Sr. Marketing Manager, Events

Nex (Playground); San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation package

Flexible working hours and vacation

Product-driven culture

Front-row seat with cutting edge tech

Job summary

Nex is a San Jose-based company seeking a Sr. Marketing Manager, Events, to own Nex's global events program, including trade shows, press events, influencer pop-ups, and consumer experiences. You will lead agencies, collaborate with PR and design, and travel extensively to execute events worldwide.

This senior individual contributor role requires 8+ years in event/experiential marketing, with proven success running large shows and international events in tech, gaming, or toys.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in event marketing, experiential marketing, or trade shows.
• Proven experience running large trade shows and international events end to end.
• Background in consumer technology, gaming, or toys is strongly preferred.
• Experience managing event agencies, production vendors, and significant budgets.

Responsibilities

• Global Events Strategy: Build and own the annual global events calendar, tied to launch plans, brand goals, and international expansion.
• Trade Shows & Industry Conferences: Plan and execute Nex’s presence at major consumer tech, gaming, and toy industry shows and conferences.
• Press, Influencer & Community Events: Partner with PR to plan press events, product previews, and launch moments.
• Agency & Production Management: Lead event agencies, fabricators, and production vendors, from briefs and timelines to budgets and delivery.
• International Events: Adapt events for international markets in partnership with local teams, PR agencies, and partners.

Skills

Event marketing

Experiential marketing

Trade shows

Budget management

Vendor management

Project management

Job description

Nex is on a mission to help families rediscover the joy of movement. Created by parents for parents, Nex combines technology and play to deliver fun, social, and interactive experiences powered by natural body motion, encouraging kids and adults to move more, play more, and have fun together. Nex Playground, the company’s award-winning active play system, is purpose-built to get families moving year-round, with safety and privacy as core considerations in its intentional design. It is certified kidSAFE+ COPPA compliant and built to support healthy, active play for all ages and abilities.

Nex Playground features a growing library of 50+ experiences, including motion and dance games, fitness and educational experiences, and Nex Originals. Content includes collaborations with partners like Hasbro, Sesame Workshop, and NBCUniversal. Nex has been recognized by Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, TIME’s Best Inventions, and Parents’ Best Entertainment System for Families, and has earned Red Dot, IDEA, and Core77 international design awards. We encourage you to explore Have FunandIs Motion Gaming Back?, as they offer a deeper look into our culture, values, and explain how our approach to motion gaming differs from previous generations.

Location:San Jose, California (Hybrid)
Annual salary:USD 140,000 - USD 185,000
Type:Full Time
Reports to:VP of Marketing

The Role

As our Sr. Marketing Manager, Events, you will own Nex's global events program. That includes trade shows, industry conferences, press events, influencer pop-ups, and consumer and community events, in the US and internationally.

Nex Playground is best understood by playing it. Your events will put the product in people's hands and create the moments that press, partners, creators, and families remember. You'll lead event agencies and production resources, and partner closely with PR, Design, and the broader marketing team to bring each event to life.

This is a senior individual contributor role with no direct reports. Expect roughly half your events in the US and half internationally, with significant travel throughout the year.

What You'll Do

Global Events Strategy

• Build and own the annual global events calendar, tied to launch plans, brand goals, and international expansion.
• Decide where Nex shows up and why, and set clear goals for every event.
• Own the events budget and measure results, from leads and press coverage to content and consumer reach.

Trade Shows & Industry Conferences

• Plan and execute Nex’s presence at major consumer tech, gaming, and toy industry shows and conferences.
• Lead booth concept, demo experience, meeting programs, and on-site operations.
• Make every show a great place to experience Nex Playground and meet the team.

Press, Influencer & Community Events

• Partner with PR to plan press events, product previews, and launch moments.
• Create influencer pop-ups that generate authentic content and conversation.
• Deliver consumer and community events where families can play together and share the experience.

Agency & Production Management

• Lead event agencies, fabricators, and production vendors, from briefs and timelines to budgets and delivery.
• Collaborate with Design on booths, signage, and collateral that feel distinctly Nex.
• Serve as the on-site lead, solving problems in real time so the experience feels effortless.

International Events

• Adapt events for international markets in partnership with local teams, PR agencies, and partners.
• Navigate regional logistics, vendors, and cultural expectations with care.
• 50% US Event support, 50% international events

What You'll Bring

Experience

• 8+ years in event marketing, experiential marketing, or trade show management.
• Proven experience running large trade shows and international events end to end.
• Background in consumer technology, gaming, or toys is strongly preferred.
• Experience managing event agencies, production vendors, and significant budgets.

Skills & Strengths

• Exceptional project management, with command of timelines, logistics, and budgets.
• Strong negotiator with vendors and venues.
• An eye for experience design, especially hands-on product demos.
• Clear communicator who keeps PR, Design, and cross-functional partners aligned.

Collaboration & Mindset

• Calm, resourceful, and decisive on-site.
• Comfortable in a small, fast-moving environment with evolving priorities.
• Willing and able to travel extensively, about half of it international, including around show schedules and weekends.
• Passion for creating joyful, memorable experiences for families and fans.

What Success Looks Like

• Deliver a brand-building calendar of major events and activations across the year that fuel consumer awareness of Nex Playground and position the company for strong organic growth via exposure, earned media (PR), and social media currency
• Orchestrate events around the world with high return-on-investment, and premium positioning for the brand to fuel local recognition and provide aircover for international market GTM initiatives
• Drive quality of execution while staying on budget and orchestrate engagement from all relevant stakeholders including marketing, BD, Business team, product, design, retail, and leadership teams.
• Show how major events contributes to the awareness growth of Nex and Nex Playground and ties directly to marketing goals and KPIs—through high-impact impressions and reach. Quality of impressions should translate into tangible metrics that fuel the business and the brand concurrently.
• This role is highly cross-functional, the needs of a variety of business functions should feel empowered by the events and activations that Nex invests in to tell our story with quality and ROI.

We Offer

• Competitive compensation package.
• Flexible working hours and vacation policy.
• Product-driven culture that treasures talents and individual growth.
• Front-row seat and hands-on experience with cutting edge technologies in the evolving gaming field

Nex is located inSan Jose, California, USAandHongKong. Learn more about us at https://www.nexplayground.com/about.
We encourage applications even if you don’t meet more than 50% of the requirements — we believe that experience comes in many forms!

Nex is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all individuals at every stage of the employment relationship, including all current and prospective employees, and covers all employment decisions including recruitment, hiring, job assignment, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, discipline and termination.

We are committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment and to fostering an inclusive environment for all employees.