Head of Events

Head of Events – Black & White Zebra

Join to apply for the Head of Events role at Black & White Zebra.

$/yr – $/yr

BWZ operates 15+ professional development publications attracting 500k+ unique monthly visitors. We’ve perfected the playbook for launching, scaling, and monetizing digital publications — and now we’re building a world‑class events business to match.

We’re hiring a founding Head of Events & Experiences to create, launch, and scale a new events division from scratch. You’ll define the vision, design the event portfolio, execute the first marquee events, and build the systems and team that scale it.

Events will span in‑person, virtual, and hybrid formats. You will determine the right mix of formats across C‑suite summits, executive round tables, interviews, meetups, and content‑driven virtual experiences—all designed to drive audience growth, editorial output, and commercial performance.

This is not a scrappy, underfunded startup role. You’ll have the capital, resources, and cross‑functional support of a profitable media company—including brand, editorial, marketing, sales, and production teams—while owning the freedom and responsibility to build a business line from zero.

Critically, this is not a standalone function. Events must be deeply integrated with BWZ’s publications—generating high‑value content, growing our audience, strengthening editorial authority, and fueling sponsorship opportunities. You’ll build an events engine that powers and is powered by our media brands.

If you’ve built events from scratch, brought them to profitability, and want the rare opportunity to build an events business with real backing, this is the role.

• Define the event strategy, portfolio, calendar, and revenue model
• Define the role of in‑person, virtual, and hybrid formats within the event strategy and portfolio
• Own P&L, pricing, budgeting, forecasting, and revenue targets
• Develop concepts aligned with editorial and brand priorities
• Identify high‑ROI opportunities across formats, verticals, and geographies
• Ensure events amplify publications and strengthen brand authority
• Build the long‑term vision for a scalable, profitable event business

• Lead end‑to‑end execution of marquee and secondary events
• Build repeatable workflows and technical infrastructure that support in‑person, virtual, and hybrid formats at scale
• Shape programming that delivers insight, authority, and must‑attend value
• Oversee logistics: run‑of‑show, AV, production, venues, vendors, staffing
• Deliver commercial outcomes: ticket sales, sponsorship revenue, audience growth
• Implement QA processes and elevate execution with finishing touches
• Drive attendee advocacy, referrals, repeat attendance, and organic buzz
• Ensure events generate high‑value content assets
• Manage cross‑functional alignment:
  Marketing → demand;
  Sales → sponsorship;
  Editorial → content

• Hire, build, and lead a high‑performing events team
• Build SOPs, frameworks, templates, and planning rhythms
• Implement tools for coordination, PM, communication, accuracy, and reporting
• Improve throughput without sacrificing quality or profitability
• Build a culture of performance, experimentation, ownership, and improvement
• Ensure events become a predictable, scalable engine for content, audience, and revenue

• A hybrid GM + operator with extensive experience leading event strategy, operations, programming, and commercialization — ideally in media, SaaS, B2B information, or professional communities
• Ability to turn events into content engines that produce interviews, insights, editorial assets, and video
• Proven experience building and scaling year‑one events and expanding them into an events business
• Experience owning P&L, designing revenue models and improving margins
• A portfolio spanning conferences, summits, retreats, leadership dinners, meetups — ideally trade shows or festivals
• Experience designing for both small (1,000) audiences
• Strong programming instincts for senior executive audiences, including experience securing high‑calibre speakers
• Experience hiring, coaching, and scaling high‑performing…