Job Title: Director, Exposition Experience

Department: Exposition Marketing

Reports To: Sr. Director, Exposition Marketing

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: Fairfax, VA (hybrid) or Remote USA

Level: Manager/Director

Alt Work Eligibility: CWW-Y, Telework-Y, Remote-Y

The starting base pay range for this position is $100,000-$115,000. Individual compensation will be commensurate with candidate's experience. This position is eligible for full benefits, as well as the Manager/Director level annual incentive bonus program.

Summary Of Position

The Director, Exposition Experience will lead our strategy for improving and enhancing the experiences at the InfoComm tradeshow, the preeminent event for the professional AV industry in the United States. The Director, Exposition Experience will be responsible for immersive experiential activations and on-site events that drive NPS and attendee satisfaction, and facilitate commerce, connections and networking. This position will oversee our branding and customer journey onsite, strategic partnerships that provide community connections before, during and after the show, and will oversee our immersive activation hubs that show AV in action on the show floor.

This is a new role for AVIXA and the trade show industry. We seek a candidate that has a mix of creativity, innovation and big thinking and is detail-oriented to see large activations through. The Director, Exposition Experience will seek to quickly understand what drives our audience to our show, create less friction at the event (so our attendees stay longer and leave happy) and what we can do to facilitate more meaningful peer-to-peer and buyer-seller connections at our event.

The ideal candidate for this position will be a highly motivated and collaborative leader, who works diligently to identify transformative innovation to introduce as new integrated experiences annually, identifies new and bespoke experiential sponsorship opportunities, supports current and future partner relationships, can manage multiple projects simultaneously, must be detailed oriented, and has excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.

Major Duties And Responsibilities

Branding, Customer Journey and Wayfinding

Builds customer journey at the event through purposeful design elements. Leads execution and approval process for all signage and branding efforts onsite including physical and digital signage, social media moments. Builds, executes and implements digital signage strategy and content management throughout venue. Upholds the integrity of the InfoComm brand, annual creative brief and style guide in all media formats. Ensures that the AVIXA brand and connection to the event is included. Enables thoughtful event design and wayfinding for a more positive attendee and exhibitor experience.

Immersive Experience Execution

Leads the creation, development, and execution of diverse and engaging event programs that enhance exhibitors’ participation and drive attendance to the annual InfoComm tradeshow. As needed for successful project execution, builds and manages steering committees to directly engage community in the creation of special programs. Supports the monetization of the activations through curated sponsorship offerings and train the sales team so that they are enabled and empowered to sell these products.

Facilitate Networking, Commerce and Connections

Collaborates with education and marketing teams on strategic partners and identify new partners within adjacent markets. Conduct quarterly check ins and hold internal team and partners accountable to ensure seamless execution. Builds community-driven programming and networking through internal and external collaborations. Collaborates with the education team on show floor tours and immersive experience tours.

Management duties for this role

Meets with key exhibitor, attendee and industry stakeholders to identify trends, needs and opportunities to enhance the experience at InfoComm. Collaborates with the exposition marketing team to create and implement a comprehensive marketing plan for each program, inclusive of email campaigns, social media, website updates, and marketing materials. Develops and manages the Event Programs’ budget, ensuring efficient allocation for maximum impact and ROI. Tracks expenses, negotiates contracts, and identifies cost-saving opportunities. Establishes KPIs for activations and track performance. Contributes to post show survey questions to measure satisfaction with special programs and conduct one: one post cons with key stakeholders on what worked, what didn’t and what needs to change in future execution. Transfers this data and knowledge into the final post show report for InfoComm. Travel as needed (30-40%).

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education And Experience

Bachelor’s degree preferred Minimum of 7 years of experience in event management, experiential marketing, or a related field, with a focus on large-scale events or tradeshows Proven experience in developing and executing innovative, immersive experiences that enhance brand perception and attendee engagement Strong background in strategic planning, budget management, and vendor negotiations Experience with community-building and networking strategies within a professional context Previous employment at an association with trade show experience is a strong plus Knowledge of the AV industry is a plus

Skills And Attributes

Strong leadership skills and a collaborative mindset, with the ability to lead cross-functional teams and external partners Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously while maintaining a high level of attention to detail Impressive written and verbal communication skills with experience developing distinctive messaging and content Exceptional command of spelling and grammar are a must Ambitious mindset with a demonstrated ability to bring ideas to fruition Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize own work A keen eye for creativity and new trends in experience design Comfortable working autonomously as needed, as well as cross-functionally in a professional and diplomatic fashion Problem-solving self-starter who seeks solutions and perseveres amid ambiguity Experience with project management tools, including Basecamp and ClickUp is a plus

Why You’ll Love Working Here

AVIXA is a global organization that celebrates diversity of thought, background, demographics, and experience. The AV industry is truly inspiring, changing how people experience the world. We’re headquartered in Fairfax, VA but also have a widely distributed team. We recognize that talented people live all over the world. Our values: Trust, Heart, Courage. No buzzwords here. We take these seriously and live them every day. Our people: you will be surrounded by some of the most talented, supportive, smart, and thoughtful leaders and teams. It’s not all about work: generous PTO and holiday time off, flexible working hours, option for a Compressed Work Week (i.e., every other Friday off) The benefits and perks: AVIXA offers comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits, company-paid life insurance and disability, 401(k) plan with company matching, learning and career development opportunities, education assistance, and more!

This description describes the general duties and responsibilities of the position. It is not a complete list of duties and the employee may be required to take on additional duties and responsibilities as required by the needs of the association.

EEO Policy Statement: “It is the policy of AVIXA to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons, and to recruit, hire, train, promote, and compensate persons in all jobs without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law.” #J-18808-Ljbffr