Director, Experiential Marketing

With millions of diners, 60,000+ restaurant partners and 25+ years of experience, OpenTable, part of Booking Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), is an industry leader with a passion for helping restaurants thrive. Our world-class technology empowers restaurants to focus on what matters most – their team, their guests, and their bottom line – while enabling diners to discover and book the perfect restaurant for every occasion. 

Every employee at OpenTable has a tangible impact on what we do and how we do it. You’ll also be part of a global team that includes and its portfolio of metasearch brands. Hospitality is all about taking care of others, and it defines our culture.

OpenTable is seeking a highly experienced and visionary Director of Experiential Marketing to lead our strategy for how our brand shows up in brick and mortar moments and amplify those moments, digitally. This is a Director of Marketing level role, responsible for a mature function with significant opportunity to elevate it to the next level. You will oversee all aspects of our B2C (diners), B2B (restaurants, specific focus on key accounts), and Partner (Uber, Visa, technology partners) events, play a critical role in strengthening our brand, engaging our communities, and driving business growth.  This team is evolving from an events focused role to support thought leadership within our digital platforms e.g. webinars or PR amplification. Additionally, the team is newly responsible for pitching brand partners alongside the Partnership team and connecting strategies with restaurants and key industry talent. 

We are looking for a senior leader who is not only detail-oriented and capable of hands-on execution when needed, but also possesses the strategic foresight to simplify complex initiatives and effectively communicate at the executive level. This individual will be a master at managing up, streamlining and simplifying operations, managing budget scenarios, translating event goals into tangible business impact, and inspiring a high-performing team.

This is a hybrid role with the expectation to work from our Norwalk, CT office 2 days per week.

Key Responsibilities:

• Global Event Strategy & Vision: Develop and execute a comprehensive global events strategy that aligns with OpenTable's overall marketing and business objectives across diner, restaurant, and co-marketing with industry partners and other brands. Identify new and innovative in-person opportunities to enhance brand presence, drive engagement, and generate leads.

• Connect brand partnership dollars to industry icons within OpenTable events and other merchandisable moments. 

• Build digital platform for brand moments: Leverage newly created programs like Notes from the Table and All on the Line webinar series to bring the boldest voices in the industry together on our platform to tell stories and inspire digitally and in person. 

• Team Leadership & Development: Lead, mentor, and inspire a high-performing team of event professionals. Foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the team and across the organization (in partnership with Sales and Account Management). Oversee team structure and professional development.

• B2C Event Management: Strategize, plan, and execute engaging events for OpenTable diners (e.g., experiential dining events, culinary festivals, consumer activations) that enhance brand loyalty and drive platform usage.

• B2B Event Management: Oversee the strategy and execution of events for restaurant partners (e.g., industry conferences, webinars, workshops, product launches, hospitality summits) that support restaurant acquisition, retention, and product adoption.

• Partner Event Management: Develop and manage joint event initiatives with key technology providers and other partners to leverage co-marketing opportunities, expand reach, and deliver shared business outcomes.

• Budget Management & ROI: Own the global events budget, ensuring fiscal responsibility and maximizing return on investment. Develop clear KPIs and measurement frameworks for all events, demonstrating their impact on business goals. Determine methodology for tracking attribution and impact of each event category and manage the associated storytelling internally. 

• Vendor & Agency Management and top Customer / Prospect engagement: Identify, onboard, and manage relationships with external vendors, agencies, and venues to ensure high-quality execution and cost-effectiveness.  Additionally, act as face of brand with prospect and customer restaurants.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely across Marketing, Sales/ Account Management (Restaurant Sales and Service), Product, PR, and Legal teams to ensure seamless event integrat