Head of Events

Position – Head of Events

Joining – Immediate

Location – Abu Dhabi

The Head of Events is responsible for leading the strategic planning, development, and execution of a comprehensive events portfolio that supports the organisation’s strategic objectives, strengthens stakeholder engagement, and enhances brand positioning.

This role oversees large‑scale conferences, summits, exhibitions, and international forums, as well as executive round tables, workshops, networking engagements, and high‑level stakeholder events.

In addition to event delivery, the Head of Events will build, manage, and mentor a high‑performing events team, fostering professional development, operational excellence, and a culture of innovation and collaboration. The role requires strong leadership, commercial acumen, and operational expertise to ensure world‑class execution and measurable business impact.

• Develop and implement a comprehensive events strategy aligned with organisational objectives.
• Position events as strategic platforms to drive engagement, partnerships, business growth, and brand visibility.
• Identify opportunities to enhance event formats, audience targeting, and market positioning.

• Lead the end‑to‑end planning and delivery of large‑scale conferences, summits, exhibitions, and high‑profile ceremonies.
• Oversee smaller‑scale executive events including round tables, workshops, and networking engagements.
• Direct event concept development, thematic design, agenda curation, and speaker acquisition.
• Manage venue selection, production design, and overall event experience.
• Lead and oversee the RFP process, ensuring clear ownership and accountability within the team.
• Ensure consistent brand alignment and world‑class execution standards across all events.

• Develop and manage annual event budgets.
• Oversee cost planning, forecasting, and financial reporting.
• Negotiate contracts with venues, production agencies, suppliers, and service providers.
• Ensure cost efficiency while maintaining premium delivery standards.

• Build and maintain relationships with senior executives, government representatives, sponsors, partners, and industry leaders.
• Oversee protocol requirements and high‑level guest experiences.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with marketing, communications, operations, procurement, and leadership teams to ensure alignment and seamless delivery.

• Lead, mentor, and develop the events team.
• Establish best practices, operational frameworks, and governance standards.
• Drive performance management and continuous professional development.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation.

• Ensure compliance with legal, procurement, and regulatory requirements.
• Develop and implement contingency planning and risk mitigation strategies.
• Maintain governance standards and audit readiness.

• Establish KPIs and success metrics to measure event effectiveness.
• Conduct post‑event evaluations and performance reporting.
• Provide monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting aligned with organisational governance standards.
• Use data‑driven insights to continuously improve event strategy and operational efficiency.

• 15+ years of experience in event management, with a minimum of 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven track record in delivering large‑scale, high‑profile events.
• Strong expertise in vendor management and contract negotiations.
• Experience managing multi‑million budget portfolios.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and scale high‑performing teams.
• Strong stakeholder management skills at executive and board levels.
• Excellent strategic planning, organisational, and communication skills.