VP, Global Events

Location:

United States / Full-time Remote / Hybrid

Bentley Systems is seeking a Vice President, Global Events to architect, operationalize, and scale a world‑class events organization for a global infrastructure engineering‑software leader. Bentley software is used by civil engineers to support the design, build, operate and maintain lifecycle of the world’s critical infrastructure. This is a highly strategic leadership role responsible for transforming our events function into a unified, global center of excellence.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned leader with experience leading event teams in best‑in‑class B2B software. They should be able to showcase success building global, scaled event portfolios that drive brand elevation, thought leadership, customer engagement, and pipeline generation.

They will lead a global team, modernize operations, bring rigor to planning and budgeting, and elevate the strategic impact of events across the entire company.

• Build and lead a multi-year global event strategy that aligns with Bentley’s corporate priorities, go‑to‑market motions, and revenue targets.
• Transform decentralized events activities into a unified global function with consistent standards, measurement, and operating models.
• Serve as Bentley’s senior expert on event portfolio strategy—hosted, owned, third‑party, partner, and virtual events.
• Responsible for

You will own end‑to‑end strategy, planning, operations, and execution for:

• Flagship Hosted Events:
  Annual Going Digital Awards, regional field event series, executive programs, and an expanded Bentley user conference (2027).
• Third‑Party Events:
  Tiered global event portfolio across industries, regions, and strategic product areas.
• Virtual Events & Digital Experiences:
  Webinars, digital summits, product‑launch events, on‑demand libraries, and hybrid extensions of major shows.

• Build a world‑class operating model that covers annual planning, quarterly prioritization, vendor management, and a unified production framework.
• Implement scalable systems, processes, and dashboards across planning, design, budgeting, creative, production, measurement, and field enablement.
• Introduce standardized processes across booth design, modular architecture, logistics, content workflows, and attendee experiences.
• Own and manage a global events budget of $10–15M, ensuring optimal allocation of resources to maximize ROI and brand impact.
• Demonstrate fiscal responsibility and accountability, balancing innovation with cost efficiency to deliver world class experiences within financial parameters.
• Establish and monitor financial controls, forecasting, and reporting processes to maintain transparency and alignment with corporate objectives.
• Negotiate vendor contracts and partnerships strategically, driving value while safeguarding profitability.

• Partner deeply with Product Marketing, Brand, Field, Sales Engineering, and Executive Leadership to ensure the events program supports product narratives, customer success storytelling, industry thought leadership, and pipeline goals.
• Act as a trusted advisor to C‑level leaders on event strategy, ROI, customer engagement, and executive communications.

• Build, mentor, and scale a global events team (20–30 team members) across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.
• Develop capabilities in strategic planning, program management, creative, production, field coordination, digital event operations, and analytics.
• Foster a culture of excellence, clarity, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Establish clear KPIs for each event type—brand metrics, pipeline metrics, attendance, engagement, customer satisfaction, and cost‑per‑outcome.
• Build a global event analytics capability to measure impact, optimize investments, and continuously refine the portfolio.
• Partner with Marketing Ops and Sales Ops on attribution, lead capture, follow‑up orchestration, and ROI reporting.

• 12+ years of experience in event strategy, corporate events, or experiential marketing, with at least 5+…