Trade Events Executive - FTC until April 2027

Carnival UK (P&O Cruises & Cunard); Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee discounts on cruises

Leave entitlement 25+ days

Health plan / Health cash plan

Pension scheme

Life Assurance

Employee Shares Plan

Employee Assistance & Wellbeing

Onsite restaurant

Job summary

Carnival UK is seeking a Trade Events Executive on a fixed-term contract until April 2027, with hybrid working up to two days from home. You will plan and deliver trade events for P&O Cruises and Cunard to strengthen relationships with travel agents and support our trade engagement strategy.

Responsibilities include end-to-end event logistics, budgets, stakeholder coordination with Sales, Marketing and Training, and evaluating event effectiveness to drive improvements.

Qualifications

• Experience in administrative or coordination roles, preferably in travel or events.
• Strong organisation and project management skills for multiple priorities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Proficient in Excel and data handling in a commercial environment.

Responsibilities

• Plan, coordinate and deliver trade events across P&O Cruises and Cunard.
• Manage end-to-end event logistics, guest lists, travel, venues and partners.
• Coordinate input from Sales, Marketing and Training for seamless delivery.
• Manage budgets and evaluate event effectiveness to drive improvements.

Skills

Administrative coordination

Event planning

Stakeholder management

Strong Excel/data handling

Travel/events experience

Job description

Job Description

In our continuous journey of growth and innovation at Carnival UK, we are seeking an Trade Events Executive on an FTC until April 2027 to bring fresh insights and expertise to our CUK Commerce department.

Role Overview

Working across P&O Cruises and Cunard, the Trade Events team delivers engaging trade experiences that strengthen relationships with travel agents, build brand knowledge and confidence, and support our wider trade engagement strategy.

This pivotal role will involve:

• Planning, coordinating and delivering trade events and experiences across P&O Cruises and Cunard, including ship visits, familiarisation trips, award ceremonies and industry events.
• Managing end-to-end event logistics, including project plans, guest lists, attendee communications, travel, accommodation, venues, onboard arrangements, suppliers and event partners.
• Building strong working relationships across Sales, Marketing, Brand and Training, coordinating stakeholder input to deliver seamless, brand-aligned experiences.
• Managing event budgets and evaluating event effectiveness, using feedback and engagement outcomes to continuously improve future trade events and experiences.

This role is positioned at CUK10 level within our organisation and is available on a full-time, fixed term basis until April 2027. We offer hybrid work including up to two days from home.

What You'll Bring

Your unique background and skills are what will make you stand out. We're looking for:

• Experience in an administrative or coordination role, ideally within travel or events, with experience planning and delivering events of varying scale.
• Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, locations and complex event logistics effectively.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management experience, with the ability to work effectively with internal teams, suppliers, partners and attendees.
• Strong Excel and data handling capability, with experience in a commercial or client-facing environment

About You: The Ideal Candidate

You are more than just your CV. You're someone who brings:

• A highly organised approach with strong attention to detail and the ability to take ownership of event delivery.
• A proactive, adaptable and resilient approach when plans or priorities change at short notice.
• Strong communication skills, proactively keeping stakeholders informed and building effective working relationships.
• Flexibility and a willingness to get involved, including supporting travel and occasional evening or weekend events.

Application Guidance

Diversity is our strength, and we encourage applications from those with varied experiences, whether you meet every listed requirement or not. If you’re passionate about our guests and looking for an opportunity to grow, we’d love to hear from you.

Why Join Us?

Working with us means more than just a role. It’s about being part of a team that values well-being and personal growth.

Read our employee experience guide to learn more about life as a Carnival UK colleague here.

Here’s what we offer:

• Employee Discounted Cruising plus Friends and Family offers
• Minimum 25 days leave, bank holiday allowance and holiday trading scheme
• Recognition scheme with prizes and awards
• Regular office events including live entertainment, lifestyle events and charity partner fundraisers
• Extensive learning and development opportunities
• Employee-led networks
• Employee Assistance and Wellbeing programmes
• Company paid Health Cash Plan and health assessment
• In-house Occupational Health help and access to digital GP
• Life Assurance
• Parental and adoption leave
• Employee Shares Plan
• Electric Car and Cycle to Work schemes
• Onsite restaurant offering range of healthy cooked and grab and go meals
• Discounted retail and leisure via discounts portal
• Contributory Defined Contribution Pension scheme
• A friendly welcome with help settling in

Due to the popularity of our roles and our commitment to finding the best talent, we might close applications earlier than advertised. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to become part of a team dedicated to creating unforgettable holiday happiness.

Recruitment Journey

For more information on your recruitment journey, please visit our Candidate Journey Map.

#CUK

#Job Functions: Administrative; Marketing;

About Us

Holidays are one of life’s greatest pleasures. Having the chance to relax, escape and explore is a magical thing. And there is no better holiday than a cruise.

No one knows cruising like Carnival UK, where talented people from across the globe come together to create unforgettable holiday happiness. As part of the world’s largest holiday travel and leisure company, we take enormous pride in bringing to life two of the most iconic brands from Britain’s rich seafaring heritage, P&O Cruises and Cunard. Collectively they have been delivering unbridled joy, boundless adventure and lifelong memories to millions of people for over 350 years. And in a multi-million pound global holiday market, where cruising has barely scratched the surface, we have the opportunity to do that for many, many more people.

Our diverse yet tight knit teams share high standards, heartfelt values and passion for our purpose. Our Culture Essentials describe the expectations we have for ourselves and of each other, in building a culture that supports safe, sustainable, compliant operations and celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion.

It’s through the successful delivery of these extraordinary travel experiences for our target markets and our distinctive culture, that we hope to become Travel’s Employer of Choice.