and executing strategy, and identifying market and growth opportunities Demonstrated ability to work in a highly collaborative matrix environment, with strong stakeholder management skills. Excellent written and oral communication, and ability to influence Global/multinational event experience strongly preferred Strong multi-project management, prioritization, time management Good AI, data and analytics familiarity Ability to accommodate moderate travel, including international Ability to engage effectively with C-level executives Who are we? At Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT), we guide the leaders who shape the world. Our mission relies on expert analysis and bold ideas to deliver actionable, objective business and technology insights, helping enterprise leaders and their teams succeed with their mission-critical priorities. Since our founding in 1979, we’ve grown to 20,000 associates globally who support over 13,000 client enterprises in ~90 countries and territories. We do important, interesting and substantive work that matters. That’s why we hire associates with the intellectual curiosity, energy and drive to want to make a difference. The bar is unapologetically high. So is the impact you can have here. What makes Gartner a great place to work? Our vast, virtually untapped market potential offers limitless opportunities – opportunities that may not even exist right now – for you to grow professionally and flourish personally. How far you go is driven by your passion and performance. We hire remarkable people who collaborate and win as a team. Together, our singular, unifying goal is to deliver results for our clients. Our teams are inclusive and composed