Vice President – Events

Orbis Global Events LLC; Dubai; On-site; AED 600,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Orbis Global Events LLC in Dubai is seeking a VP of Events to own the full lifecycle of the portfolio from concept to post-event evaluation. This hands-on leadership role blends strategy, format design, and on-ground execution while building the team, systems, and playbooks as the company scales.

You will lead end-to-end project planning, production, vendor management, and on-site delivery for flagship events, maintaining tight budgets, governance, risk management, and strong stakeholder

Qualifications

• 12+ years in events with 4–5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven track record delivering large-scale events – expos, summits, conferences, festivals or sports properties.
• Experience managing multi-million-dirham event budgets and P&L accountability.
• UAE/GCC market experience strongly preferred with a broad vendor and government network.
• Experience building an events function or team from early stage is highly valued.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end lifecycle of flagship events from concept to post-event analysis.
• Manage on-site execution, safety and audience experience.
• Oversee budgets, forecasts and cost efficiency while preserving quality.
• Build and mentor a high-performing events team.
• Establish scalable processes, governance and vendor relationships.
• Cultivate partnerships with sponsors, government entities and industry stakeholders.

Skills

Leadership

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Vendor management

On-site execution

Education

Bachelor's degree

CMP certification

Job description

The Role

The VP of Events will own the full lifecycle of Orbis Global's events portfolio from initial concept and business case through planning production execution and post-event evaluation. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who has both strategic range positioning format design commercial structuring and operational depth vendor management production on-ground execution. You will be a founding pillar of the events organization building the team systems and playbooks as the company scales its calendar.

Conceptualization Strategy

• Develop original event concepts formats and IP across expos summits live entertainment and sports verticals aligned with Orbis Global's brand and commercial goals.
• Conduct market research and competitive analysis to identify white space and audience demand across target industries and geographies.
• Define the annual events calendar prioritizing markets formats and timing for maximum commercial and brand impact.
• Build business cases and P&Ls for new events including revenue models sponsorship ticketing exhibition licensing.

Organization Planning

• Translate concepts into detailed production plans venue strategy program design speaker talent curation sponsor packaging and audience acquisition.
• Own end-to-end project timelines across multiple concurrent events managing cross-functional dependencies marketing sales production finance.
• Negotiate and manage relationships with venues production houses talent agencies contractors and technology vendors.
• Establish scalable processes budgeting frameworks and governance for the events function as the portfolio grows.

Execution Delivery

• Lead on-site execution for flagship events acting as the final point of accountability for show quality safety and audience experience.
• Manage production budgets tightly tracking spend against forecast and driving cost efficiency without compromising quality.
• Oversee risk management contingency planning and crisis response for live events.
• Ensure compliance with UAE event regulations permits licensing and health safety standards.

Leadership Team Building

• Build mentor and lead a high-performing events team production operations logistics on-site staff as the department scales.
• Act as a senior voice in leadership discussions representing the events function in strategic and commercial planning.
• Cultivate relationships with sponsors partners government entities and industry stakeholders in the UAE and internationally.

Post-Event Continuous Improvement

• Drive post-event analysis attendee satisfaction commercial performance sponsor ROI and lessons learned.
• Continuously refine formats and playbooks based on data and stakeholder feedback.

Experience

• 12+ years in the events industry, with at least 4-5 years in a senior leadership role (VP, Head of Events, Director of Events or equivalent).
• Demonstrated track record of conceptualizing and delivering large-scale events – expos, summits, conferences, festivals, concerts or sports properties.
• Experience managing multi-million-dirham event budgets and P&L accountability.
• Prior experience in the UAE/GCC market strongly preferred; regional network of venues, vendors and government/licensing contacts is a strong plus.
• Experience building an events function or team from an early stage is highly valued, given the founding nature of this role.

Skills & Attributes

• Strong commercial acumen – able to think in terms of sponsorship revenue, ticketing models and brand partnerships, not just logistics.
• Exceptional stakeholder management – comfortable in the room with C-suite sponsors, government officials and talent, as well as on the ground with production crews.
• Hands-on execution mindset; willing to be in the weeds during build and show days.
• Strong crisis management and decision-making under pressure.
• Excellent negotiation, vendor management and budget control skills.
• Familiarity with fintech, technology/AI, entertainment or sports industry ecosystems is an advantage given Orbis Global's focus areas.

Education

Bachelors. relevant certifications (e.g., CMP, event/project management) are a plus.