Ticketing and Guest Experiences Manager

ROLE TITLE: Ticketing and Guest Experience Manager

REPORTS TO: Football Operations Director

Location: UK – London 100VE

Context & Main Purpose of Job

In 2023, Personal Care signed a partnership with FIFA, acquiring the rights to activate the Personal Care brand portfolio across the multiple FIFA tournaments. This role is critical in driving the strategy, planning, execution and delivery of the event operational aspects of FIFA tournaments, as well as other global & regionally acquired sport partnership properties. This role requires an energetic, self-starter with experience working in the event operations, ticketing, hospitality and guest experience space and a proven ability to deliver and manage complex projects. The incumbent will be highly competent at relationship building and events operations, ticketing and guest management – both internally within the Partnerships, Marketing, Legal, Communications, UniOps, Procurement, IT, Security teams & beyond into other functions / as well as with multiple external rightsholder partners/ agencies.

To have a comprehensive understanding of how to deliver successful and impactful events operations, IT, ticketing & guest experiences to achieve the stated consumer & business objectives on-brand, on-time & on-budget is essential. They will be highly competent at relationship building and events operations, ticketing and guest management – both internally within the Partnerships, Marketing, Legal, Communications, UniOps, Procurement, IT, Security teams & beyond into other functions / as well as with multiple external rightsholder partners/ agencies.

To have a comprehensive understanding of how to deliver successful and impactful events operations, IT, ticketing & guest experiences to achieve the stated consumer & business objectives on-brand, on-time & on-budget is essential.

Key Responsibilities / Focus Areas

Ticketing Operations

• Lead a cross-functional Unilever team through RFP, contract, design and build of a 3rd party Guest Experience IT Platform (GEP) which covers ticketing, communications and security

• Define ticketing strategy to maximise RoI; allocate to teams, establish rules/processes; manage allocation and requests from ticket leads – and be main point of central co-ordination.​

• Design & implement financial model for ticket use, guest experience, use of IP & ops (security / IT / medical) contributions

• Design ticketing manuals and comms and work with Ticket Leads for timely input of data.  To conduct training of GEP to in-country Ticket Leads and define key R&R of Ticket Leads. To work with HR re employee guest programmes – working with employee tax team as required to manage/mitigate potential tax issues and integration of tax requirements into GEP. Work with finance and procurement and deliver best value agency costs and finalising statements of works; managing financial budgets for ticketing and guest experience; purchase order set up and managing finance and procurement needs

• To work with HR re employee guest programmes – working with employee tax team as required to manage/mitigate potential tax issues and integration of tax requirements into GEP.

• Work with finance and procurement and deliver best value agency costs and finalising statements of works; managing financial budgets for ticketing and guest experience; purchase order set up and managing finance and procurement needs

Guest Experience, Activations & Comms

• Create a strategy and design for guest experiences and work with Partnership/Marketing & Event Ops lead & external creative agencies and global, host market, and brand team members as required to execute these brilliantly

• Initially prioritising host markets, to work with local teams, driving best practice in operational implementation of guest experience activations: fan festivals, fan experience zones, Unilever Houses, PR events and launches; to then drive with rigour the repeatability of successful formulae for top tier markets

• To manage Golden Game guest journey through stadiums, MCB exp, Unilever Houses, brand activation areas & fan festivals  working with Event Ops, M&P team, host markets & agencies to create a brilliant guest experience suite for all personas.

• Develop guest communications required for full suite of guest experiences

• Secure hotel rooms & work with travel team to define & implement suite of guest travel programmes (flights, on ground transport/experience, visas) at global level & info for local

• Liaise with tournament organising body & host market teams to secure relevant permits and approvals for brand activations (e.g., including Play on pitch)

Key Skills & Knowledge

Experiences & Qualifications

•     Multiple years’ experience in managing the planning and operations of large scale event operations

•     Multiple years experience leading technology projects and implementation of ticketing, hospitality and guest experience technology and programs

•     Proven experience in managing event operation projects & agencies across Insights, Strategy, Contracting, Planning, Delivery & Operations and Evaluation

•     Ability to build positive external and internal relationships across several cross-functional teams including Marketing, UniOps, Legal, Business Integrity, Data, Supply Chain etc.

•     Existing comprehensive understanding and experience of internal WoW, processes and platforms

Skills

•     Complex Project Management / Event Management skills are essential, including manging delivery of multiple projects in a matrix environment with competing demands

•   Ability to Prioritise: manage multiple projects concurrently in a high-pressure environment

•     Problem Solving: can overcome unpredictable challenges, solving these in a seamless way to the highest possible service standards

•     Confident Communicator: strong inter-personal and relationship building skills, presenting skills

•     Commercially Competent: understand KPI reporting and tracking, financial forecasting, budget management

•     Attention to detail

WHAT WE OFFER

Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all. 

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self. To find out more, including about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (unilever.com).​