Sr. Manager, Conferences Growth & Future Planning

Company: Gartner
Location: Irving
Posted on: May 13, 2025

Job Description:

Responsible for preparing us for our future audience targets and the rapid growth of our Destination Conferences through long term venue and space planning. This includes ensuring program, audience and exhibitor needs can be accommodated in future venues, supporting capacity analysis, and supporting all key Conferences attributes.The successful candidate will be motivated by the opportunity to influence change through creative problem solving. After thorough research, this candidate will bring something to the table: a new perspective, a novel idea, a suggestion that requires buy-in, and independently develop the idea and all contributing factors in a holistic way to drive stakeholder buy-in, and an outcome that could shape our business model.The candidate will take ownership of the end-to-end processes for all conference growth related workstreams with a specific focus on stakeholder engagement and project management to offer clear pathways to completion. The successful candidate will be motivated by the opportunity to influence change through creative problem solving and strategic analysis. The candidate will align with key stakeholders to successfully manage the decision factors, research solutions, support data-driven analysis and support the future direction of the business. This person will drive the decision-making process, understanding what is required for the end-to-end conference experience for internal and external stakeholders & recommend effective solutions to allow for continued conference growth.As part of onboarding process, within the first 12 months there will be a conference delivery requirement to lead the planning and on-site logistics of a Destination Conference. This will allow the candidate to gain critical business insights and demonstrate operational awareness of the broader functions this role is ultimately supporting for Gartner's long-term growth planning strategy.What You'll Do:

