Event Manager - Creative projects for world leading brands

CI Group; Banbury; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus up to 10%

Hybrid working (2–3 days in office)

20 days holiday + bank holidays

Birthday half-day off

Volunteering day

AI training support

Pension and life cover

Employee assistance programme

Cycle scheme and office perks

Railcard and sabbatical options

Job summary

CI Group in Banbury is seeking an experienced Event Manager to lead ideation, management and delivery of large-scale live events across the UK and internationally. You will own projects end-to-end from brief to reconciliation, acting as the trusted client contact and delivering creative concepts on time and within budget.

The role offers progression within an employee-owned agency, with a clear path to Lead Event Manager and Event Director.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years' experience in event management, ideally in an agency.
• Strong project management skills with attention to deadlines and budgets.
• Commercial mindset with experience owning budgets and contracts.

Responsibilities

• Lead ideation, creation and delivery of large-scale live events in the UK and internationally.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships as the day-to-day contact.
• Develop creative proposals and event concepts to surprise and delight clients.
• Own pre-event planning, budgets, venue liaison, suppliers and contracts.
• Manage budgets, timesheets, reconciliations and invoicing.
• Oversee on-site delivery with a calm, solutions-focused approach.
• Ensure reporting requirements demonstrate ROI and value.
• Identify opportunities for new clients and events to grow the business.
• Embrace AI tools to improve project management and client experience.

Skills

Project management

Budget management

Client relationships

Creativity

Communication

Travel readiness

Job description

Are you an experienced Event Manager looking for bigger, more creative projects? Have you delivered corporate incentive travel and want to work with some of the world's leading brands? Keen to join a supportive, employee-owned agency where people genuinely progress? This might be the role for you!

The company

An award-winning integrated marketing group with over 30 years of experience, helping some of the world's leading brands thrive across sectors from IT and retail to sustainability. Clients include HP, Microsoft, Currys, Allwyn and Royal Caribbean.

We blend creativity, strategy and innovation to amplify brands and connect them with the audiences that matter most – and we're leading the way in using AI to make marketing work harder and smarter.

As an Employee-Owned Trust, everyone shares in the success of the business. Our promise? To "make it better".

They operate through five specialist agencies:

• Experiential and events. From conferences and exhibitions to incentives and reward programmes – activations that motivate, inspire and spark excitement.
• Creative design and branding. From creative collateral to full-scale rebrands, using authentic storytelling and sharp design to win audiences' hearts and minds.
• Digital strategy and communications. Deep dives into consumer trends to develop strategies and experiences that deliver measurable ROI.
• PR and strategic communications. Dynamic campaigns that shape narratives, spark conversation and build trust and reputation.
• AI strategy. A specialist AI agency helping clients adopt AI safely and strategically.

The role

Joining a close-knit events team of seven in Deddington, you will lead the ideation, management and delivery of large-scale live events in the UK and internationally – from incentive travel and overseas group experiences to exhibitions, conferences, corporate hospitality and SPIFF days.

Reporting to the Head of Events, with day-to-day support from an Event Director, you will own your projects from brief to reconciliation. You'll act as the trusted day-to-day contact for clients, develop creative proposals and concepts designed to surprise and delight, manage budgets, venues and suppliers, and lead delivery on-site. Clients are predominantly tech resellers and manufacturers who look to the agency to move at pace and execute to plan and budget.

This is a great time to join. Recent promotions within the team have created space for a new Event Manager, and there is a proven path to progress – Event Managers in the team have gone on to become Lead Event Manager and Event Director.

Day-to-day includes:

• Lead the ideation, creation, management and delivery of large-scale live (and where required, virtual) events in the UK and internationally
• Build strong client relationships, understanding their objectives, audiences and desired outcomes, and acting as a trusted day-to-day contact
• Develop detailed, creative proposals and event concepts designed to surprise and delight clients and their audiences
• Own pre-event planning, project plans and documentation, team briefings, venue liaison, supplier management and contracts
• Own project budgets, maintaining accurate budget sheets, timesheets, reconciliations and invoicing
• Manage venues, suppliers and contracts, balancing quality, client expectations and commercial performance
• Brief and coordinate internal teams and external partners so everyone understands the plan and their role in delivery
• Lead on-site delivery, remaining calm and solutions-focused in a fast-paced event environment
• Ensure client reporting requirements are met, helping demonstrate the value and ROI of each programme
• Identify and research opportunities for new clients, events and programmes to help grow the business
• Embrace digital tools and AI to improve project management, efficiency and the client experience

The company puts people first. As part of an employee-owned business, you'll join a team that values curiosity, collaboration and accountability, celebrates success, and invests in your development. You'll be given ownership and autonomy, with support there when you need it, working alongside outgoing, welcoming and hardworking people who take pride in delivering excellence.

The package

• Opportunity to own large, creative events for world-leading brands at an award-winning, employee-owned agency
• Annual bonus of up to 10%
• Hybrid working (2–3 days in the Deddington office) and flexible hours
• 20 days' holiday plus bank holidays, rising yearly to 25 days
• Half a day off for your birthday and a paid volunteering day
• Training budget and support for your development, including AI know-how
• Employer pension and life cover
• Employee Assistance Programme, annual flu jab and eye tests
• Cycle scheme, fruit and snacks – and office dogs are welcome!
• Annual Network Railcard
• One-month sabbatical and long-service awards

To be successful...

• 5–10 years' experience in event management, ideally within an events or marketing agency, with a proven track record of delivering large, complex projects in a fast-paced environment
• Strong project management skills, with meticulous attention to detail and confidence managing deadlines, budgets, suppliers and multiple workstreams
• Commercially minded, with experience owning budgets, contracts and reconciliations
• Creative, with the ability to generate ideas that make a real impact
• Personable and confident, building strong client relationships and delighting clients at every opportunity
• A self-starter with high levels of energy, enthusiasm and resilience under pressure
• Comfortable with international travel and the flexibility required around live event delivery, including some late nights when events require it