Business Development Representative

Emerald; Alpharetta (GA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited vacation

401(k) match

Medical coverage

Flexible locations

Job summary

Emerald seeks a high-energy Business Development professional to grow revenue across our trade shows and conferences. You will identify target companies, initiate conversations, and qualify opportunities for our Account Executives to close.

You will use Gong, Salesforce, and other tools to build a strong pipeline through modern outbound prospecting, with coaching and clear performance goals guiding a path into an Account Executive career track.

Qualifications

• 0–2 years of sales or related client-facing roles.
• Comfortable with outbound calls and emails.
• Tech savvy: Salesforce and quick to learn new tools.
• Organized and self-directed with task and deadline discipline.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Research exhibitor and sponsor accounts using industry intel.
• Build targeted lists and run multi-threaded outreach cadences.
• Qualify prospects through short discovery conversations.
• Create personalized outreach linking prospects to Emerald’s events.
• Partner with Account Executives for smooth handoff and research sharing.
• Collaborate with Marketing and attendee teams on lead quality and campaigns.
• Stay current on industry trends and competitive events.
• Occasionally assist with pricing conversations.

Skills

Outbound outreach

CRM experience

Research

Communication

Organized

Tools

Salesforce

Gong

Job description

Emerald is looking for a high-energy Business Development pro to help grow revenue across our portfolio of trade shows and conferences. You’ll be the person who finds the right companies to talk to, starts the conversation, and qualifies opportunities for our Account Executives to close.

If you like digging into research, testing what messaging works, and using tools like Gong and Salesforce to build a pipeline, you’ll fit right in. You’ll help create pipeline through modern outbound prospecting — combining research, signal-based targeting, and consultative outreach. This is a fast-paced, “learn by doing” role with clear coaching, measurable goals, and a strong path into an Account Executive career track. This role combines research, signal-based targeting, and consultative outreach.

This position will be based out of our Alpharetta, GA or New York City, NY office.

Why this role matters: You’ll create the early-stage pipeline—turning target accounts into real conversations and qualified opportunities that become pipeline and revenue.

Responsibilities:

• Research net-new exhibitor and sponsor accounts using ZoomInfo industry intelligence, and signal-based prospecting(intent, trigger events, engagement signals).
• Build targeted lists and run multi-threaded outreach cadences (email, phone, social) while keeping clean notes and next steps in Salesforce.
• Qualify prospects through short discovery conversations—understanding business pain, priorities, stakeholders, decisions process, and timing so we focus on high-potential opportunities.
• Create personalized outreach that connects a prospect’s business goals to the value of Emerald’s events (ROI, audience, leads, brand visibility).
• Partner closely with Account Executives for a smooth handoff—sharing research, key contacts, conversation notes, and recommended next steps.
• Collaborate with Marketing and attendee teams to share feedback on lead quality, personas, and campaigns—then adjust targeting and messaging accordingly.
• Stay current on industry trends, competitor events, and emerging categories; bring new ideas for who we should be selling to next.
• Occasionally support the close by stepping in to run pricing/package conversations when needed.

Qualifications:

• 0–2 years of experience in sales, customer success, recruiting, fundraising, hospitality, or another role where you had to build relationships and hit goals (internships count).
• Comfortable with outbound outreach (calls + email) and willing to practice, iterate, and get better fast.
• Tech savvy: experience using Salesforce (or another CRM) and confidence learning new tools quickly.
• Organized and self-directed—you can manage a daily outreach plan, follow-ups, and deadlines without things slipping.
• Strong communication skills: you can write clear, professional messages and speak confidently with new people.
• Be a consultative partner. Apply structured discovery to understand business pain, priorities, stakeholders, and decision process.
• Ability to travel up to 30% (some events require on-site time).

Success Metrics:

• You will be measured on pipeline created, qualified opportunities, conversion, target account penetration, activity effectiveness.

Nice to have:

• Experience with Gong, ZoomInfo, sales engagement tools, or list-building tools.
• Comfort with light data analysis (Excel/Google Sheets) to track activity and results.
• Interest in events, media, marketing, or B2B communities—and curiosity about how businesses grow.

What success looks like (first 90 days):

First 30 Days
Learn markets, messaging, systems, and outreach standards.

60 Days
Consistently execute outbound cadence and generate qualified meetings.

90 Days
Create repeatable pipeline contribution and begin influencing targeting and messaging.

About Emerald

At Emerald, we strive to foster a diverse and inclusive community. We actively recruit and champion candidates who bring new perspectives from varied professional backgrounds and experiences, and we are intentional about ensuring a positive hiring experience for everyone. Our job postings don’t contain experience inflation, and most don’t require college degrees. Instead, they’re crafted to focus on outcomes and transferable experiences that are assessed in a structured interview process carried out by trained hiring teams.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Please note that this range reflects a reasonable estimate of the target compensation for this position. This range may ultimately vary based on a candidate’s qualifications and may be higher where required by applicable law.

We offer a competitive benefits package designed to strengthen our employees’ physical and mental health, including unlimited vacation for exempt employees, flexible working locations, 401(k) plan with a company match, medical/dental/vision coverage with inclusive provisions including transgender services and fertility benefits, parental and caregiver leave, dependent, commuter and FSA benefits, professional development programs like Toastmasters, and mental wellness tools.

If you need accommodation in our application process or have questions about our posted salary range, please email our Talent Acquisition team at [e-mail].

About Emerald

Emerald’s talented and experienced teams grow our customers’ businesses 365 days a year with products that create connections, deliver content, and drive commerce. We produce over 140 annual events, create and deliver content through print and digital channels, and power commerce through our seamlessly integrated in-person and digital platforms and channels. For more information, please visit http://www.emeraldx.com.