Sr. Partner Relations Manager

George P. Johnson Experience Marketing; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

George P. Johnson Experience Marketing (GPJ) is seeking a Sr. Partner Relations Manager to lead sponsor relations for top clients in a hybrid work model.

You will manage sponsorship strategy, activate partnerships at trade shows and conferences, and coordinate end-to-end logistics with internal teams and vendors. You will guide a small team, drive ROI for sponsors, develop a detailed project plan, and ensure timely delivery of all sponsorship deliverables.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in relevant field.
• 6+ years of event management experience.
• 3+ years of sponsorship experience.

Responsibilities

• Palm sponsorship operations and logistics coordination.
• Lead project plans and ensure timely sponsorship deliverables.
• Oversee sponsorship technology and portal management.
• Develop sponsor communications and conduct cadence calls.
• Drive sponsorship sales strategy and client ROI.
• Mentor and train team members; onboard new staff.
• Collaborate with sponsors to define and measure KPIs.

Skills

Project management

Team leadership

Sponsorship strategy

Stakeholder management

Event management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Cvent

RainFocus

Smartsheets

Google Suite

Job description

Our Opportunity

GPJ is hiring a Sr. Partner Relations Manager to support various clients.

This role is hybrid, requiring you to report on-site to one of the following office locations a minimum of 2 days/week: Austin, Boston, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York City, or San Francisco.

Your Role

The Senior Partner Relations Manager would cultivate a strong relationship with the client while providing strategy to build a sponsorship program within the tradeshow and conference spaces. Once completed, they would efficiently manage the end-to-end logistical aspects of partnership agreements and sponsorship activations, ensuring flawless coordination between our client and their ecosystem of partners from event to event.

The role will consist of a range of responsibilities in client relations, sponsor asset fulfillment, and project management. This person will be a leader on one of our top accounts, and will manage a small team that is dedicated to hitting revenue goals and enhancing partner relationships.

You will be an advocate for the sponsors, ensuring that all sponsorship benefits are fulfilled and the sponsors have a great experience while meeting their return on investment (ROI). You will do all this with a project management focus to ensure all the deliverables are ready for the event.

Responsibilities

Sponsor Operations and Logistics

• Manage cross functional work streams and key stakeholders to ensure that all sponsorship benefits are fulfilled, including but not limited to: Event Technology, General Service Contractor & Other Vendors (i.e. Electrical, Rigging, Labor), Expo Show Floor Management, Content, Registration, Housing, Marketing and Demand Generation, Food & Beverage, Live Production, Security, Operations, Graphics and Creative Teams.

Project Management Emphasis:

• Be a pillar on the sponsorship team while nurturing the relationships with our top client accounts.
• Utilize project management methodologies to plan and execute sponsorship-related tasks.
• Develop and maintain a detailed project plan for sponsorship deliverables.
• Ensure timely completion of all sponsor-related projects to meet event deadlines.
• Ability to review floorplans and provide succinct feedback on how to give sponsors the best attendee flow.

Sponsorship Technology

• Build and manage the exhibitor portal tool (i.e. Rainfocus, Cvent, Swoogo, etc).
• Daily reporting on sponsorship asset delivery to ensure sponsors are meeting event deadlines.
• Consult on sponsorship integration for mobile app and web elements

Communications

• Create and deliver sponsor communications via newsletters, office hours, webinars, and cadence calls.
• Efficiently respond to sponsors in a timely manner in the heavy influx of sponsor email inquiries, as well as proactive follow-up in advance of time sensitive deadlines.
• Drive weekly sponsorship meetings with internal and external stakeholders, including clients and vendors.

Sales & Strategy

• Lead prospectus consulting and development, crafting compelling materials to attract sponsors and exhibitors.
• Design and execute a sales program specifically tailored for tech clients, ensuring operational fulfillment and a focus on surpassing sponsorship revenue goals.
• Identify fresh opportunities for sponsors aligned with the client’s culture and event needs.
• Implement effective tracking mechanisms to evaluate the impact and success of sponsorships.
• Manage the onsite sales suite for sponsorship renewals and relationship building.
• Collaborate closely with sponsors to define and measure key performance indicators (KPIs) for Return on Investment (ROI).
• Analyze data and provide valuable insights to sponsors regarding their ROI.

Internal Affairs

• Lead the SSPM Office Hours.
• Support and train new team members as they onboard to GPJ.
• Take an active role in mentoring ignite coordinators.
• Build and maintain training materials for new team members.

Your Skills

• Excellent organizational and project management skills, paying meticulous attention to both logistical and administrative details.
• Knowledge of and proficiency in the following tools: Cvent, RainFocus, Smartsheets, and Google Suite
• Ability to develop versatile tools that can be repurposed for future events or other client engagements.
• Experience leading a team of professionals who are working as a team, sharing ideas, best practices, and lessons learned in order to continually improve.
• Experience in Sponsorship Sales and/ or Strategy

Your Competencies

Deliver:

Produce with excellence, in all your areas you touch directly or indirectly, for the client, the project you are assigned, and the GPJ team.

Initiative:

Be a proactive consultant and clear communicator at all times to your direct client and partner contacts and GPJ team. Able to package, converse and persuade key clients and end partners of the benefits of participation in the sponsorship.

Solution Oriented:

Focus on the desired outcome and be ready with multiple solutions in order to reach the end goal. Be mindful of the balance between providing unique sponsorship experiences and the cost savings to our clients.

Versatile:

Willing to understand client contracts, procurement requirements and supplier code of conduct, scope and work with the client, and when necessary adapt to any situation in order to complete the task at hand. Action oriented and approach work with a “can do” attitude. When necessary, adapt to any situation in order to complete the task at hand.

Your Impact

In your role, you will have influence and responsibility over:

• Ensuring sponsors are satisfied and well-informed.
• Achieving high scores on sponsor and client surveys, along with strong resign results where applicable.
• Fostering a collaborative team of Partner Relations professionals who are sharing ideas, best practices, and lessons for ongoing improvement.
• Keeping internal and external teams informed about sponsor-related matters.

Your Experience

Bachelor degree in relevant field.

6(+) years’ of event management experience.

3(+) years’ of experience in Sponsorship required, preferably in a Partner Relations role.

Travel & Mobility

Ability to travel 10%

Salary Range: $90-105k

Salary is dependent on a variety of factors including (but not limited to) experience, skills, and location.

Who We Are

GPJ is the world leader in experiential marketing. Our 29 global offices are filled with fearless people dreaming up ideas that are transforming industries and bringing the most respected brands to life in powerfully, exciting ways. We are a part of the Project Worldwide family. An independent, employee-owned global network of complementary, wholly owned agencies.

GPJ is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, citizenship, disability, protected veteran status, or any other protected class. In addition to federal law requirements, GPJ complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. GPJ expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on any protected class.