Business Development Events Coordinator

Role Responsibility

As seasoned Business Development Events Coordinator, you’ll support driving customer acquisition & engagement within Selfridges, utilising existing partnerships & programmes to build & deepen relationships with new, high potential HNW individuals and businesses. You will curate, implement and host events in store, across the city and within our partner venues, including the Coop Live arena.    

You will have an excellent existing network of both creative and HNW corporate contacts in Manchester that you can leverage and exceptional communication & presentation skills. You will be incredibly organised and will have a keen eye for detail. You will be comfortable hosting diverse groups of guests at events, including those who will have a high net worth.

Key responsibilities for this role fall into 2 key areas:

1. Facilitation and hosting of existing clients within private suites at our partner venue, Coop Live.
2. Acquisition of new HNW customers, through building relationships across the city to drive footfall into Personal Shopping, using the box as a key leaver for this.

• Support the Senior Event Manager – Regions & Senior VIP Event Manager to deliver key acquisition & retention initiatives, with a focus on existing partnerships and Selfridges programmes, including our VIP & Unlocked Membership initiatives.
• Full responsibility for hosting medium sized groups of VIP clients at events which will be programmed by one of our partner venues, Coop Live. These events will be across evenings and weekends throughout the year.
• Be the key point of contact for comms with our partner venue, Coop Live, sharing updates with Selfridges stakeholders in a timely manner.
• Liaison with Personal Shopping & VIP teams to collate guestlists for all Coop Live & acquisition events.
• Supporting the VIP events team with briefs to create e-vites for all events and briefing of CRM on initiatives which need communicating to VIP clients.
• Full ownership of graphics briefs to create collateral for events.
• Briefing of Personal Shopping & retail teams to ensure that all relevant stakeholders remain up to date on key acquisition activities, including Coop Live scheduling.
• Collation & sharing of customer information, where appropriate and in line with GDPR principles, to ensure the smooth running of partner & acquisition events, including but not limited to guestlists, dietary requirements and accessibility needs.
• Full responsibility for production and technical aspects of selected events – these could be in store, or at external venues.
• Responsibility for the creation of Risk Assessments and briefing of H & S & Food Technical teams to always ensure full H & S compliance.
• Creation of reports and tracking documents for all acquisition events & initiatives to measure ROI against set targets, which can be shared with senior stakeholders.
• Work with the Senior Events Manager – Regions to identify and engage with key potential partners from across the city, building lasting relationships and driving footfall into store & Personal Shopping
• Full responsibility for ensuring that Selfridges stakeholders are up to date on the latest developments across the city with detailed competitor analysis and a view on new openings and high potential partners.
• Develop and maintain a robust network of strong working relationships across the business with a focus on Personal Shopping, Events, Retail, Membership, Graphics & Health and Safety.
• Ensure all calendars are up to-date and regular updates are shared centrally.  

The Ideal Candidate

• Business Development Experience
• Planning and project management (essential)
• Confident & adaptable communicator with a strong ability to engage and create meaningful connections with a diverse range of people.
• Have impeccable organisational skills, being able to manage multiple projects at the same time.
• A keen eye for detail across various tasks including hosting events, briefing graphics, collating guestlists and sending e-mails to high profile individuals.
• Strong ability to work on own initiative and to remain resilient when managing various responsibilities.
• Ability to remain calm and collected under pressure with a flexible, solutions-oriented approach whilst hitting tight deadlines.  
• Able to work quickly and accurately
• Able to give and receive constructive feedback
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Commitment to quality & luxurious service
• Possess good financial acumen with budget tracking and reporting experience
• Advanced Excel & power point skills

Please note, a large proportion of this role will involve hosting clients at external events & the Coop Live arena and therefore the successful candidate must be willing to work flexible hours which will include weekend and evening work.

About the Company

Rewards and benefits 

Here are just a few of our rewards and benefits that help make our team experience that bit more extraordinary. 

• Flexible working options to benefit you, your family and your wellbeing that can include part-time, flexi-time, job sharing or hybrid working

• Generous annual leave that increases with length of service 

• Up to five paid volunteering days – from beach cleans to co-ordinating food and clothing donations 

• Family leave that suits your set up including Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Surrogacy and Shared Parental leave policies 

• Defined pension contribution scheme  

• Generous bonus and/or commission scheme  

• Enviable team member discount including sale previews and double discount days 

• Exclusive local discounts on a range of restaurants, bars, beauticians and entertainment 

• Subsidised gym memberships  

• A sustainable car salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility criteria)

• Several internal communities to get involved in from our Diversity Board and Green Warriors who are leading the charge on D,E&I and sustainability, to the Wellbeings who are always thinking of new ways to champion healthy minds, bodies and routines for our team members 

• Workplace Options, our confidential team member assistance programme for when life gets tricky or you need a little guidance 

• Access to a wide range of training programmes to help your career development 

Read on to find out how you can play your part in Reinventing Retail… 

Everyone is welcome 

Selfridges is a place where we want everyone to feel a sense of belonging. We embrace every self and are committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive working culture. We are leading with purpose to not only increase the visibility and recognition of under-represented talent within our organisation, but the wider industry too. Here at Selfridges, everyone is welcome – irrespective of race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, age or disability, we stand by equal opportunities for all.   

To ensure every feels welcome, we offer support at every stage of the application and interview process.  Should you need it, please let your recruitment contact know and they will be more than happy to help.

Our awards cabinet  

We’re not ones to brag, but since you asked...Selfridges has won the award for The World’s Best Department Store an unprecedented four times at the IGDS awards, with an additional award for the Best Sustainability Campaign. We were also recognised as a ‘Best 25 Big Company to Work For 2020’ as awarded by The Sunday Times. 

Selfridges