Business Development Manager

Wonderful Recruitment & Development; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonus

Job summary

Wonderful Recruitment & Development in London/Kent is seeking a commercially minded Business Development Manager in the events or stage production sector to open doors, build lasting relationships, and turn opportunities into profitable partnerships.

You will develop a sales strategy across location-based entertainment, manage the full sales cycle from enquiry to contract, travel for client meetings and industry events, and collaborate with creative and production teams to deliver ambitious

Qualifications

• Proven experience in business development securing new business and building long-term client relationships.
• Strong commercial awareness with experience managing multiple sales opportunities and negotiating terms.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, organisation, and relationship-building skills.
• Willingness to travel for client meetings and industry events.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver business development strategy across location-based entertainment, including visitor attractions, museums, hospitality, marketing activations and other experience-led opportunities.
• Actively generate opportunities through networking, referrals, targeted outreach, industry contacts, and outbound prospecting.
• Manage the complete sales process from initial enquiry to signed contract, leading client meetings, discovery sessions, and presentations, and working with creative and production colleagues to develop commercially viable proposals, budgets, and fee estimates.
• Build trusted, long-term relationships with new and existing clients and strategic partners, to generate repeat business and future opportunities.
• Maintain an accurate CRM and structured sales pipeline, producing forecasts, monitoring conversion, revenue, gross profit, and gross margin performance, and identifying commercial risks and opportunities throughout the sales process.
• Represent the business at exhibitions, conferences, and networking events, monitor market and competitor activity, support marketing and case study development, and contribute to wider business planning and growth strategy.

Skills

Business development

Relationship building

Sales pipeline management

Negotiation

Communication

Commercial awareness

Travel willingness

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Business Development Manager | Creative Event Design & Production | London / Kent | Permanent

Are you a Business Development Manager working in events or stage production who knows how to open doors, build lasting relationships, and turn opportunities into profitable partnerships? If you’re looking for a commercially focused role in the creative and immersive entertainment sector, read on!

Our partner:

Our partner is a creative design and production studio delivering sets for immersive attractions, themed environments, interactive installations, and live entertainment. Bringing creative design, technical expertise, and specialist production together under one roof, the team takes projects from initial concept through to installation and opening. As the studio grows, this role will play an important part in developing its client base and commercial reach.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and deliver business development strategy across location-based entertainment, including visitor attractions, museums, hospitality, marketing activations and other experience-led opportunities.
• Actively generate opportunities through networking, referrals, targeted outreach, industry contacts, and outbound prospecting.
• Manage the complete sales process from initial enquiry to signed contract, leading client meetings, discovery sessions, and presentations, and working with creative and production colleagues to develop commercially viable proposals, budgets, and fee estimates.
• Build trusted, long-term relationships with new and existing clients and strategic partners, to generate repeat business and future opportunities.
• Maintain an accurate CRM and structured sales pipeline, producing forecasts, monitoring conversion, revenue, gross profit, and gross margin performance, and identifying commercial risks and opportunities throughout the sales process.
• Represent the business at exhibitions, conferences, and networking events, monitor market and competitor activity, support marketing and case study development, and contribute to wider business planning and growth strategy.

Experience and skills that will deliver success in this role:

The right candidate is a commercially minded relationship builder with a proven track record of winning new business and developing long-term client partnerships. You’ll be comfortable creating opportunities rather than waiting for them to arrive, managing a structured pipeline, and working collaboratively with creative and production teams to turn client ambitions into commercially successful projects.

• Proven experience in business development, with demonstrable success securing new business and building long-term client relationships.
• Strong commercial awareness, with experience managing multiple sales opportunities, negotiating terms, identifying profitable opportunities, and building credibility with senior decision-makers.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, organisation, and relationship-building skills, alongside the confidence to initiate conversations, pick up the phone, and proactively develop new opportunities.
• A self-motivated, resilient, and collaborative approach, with strong attention to detail, the ability to work independently, a full UK driving licence, and willingness to travel for client meetings and industry events.
• Experience within themed entertainment, location-based entertainment, visitor attractions, museums, leisure, hospitality, retail, experiential marketing, scenic production, or creative design would be advantageous, as would an existing industry network, CRM experience, and experience responding to tenders and preparing commercial proposals.

The opportunity:

This is an opportunity to become the commercial face of a growing creative production studio and have a meaningful influence on developing the strategy for its next phase of growth. You will be creating opportunities, building a strong professional network, and developing relationships from first contact through to long-term partnership. It should suit someone with a strategic mindset, who enjoys the commercial challenge of business development whilst also enjoying working closely with creative, technical, and production specialists on developing distinctive projects.

What’s on offer:

• Salary: £50-65k doe + generous performance-related bonus
• Working pattern: Flexible hybrid working, combining home working with attendance at the central London and Kent offices. Willingness to travel for meetings and industry events is essential.
• Reports to: Group Managing Director

We understand what it's like when you don't get a response to your application. Although we work hard to acknowledge everybody, many of our roles have a large number of applicants and we can't always respond to all of you.

At Wonderful, we are dedicated to promoting diversity in all its forms. We are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable environment that promotes equal opportunities for wonderful people. We actively encourage candidates from under-represented groups to apply and warmly welcome all individuals with exceptional abilities, irrespective of their background.