Head, Audience Engagement - Finovate

Informa PLC; London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Informa Festivals seeks a Head of Audience Engagement to lead VIP relations and manage an audience engagement team for the Finovate portfolio. This dynamic role requires effective communication and strong leadership to enhance audience participation and drive event success in a fast-paced environment.

Benefits

Flexible working

Annual leave of up to 27 days

Company-funded healthcare

Career development opportunities

ShareMatch scheme

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in Audience Engagement.
• Experience in a managerial role.
• Proactive with excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Audience Engagement team.
• Lead VIP relationship management for events.
• Plan and execute Audience Engagement strategies.

Skills

Audience Engagement

Leadership

Communication

Strategic Thinking

Research

Job description

Informa Festivals marks an exciting new chapter in B2B events, bringing some of the world's most influential creative, technology and business festivals together. We’re combining prestigious brands like Cannes Lions, Black Hat, Money20/20 and London Tech Week with cutting-edge marketing intelligence platforms and advisory services to deliver unmissable experiences and insights.

Our festival-led approach reimagines traditional B2B events, creating powerful, immersive experiences that drive innovation and industry advancement. Building on decades of expertise and powered by Informa's international reach, we're shaping the next generation of business festivals.

We’re part of Informa, a global business with a network of trusted brands in specialist markets across more than 30 countries, and a member of the FTSE 100 who are #3 in Glassdoor's Best Places to Work 2025 UK list.

Job Description

This role is based 3 days in240 Blackfriars Rd, London SE1 8BF, UK

The position of Head of Audience Engagement – Finovate is one of high responsibility and accountability within Informa Festivals. The successful candidate will help lead a team as well as community building and relationship management – with VIPs and other key stakeholders - for the Finovate portfolio, taking responsibility for a broad range of events, managing team members and assisting with the overall audience strategy for the portfolio. The environment is fast paced and challenging and you will be working on multiple projects at once. Demonstrable experience in a managerial role and in Audience Engagement is essential.

The successful candidate will take a leading role in supporting and contributing to the growth across Finovate and fintech portfolio. The position is best suited to a self-motivated and confident individual who is happy to work individually and as part of a team and is willing to get involved in driving the VIP community and team forward.

The Head of Audience Engagement - Finovateis a motivated, resourceful, and responsible individual who relishes working in a fast-paced environment on multi-event portfolios. This role will be reporting to the brand strategy director/show lead and we are looking for someone who is aproactive, highly organized, outgoing professional,a real team player, and has excellent communication skills.

Key responsibilities:

• Responsible for managing entire Audience Engagement team
• Responsible for annual resource planning for entire portfolio
• Taking the lead role in planning all aspects of VIP campaigns and responsible for ensuring the same for those of your direct reports and team working on specific project.
• Leading all aspects of event projects when multiple audience engagement team members are working on a specific event.
• Leads the expansion of the audience within the events that you work on (VIPs and key influences) using email, research, relationship building and your network.
• Utilising email design best practice and our ‘Tone of Voice’ copywriting principles to maximise conversions.
• Lead communications with the wider Audience Engagement team, conference producers, sales team members, marketing, speakers and sponsors to identify key industry community members and VIPs to invite to our events.
• Identify and contact selected qualified individuals toconfirmattendance andsecure their participationinvarious structurednetworking and/or socialformats.
• Ensure VIP confirmations are logged and uploaded to the system (Visit/SAP)
• Meet and greet VIPs onsite at each event, ensure they are looked after, and participate in the proposed networking/social/sponsored programs.
• Ensure that VIPs have a superior customer experience pre-event, onsite and post-event.
• Build strong relationships with VIPs to create brand commitment and loyalty.
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders across all areas of the division
• Ensure successful delivery of private functions such as VIP Dinners, Breakfast Briefings, and 1-to-1 Meetings
• Conduct research with audience to collect feedback and suggest improvements pre-event, onsite and post-event.
• Help develop the online community through digital media channels.
• Confidently validate the eligibility of incoming requests for VIP (and other key stakeholder) passes.
• Ensure social media presence is strong actively engaging with VIP audience, creating engaging posts and contributing where relevant
• Lead training, mentoring and coaching of entire team
• Manage the implementation of new products and process by working with wider teams and senior leadership team
• Identifying and working with media partners, community partners and industry associations to boost event profile and forge partnerships to assist with bringing their relevant VIP members to our events
• Create, maintain and adapt processes across the portfolio

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in Audience Engagement
• Demonstrable experience in a managerial role is essential (Good leadership qualities demonstrated)
• Motivator
• Demonstrable ability to set plans and manage deliveryacross range of events
• Demonstrable prior experience incollaborating effectively within vertical andcross-vertical(Internally)
• Strategic thinker
• Commercially minded and focused
• Can demonstrate active participation in successful and effectivecross-org workinggroups and initiatives
• Research experience
• Demonstrable growth mindset

Additional Information

We work hard to make sure Life at Informa is rewarding, supportive and enjoyable for everyone. Here’s some of what you can expect when you join us. But don’t just take our word for it – see what our colleagues have to sayLifeAt.Informa.com

Our benefits include:

• Freedom & flexibility: colleagues rate us highly for the flexibility and trust they receive and most of us balance time in the office with time working remotely
• Great community: a welcoming culture with in-person and online social events, our fantastic Walk the World charity day and active diversity and inclusion networks
• Broader impact: take up to four days per year to volunteer, with charity match funding available too
• Career opportunity: the opportunity to develop your career with bespoke training and learning, mentoring platforms and on-demand access to thousands of courses on LinkedIn Learning. When it’s time for the next step, we encourage and support internal job moves
• Time out: 25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after two years, plus a birthday leave day and the chance to work from (almost!) anywhere for up to four weeks a year
• A flexible range of personal benefits to choose from, plus company funded private medical cover
• A ShareMatch scheme that allows you to become an Informa shareholder with free matching shares
• Strong wellbeing support through EAP assistance, mental health first aiders, a healthy living subsidy, access to health apps and more
• Recognition for great work, with global awards and kudos programmes
• As an international company, the chance to collaborate with teams around the world

We’re not solely focused on a checklist of skills. We champion energy and ambition and look for colleagues who will roll their sleeves up, join in and help make things happen. If it sounds like a match and you have most – although not all – of the skills and experience listed, we welcome your application.

At Informa, you'll find inclusive experiences and environments where all perspectives and backgrounds are welcomed. As part of this approach and our diversity and inclusion commitments, we are also formally an Equal Opportunities Employer. This means we base decisions on relevant qualifications and merit and do not discriminate on the basis of key characteristics and statuses, including all of those protected by law. Ask us or see our website for full information.

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