Director, Experiential Production (U.S. East Coast)

Company Description

Dentsu Creative, part of the Dentsu Aegis Network, is a global creative agency comprised of pioneers and practitioners of lifestyle marketing. We specialize in delivering strategic, business-oriented marketing solutions for leading brands via sport and entertainment, live experiences, retail marketing, enterprise/business-to-business engagement and sponsorship marketing. One of the guiding principles upon which Dentsu Creative was founded is that our people matter – to the work we do and the environment we've built. We are committed to constantly evolving, refining and inventing innovative brand engagements through deeper understanding of how people think, work and live their lives. Headquartered in New York City, we have 1,600 employees and 7,000 Brand Ambassadors operating in 32 offices globally, with reach in 19 markets across the Americas, EMEA and APAC. 

Candidates for this position must be located in Eastern U.S.A. 

Job Description

Plan and activate brand events and oversee the quality and execution of consumer experiences. Specific responsibilities include: event sourcing, investment evaluation, sponsorship negotiation, budget creation/management, event staffing, vendor communications, timeline management, asset logistics, and on-site execution.  You will manage all of these responsibilities for the largest activations on our Diageo events calendar.  The position is not specific to one market or Diageo Division and will instead work across multiple territories with a variety of Diageo clients and MKTG Producers to bring large events like music festivals and food and wine shows to life. This role reports directly to the Dentsu Creative VP of Activation.

You will:

• Oversee event planning and activation at select large events in the East, ensuring all activation deliverables are met
• Activate events according to brand guidelines and ensure execution is consistent with brand standards
• Work with local market Producers to activate Tier One events in their market, mentoring and teaching those who are not familiar with the size and scale of Tier One events
• Assist local market Producers in sourcing event opportunities that align with brand goals
• Coordinate staffing and logistics for non-premise brand experiences (event staffing, asset transportation, product delivery)
• Lead on-site production and provide experienced on-site PM to lead (asset facilitation, consumer sampling, hospitality, content capture)
• Be the contact for clarification, decisions concerning development items, trouble shooting, and issue escalation
• Assist in management of local storage and inventory of event assets, POS and general event supplies
• Work with all vendors, including insurance carriers
• Procure permits, civic documents, structural engineering and all other permits / paperwork required for events
• Responsible for post event recaps, feedback, goal event data recaps and insights on all events
• Consult and evaluate potential local market sponsorship opportunities and ensure they align against brand goals
• Partner with event organizers and negotiate event sponsorships that maximize brand impact and value
• Work with local market Producers on client and partner communication, challenges, and solutions specific to the relevant Tier One event at hand
• Manage pre / during / post event communications, ensuring any issues or changes that might affect events are escalated or approved through proper channels and documented
• Manage event budget creation, implementation, expense tracking and management, and reporting
• Help manage the PO system and project budget tracking

• Provide budgetary input on event cost expenditures for each Tier One event
• Help build and manage a local team of part-time event staff (production assistants, brand ambassadors, specialists) in relevant major Eastern markets such as Chicago, New York, Texas and South Florida.
• Ensure activation is planned for and performed in compliance with state event regulations, local sampling laws, company policies, and client marketing codes
• Ensure that part-time event staff are understanding of activation goals and local compliance

Qualifications

You have:

• 7+ years of experience producing experiential / event production projects within an agency or brand side marketing or communications environment
• Thorough knowledge of beer and spirits industry
• Team leader mentality with superior management and organization prowess
• Strong budget management skills
• Experienced negotiator with an aptitude to finding solutions that will generate measurable results for the client
• Experience tying brand strategy and sponsorship to experiential events
• Experience in at least one additional specializ