Associate Director, Food and Beverage Logistics

The Associate Director of Food & Beverage within Conference Logistics will be responsible for leading the flawless execution of world-class food & beverage experiences across our global conference portfolio.

We are seeking an innovative leader with a passion for crafting unique and memorable food & beverage experiences for large-scale events or conferences. This Associate Director will support in establishing a new Center of Excellence within Gartner Conferences to drive an improved food & beverage product to attendees at all Gartner Conferences Globally.

This role will partner closely with the Gartner Conference Logistics team, 3rd party event partners and multiple onsite venue teams to improve upon the creativity, execution, presentation and food quality at Gartner Conferences.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Develop and lead the experience strategy, operating framework and partnerships required for our conference delivery teams to create world-class food and beverage experiences.

• Oversee the operational delivery of food and beverage onsite at our conferences in partnership with our COE leaders to ensure that they are aligned with the overarching strategy and deliver seamless, customer centric service throughout every interaction. 

• Establish a set of standards for the food and beverage experience across all meal functions and receptions at Gartner Conferences, ensuring that the available budget is managed creatively to maximize value.

• Develop regional F&B offerings and menus for regular Gartner venues in partnership with the Conference Logistics team and on-site culinary team while maintaining a balanced budget approach. Provide expertise, guidance and support to the delivery teams when working with new venues

• Be accountable and responsible for the expenses associated with food and beverage initiatives and understand the financial impact of experience changes. Manage the forecast and investment process, ensuring recommendations align with the overall strategy for the conference.

• Create communication standards to help drive attendance and awareness to all attendee receptions and meal functions.

• Partner with 3rd party food and beverage experience experts to help drive Gartner standards on-site at all conferences globally.

• Clearly understand and translate the needs of our audience to create elevated and innovative food and beverage experiences which are meaningful to our customers. Regularly benchmark food and beverage standards against other catering functions from small scale to large conferences to ensure we remain best-in-class.

• Create KPIs to better track Gartner’s food and beverage satisfaction levels at all conferences globally, ensuring we are exceeding attendee expectations at all meal functions.

• Conduct regular quality and standards audits to ensure exceptional food quality and consistency across all meal functions.

• Evaluate technology platforms and survey tools to support Food & Beverage satisfaction, communication, consumption rates, etc.

• Build trusted partnerships with team members and leaders across the organization, leveraging in-office time to connect with stakeholders, learn from your peers and keep a pulse on priorities across the teams.

• Partner with key stakeholders and leaders across the logistics team to drive forward strategic changes, identify compelling solutions which align to conference portfolio priorities.

• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time.

Expected Results:

• Build standardized F&B service and delivery plans which achieve consistent execution with unique experiences

• Create standard for all food & beverage pop-up delighters, or added value drivers for each region

• Create a standard guidebook for food and beverage expectations across all Gartner Conferences

• Work closely with the Sr Director of Operational Excellence and & Experience to improve attendee F&B satisfaction results year over year

• Maximize established F&B budget focusing on strategic changes to ensure all spending is hitting the mark while reducing waste

Key Contacts:

• Conference logistics leadership

• Conference operations leadership

• Conference operations centers of excellence

• Gartner business unit partners

• Third party vendors

• Hotel & Convention Center Venues: Culinary teams and event management catering leaders

Education:

Bachelor’s Degree or higher preferred

Professional Experience:

• 10+ Years experience in Food &