• Project manage specific growth workstreams in a global setting - supporting conferences in APAC, India, Brazil, Dubai, UK, Spain & North America.
• Development a project plan to drive timelines and track progress of workgroups contributing towards the workstream completion. Lead and hold team accountable for individual contributions.
• Research and engage with new venues and convention centers and identify campus-style and pavilion opportunities for exploratory searches of the best potential options within the program current and future state goals.
• Identify the opportunities aligned with the Future Growth Strategy for each unique conference and make targeted recommendations after thorough analysis of key decision drivers. Research all elements of the recommendation to prepare comprehensive executive briefs.
• Prepare experience reviews with detailed recommendations factoring in the attendee journey, sponsorship needs, catering, keynote delivery, revenue opportunities, hotel room demand, transportation, destination, airlift, etc.
• Catalog all findings in a standardized data set for comparison and leverage industry resources to expand knowledge base for potential options.
• Support capacity conference planning with Logistics team, learning in-year challenges to offer future-year solutions.
• Collaborate with several operations teams to support a tailored growth planning recommendation based on conference specific attendee behavior.
• Partner with the Capacity Planning & Venue Strategy Teams to build out a capacity directory for all venues globally including session rooms, meals, and pavilions to enable consistency in capacity planning and evaluating suitability of options.
• Project Manage the determination of - and progress tracking towards - the maximum capacity for all venues globally for our delivery model, taking into consideration attendee and exhibitor growth projections as well as venue contracting, in order to support long-term planning and venue selection.
• Analyze space utilization and attendee behavior of member lounges, 1:1s, and registration to determine optimal space requirements / capacity and enable effective space planning.
• Develop strong relationships with internal and external key stakeholders to ensure quality standard are maintained, company expectations are met, and lines of communication are open.
• Exceptional project management including ownership and adherence of timelines and templates and accurately track and evaluate results on overall project goals.What You'll Need:
  • Experience: 5+ years of professional business experience, with a focus in project management. Background in hospitality or in Conference and large-scale event management is essential.
  • Qualifications: Being extremely detailed and forward thinking with strong project management skills are essential. Corporate or Tradeshow events knowledge is helpful - e.g., understanding of floor plans, logistical challenges, attendee behaviors, destinations, etc.
  • Exceptional problem-solving capability: You have a proven track record of solving complex problems, thinking creatively, and using data to tell a story and drive change
  • Technical skills: You are highly proficient in Microsoft Excel & PowerPoint and can create and maintain complex worksheets and roll ups independently. Ability to prepare polished executive-level presentations that drive strategic decisions for change is a key attribute for this role.
  • Detail oriented: You have a critical eye for details and can effectively analyze/interpret complex data and communicate it out to the necessary audience in ways that are easy to understand.
  • Fast-paced: You operate with a sense of "urgency" and can excel in an execution-focused environment that requires fluid project work.
  • Drive / Self-sufficiency: You have a demonstrated ability to own a problem and aggressively drive from problem statement to solution in a self-sufficient capacity, even in a matrixed environment
  • Communication skills: You are an excellent and structured verbal and written communicator with effective presentation and platform skills
  • Executive presence: You can effectively summarize and present attendee projection findings and how it translates to a venue, and future opportunity to your manager and other senior Gartner associates
  • Strong core values: You demonstrate integrity, collaboration, a no-limits mindset, objectivity, and consistent results using global best practices.
  • Insight & Creativity: You see data as a story, puzzles as opportunities, and can bring out of the box solutions in a structured environment.
  • Education: Bachelor's degree preferred
  • Travel: Expected travel -15%#LI-BO2#LI-hybrid#conferencesWho are we?At Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT), we guide the leaders who shape the world.Our mission relies on expert analysis and bold ideas to deliver actionable, objective insight, helping enterprise leaders and their teams succeed with their mission-critical priorities.Since our founding in 1979, we've grown to more than 21,000 associates globally who support -14,000 client enterprises in -90 countries and territories. We do important, interesting and substantive work that matters. That's why we hire associates with the intellectual curiosity, energy and drive to want to make a difference. The bar is unapologetically high. So is the impact you can have here.What makes Gartner a great place to work?Our sustained success creates limitless opportunities for you to grow professionally and flourish personally. We have a vast, virtually untapped market potential ahead of us, providing you with an exciting trajectory long into the future. How far you go is driven by your passion and performance.We hire remarkable people who collaborate and win as a team. Together, our singular, unifying goal is to deliver results for our clients.Our teams are inclusive and composed of individuals from different geographies, cultures, religions, ethnicities, races, genders, sexual orientations, abilities and generations.We invest in great leaders who bring out the best in you and the company, enabling us to multiply our impact and results. This is why, year after year, we are recognized worldwide as a .What do we offer?Gartner offers world-class benefits, highly competitive compensation and disproportionate rewards for top performers.In our hybrid work environment, we provide the flexibility and support for you to thrive - working virtually when it's productive to do so and getting together with colleagues in a vibrant community that is purposeful, engaging and inspiring.Ready to grow your career with Gartner? Join us.Gartner believes in fair and equitable pay. A reasonable estimate of the base salary range for this role is 79,000 USD - 123,000 USD. Please note that actual salaries may vary within the range, or be above or below the range, based on factors including, but not limited to, education, training, experience, professional achievement, business need, and location. In addition to base salary, employees will participate in either an annual bonus plan based on company and individual performance, or a role-based, uncapped sales incentive plan. Our talent acquisition team will provide the specific opportunity on our bonus or incentive programs to eligible candidates. We also offer market leading benefit programs including generous PTO, a 401k match up to $7,200 per year, the opportunity to purchase company stock at a discount, and more.The policy of Gartner is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, citizenship status, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status and to seek to advance the principles of equal employment opportunity.Gartner is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer and offers opportunities to all job seekers, including job seekers with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access the Company's career webpage as a result of your disability. You may request reasonable accommodations by calling Human Resources at +1 (203) 964-0096 or by sending an email toApplicantAccommodations@gartner.com.Job Requisition ID:100069By submitting your information and application, you confirm that you have read and agree to the country or regional recruitment notice linked below applicable to your place of residence.Gartner Applicant Privacy Link: For efficient navigation through the application, please only use the back button within the application, not the back arrow within your browser.

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