Seeking an Experience Marketing leader
IBM Japan is looking for an experienced Marketing leader to join its team of Marketing, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility professionals. Ideally, you will have spent your career in Marketing and have built a strong set of skills across all Marketing disciplines, allowing you to take on future leadership roles within the team.
Currently, we are seeking an experienced Event Team Manager to lead a team of 10 talented event practitioners. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and executing our overall event strategy to enhance brand awareness, generate leads, and achieve our business objectives. This role requires a combination of strong leadership, strategic planning, innovative thinking and meticulous project management skills.
The primary responsibilities of the Event Team Manager include, but are not limited to:
Event Strategy & Execution:
● Develop and execute a comprehensive event strategy, including a mix of proprietary conferences, trade shows, webinars, and virtual events, aligned with the company's marketing goals.
● Oversee the end-to-end project management of all events, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest standard.
● Measure and analyze event performance, including ROI, lead generation, and brand impact, providing regular reports to senior leadership.
● Stay current with the latest industry trends, event technologies, and best practices to propose innovative and impactful event concepts.
Management & Operations:
● Lead, mentor, and develop a team of event specialists, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team culture.
● Develop and manage the quarter / annual event budget, ensuring accurate forecasting and tracking of all expenditures.
● Negotiate contracts and manage relationships with external vendors, agencies, and partners to ensure quality service and cost-effectiveness.
● Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including Sales, Field Marketing, and Communications, to ensure seamless integration and alignment of event activities.
● Demonstrated expertise across all Marketing disciplines.
● Experience working global, multinational companies. Roles working outside of Japan will be highly regarded.
● A minimum of 10 years of experience in event management. Experience in B2B Marketing or the Technology sector will be highly regarded.
● A minimum of 5 years of experience in a people management role, with a proven track record of leading and developing teams.
● Demonstrated experience in managing large-scale event budgets.
● Excellent communication and negotiation skills in English, with the ability to collaborate effectively with global stakeholders, including US headquarters. Business-level proficiency in Japanese is also required.
Skills & Experience:
● Proven experience managing the full lifecycle of diverse event formats, including large-scale flagship conferences (1,000+ attendees), face-to-face events, webinars, and 3rd party sponsorship activations.
● Hands-on experience with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation tools (e.g., Marketo).
● Strong data analysis skills and the ability to derive actionable insights from event metrics.
● Teritiary qualifications in Marketing or a similar field. International qualifications highly regarded.
Ideal Candidate Profile
● A natural leader with the ability to inspire and motivate a team.
● An exceptional communicator and negotiator with strong interpersonal skills.
● A strategic thinker with outstanding problem-solving abilities.
● Highly organized, with meticulous attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously under pressure.
● An innovative mindset with a strong desire to take on new challenges and explore creative approaches.
● Creative, proactive, and passionate about delivering world-class event experiences.
● An ambitious professional with future leadership aspirations.