Events and Retail Section Head - Emirati Hire

Confidential Careers; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 240,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential Careers is seeking an Events and Retail Section Head to lead the Events Unit and F&B & Retail Unit, driving strategic development and delivery of visitor-facing commercial experiences.

You will oversee destination programming, events, venue hire, retail experiences, and partnerships, aligning commercial touchpoints with the visitor journey to deliver exceptional guest experiences and revenue growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; master's preferred.
• Minimum 8–10 years in events management, commercial operations, retail, hospitality, or visitor attractions.
• 4–5 years in a leadership role managing multiple functions or business units.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Events Unit and F&B & Retail Unit, aligning with strategic objectives.
• Develop and implement annual business plans, budgets, and commercial strategies for events, retail, and F&B.
• Establish an integrated commercial experience framework to improve visitor engagement and commercial performance.
• Identify and develop revenue opportunities across events, retail, F&B, memberships, sponsorship activations, and venue hire.
• Monitor market trends and visitor behaviour to continuously improve commercial offerings.
• Oversee planning and delivery of events, including public programmes, VIP events, corporate functions, and venue hire.
• Develop programming calendars aligned with exhibitions, themes, and audience engagement.
• Manage event pricing, venue hire policies, and sponsorship opportunities.
• Lead retail and F&B strategy development, oversee operations, inventory, and partnerships.
• Drive experiential activations and commercial storytelling across visitor journeys.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure consistent visitor messaging.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic Planning

Budgeting

Partnership Development

Team Management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Event Management, Hospitality Management, Tourism, Museum Studies, or a related field

Master's Degree preferred

Job description

The Events and Retail Section Head is responsible for leading the Events Unit and F&B & Retail Unit, driving the strategic development and delivery of visitor-facing commercial experiences that enhance audience engagement, strengthen the organization's reputation, and contribute to sustainable revenue growth.

The role oversees destination programming, events, venue hire, retail experiences, food and beverage partnerships, commercial activations, sponsorship opportunities, and visitor engagement initiatives. Working collaboratively across the organization, the Section Head ensures that all commercial touchpoints are integrated into a cohesive visitor journey that supports the organization's mission while delivering exceptional guest experiences and commercial outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Section Leadership and Strategy

• Lead and manage the Events Unit and F&B & Retail Unit, ensuring alignment with the strategic objectives.
• Develop and implement annual business plans, budgets, and commercial strategies for events, retail, and F&B operations.
• Establish an integrated commercial experience framework that enhances visitor engagement and commercial performance.
• Identify and develop new revenue-generating opportunities across events, retail, F&B, memberships, sponsorship activations, and venue hire.
• Monitor market trends, visitor behaviour, and industry best practices to continuously improve commercial offerings.

Events Unit Management

• Oversee the planning, development, and delivery of all events, including public programmes, educational activities, VIP events, corporate functions, venue hire, exhibition-related events, and community engagement initiatives.
• Develop annual, seasonal, and thematic programming calendars aligned with the exhibitions, scientific themes, and audience engagement objectives.
• Manage event pricing strategies, venue hire policies, event requests, and commercial event opportunities.
• Ensure successful execution of internal and external events while maintaining high visitor experience standards.
• Establish strategic partnerships to support event programming and sponsorship opportunities.

F&B and Retail Unit Management

• Lead the development and implementation of retail and F&B strategies that enhance visitor satisfaction and revenue generation.
• Oversee retail operations, merchandising strategies, inventory planning, product development, and retail performance.
• Manage relationships with F&B operators and concession partners to ensure quality service delivery and alignment with standards.
• Develop retail and F&B concepts that reflect the identity, exhibitions, collections, and educational mission.
• Monitor sales performance, customer trends, profitability, and operational efficiency across all commercial outlets.
• Drive the development of exclusive merchandise, publications, branded products, and themed retail experiences.

Commercial Experience and Visitor Journey

• Ensure events, retail, F&B, and visitor engagement activities operate as a cohesive and integrated visitor journey.
• Assess visitor touchpoints and implement initiatives that improve visitor satisfaction, dwell time, spending, and repeat visitation.
• Develop experience-led activations and commercial storytelling initiatives that enhance audience engagement.
• Collaborate with Visitor Experience, Education, Curatorial, Marketing, and Operations teams to ensure consistent visitor messaging and programming alignment.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives based on visitor feedback, commercial performance, and operational insights.

Partnerships and Stakeholder Management

• Develop and maintain relationships with sponsors, tourism stakeholders, hospitality partners, educational institutions, vendors, and community organizations.
• Support fundraising and partnership initiatives through commercial activations and special events.
• Negotiate contracts and service agreements with suppliers, operators, event partners, and commercial vendors.
• Represent in relevant commercial, tourism, hospitality, and cultural industry forums.

Financial and Operational Management

• Manage section budgets, forecasts, revenue targets, and expenditure.
• Monitor and report on commercial performance, event outcomes, retail sales, and F&B performance.
• Ensure compliance with procurement, health and safety, security, and operational standards.
• Develop KPIs and performance measures for all commercial activities and monitor achievement against targets.
• Lead, coach, and develop a multidisciplinary team across Events and F&B & Retail functions.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, customer service excellence, and accountability.
• Support succession planning, capability development, and performance management across the section.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Event Management, Hospitality Management, Tourism, Museum Studies, or a related field.
• Master's Degree preferred.

Experience

• Minimum 8-10 years of progressively responsible experience in events management, commercial operations, retail, hospitality, visitor attractions, tourism, or cultural institutions.
• Minimum 4-5 years in a leadership role managing multiple functions or business units.
• Experience overseeing events, retail, and/or F&B operations within cultural destination, hospitality venue, tourism attraction, or major public venue is highly desirable.
• Proven track record of driving revenue growth, visitor engagement, and commercial partnerships.