Senior Experiential Manager (Tour Manager)

 

THE JOB / 2026 FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola Team Manager

EXPERIENCES / Responsible for planning and executing event and experiential marketing programs.

***Our headquarters is in Stamford, CT, but the location of this position can be flexible with a priority given to candidates open to hybrid work (2-3 days week in office) in one of our office locations - - Stamford, CT, New York, NY, Charlotte, NC, Los Angeles, CA, Chicago, IL, or Atlanta, GA. We will also consider a remote-based working arrangement for qualified candidates with East Coast working hours as a prerequisite.”

Octagon is in search of an experienced Senior Account Manager to become a key player in the global project team of the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola. As part of the core team, you will work up close with the world’s most iconic sporting asset, for one of the world’s best loved and biggest brands.

The role is a 100% commitment to delivering a best-in-class global tour, for a client with extremely high expectations and vast experience in this area. 2026 will mark the 6th edition of the tour and the second time Octagon will serve as the lead agency for the Tour.

The role will encompass client management, working with different Coca-Cola markets around North America (Canada, Mexico, US), along with supporting other countries around and world, spanning time zones, business objectives and the full range of football interest levels. We work in fluid environments with complex layers of stakeholders, and the applicant should be comfortable with this.

As a member of the traveling team, the Team Manager will be required to travel internationally and domestically and work weekends. Candidates should, ideally, have an interest in soccer and familiarity with the soccer landscape.  

The Team Manager will serve as the day-to-day team organizer while on tour, from a hospitality, well-being and administration point of view. They will be the go-to person regarding flight manifests, uniform management and distribution, medical support/liaison for the team as necessary, visas, luggage, motivation plan, F&B and team admin matters. The role may also cover carnets (passport for goods), customs, security and insurances.

The Team Manager will aid the wider project team where needed to develop and execute their markets plans in accordance with the Host Countries and Global Program Guidelines in order to meet Coca-Cola Business Goals. You will also liaise with each visited market in advance to secure hotel accommodation and other surrounding reservations for the duration on the stay, to strict protocols. You will be part of a dedicated Host Countries and Global Tour project team, all pulling in the same direction and dedicated for their full billable time to the program.

The roles kick off in February 2025 and will require management of an Account Manager (Team Manager #2) who will be onboarded in April 2025 through to September 2026. The role will involve extensive away from home travel, inconvenient working hours as you navigate clients in different territories, minimal sleep, and the absolute experience of a lifetime. This is a true once-in-a-career opportunity for a driven, organized and diligent Senior Account Manager.

THE WORK YOU’LL DO

Local Markets

• Work with markets and hotels to arrange full team accommodation, and other local requirements. Liaise directly with all hotels on booking, room configurations, meals and payment
• Support team members on requirements for advance trips to local markets as needed
• Understand local visa (with specialist agency support) and travel vaccination requirements

Global & Host Country Team

• Contribute to writing the Global Guidelines – a toolkit for global program activation and plan for local markets to leverage against – covering the topics relevant to your role
• Support in operational/logistical planning as needed for Global and Host Country team event deliverables, including a Test Event
• Research, plan, support and ensure compliance to full requirements for visas and vaccinations for all global team members
• Research, plan and run – with the Project Leads, all team meetings, team building and motivational activities both pre, during and post tour. Attention to detail, creativity and thorough planning will be key here
• Support with reporting for the After Action Review (recapping) for your areas, to ensure full de-brief and learnings captured

Tour Execution

• Managing the teams’ movements and wellbeing on a day-to-day basis with the Tour Directors and Market Leads
• Being largely based at the hotel to ensure all team members have support where needed
• Frequent check-i