Events Manager

We are recruiting an Events Manager into our fast-paced and ambitious Marketing and Business Development department.

About Macfarlanes

Macfarlanes is a pre-eminent law firm that serves a global client base in Private Capital, Private Wealth, M&A and Disputes. Personal connection, an entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to excellence are at the heart of our firm. These values drive our ability to deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients.

We are big enough to undertake the most complex and demanding mandates yet small enough to know each other well and to be agile, adapting to the needs of our clients. We seek to strengthen the firm by recruiting talented people from all backgrounds who want to build long-lasting and impactful careers with us. Our culture is challenging and supportive, creating an environment where individuals can thrive.

What this means for you

Joining Macfarlanes means being part of a collaborative, approachable team who want you to succeed. You’ll be encouraged to get involved and recognised for your contribution.

We take your development seriously. Our learning and development programmes are second to none and are designed to help you strengthen your skills.

Above all, you’ll be part of a firm where we all work together as part of a cohesive and supportive team, value your efforts and help you to thrive.

The team

The Events Manager will be part of the Events team which is led by a Senior Events Manager and includes two Events Executives and an Events Administrator. Over time it is likely that the individual will take on line management for the Events Administrator (once settled into the role).

The Events Manager will work very closely with the Business Development team as well as the wider department and key stakeholders across the firm.

The role

The Events Manager will plan, execute and review events both in person and online. This is a busy and fast-paced role and they will need to maintain a high standard of performance.

The successful candidate will have in-depth involvement in the identification and planning phases for events, making proactive recommendations to stakeholders and the Business Development team, adhering to events best practice, and providing effective, full-service events support.

The events will mainly be client or intermediary focused; however, the team also leads on certain internal events (e.g. larger events such as the firm’s summer party and Partner conference as well as some Inclusion & CSR-related events). Most of our events take place in London, however, we also support on some international events (either from London or, occasionally, onsite elsewhere). Events range in size from intimate dinners and roundtables to large drinks receptions of up to 300 people.

Key duties will include

• providing a total event management package for client, intermediary and certain internal events;
• communicating with and gaining the confidence of key stakeholders to ensure that they are fully briefed and engaged during the event lifecycle;
• adhering to policies, protocols, guidelines, best practices and metrics to ensure a high level of programme consistency, cost management, continual improvement and meeting host and attendee satisfaction;
• reviewing the appropriateness of events and hospitality and evaluating the differentiation against competitors and their effectiveness to the overall relationship with the firm’s clients (provide status reports);
• support on a wide variety of events, including large, complex events (e.g. 150+ attendees) to smaller dinners/roundtables from event conception, engaging the relevant stakeholders, to post-event administration and reconciliation of costs;
• ensuring all Macfarlanes events are brand compliant and in keeping with the firm’s values;
• being commercially minded and adept at contract review and negotiations of event related supplier contracts for competitive pricing and budget planning in compliance with firm policy, and in the production of event statistics to monitor spend and benefits of events;
• providing pre-event and on-site assistance;
• collaborating with the Business Development and Marketing department, supporting and guiding them with their event activity with regards to responsibilities, processes, policies and events best practice;
• facilitating key supplier/vendor meetings throughout the year, building and fostering relationships to mutual advantage;
• co-ordinating with and reporting to procurement and office leads on all sourcing, process, budget reporting, contracts, technology, catering agreements, or other as required; and
• monitoring changing laws affecting meeting industry and track industry standards.

This job description encompasses the main duties of the role and is by no means exhaustive. It is anticipated that duties may vary from time to time according to the needs of the department.

The candidate

The successful candidate will possess the following:

Knowledge and experience

• extensive event management experience gained within a corporate environment, ideally within professional services;
• track record in creating and executing successful and measurable events and programmes independently, across a wide range of event types including seminars, conferences, VIP dinners, roundtables and hospitality;
• proven experience and a strong background in end-to-end event management at a senior level and responsibility for a significant budget; and
• extensive industry knowledge and strong established relationships with external suppliers e.g. London venues, speaker bureaus and hospitality providers.

Required skills

• must have strong self-motivational and people skills: ability to work autonomously, develop highly functioning working relationships, exercise independent judgement, be hands-on with strong problem-solving ability;
• ability to organise and project manage resources and channels to optimise campaign impact and ensure team alignment around event activity;
• excellent written, presentation, and verbal communication and messaging skills with good interpersonal and influencing skills;
• commercially minded with strong negotiating skills;
• good key stakeholder management, to ensure buy-in and support for events;
• ability to manage and adapt to change;
• excellent IT skills including Microsoft, e-marketing software and event registration tools;
• meticulous attention to detail, an aptitude for learning, and ability to multi-task across competing projects and deadlines;
• execution-focused and results-oriented;
• positive approach and ability to remain calm under pressure; and
• willingness to work extra hours when required (e.g. breakfast training programmes, dinners etc.).

Application screening

Any offer of employment with us is subject to our pre-employment checks which are conducted by a third-party screening provider. These checks will be initiated with your consent, and your CV will be sent to the provider by us. The screening will include but is not limited to your employment references, professional and academic qualifications including grades and any criminal records. Your offer will be subject to the successful completion of these checks.

Our commitment to inclusion

Inclusion is one of our key priorities and it is a goal we are actively working towards. We believe that an inclusive, forward-thinking culture is intrinsically important and enables us to provide innovative solutions to our clients.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, bringing different perspectives and experiences, making Macfarlanes an exciting and stimulating place to work. We seek to recruit the best candidates, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, social or economic background, religion, disability, sexual orientation or any other characteristic.

As part of this commitment, we will ask you certain diversity data questions. We would really appreciate you and/or your recruiter completing these questions when submitting an application to Macfarlanes as this data enables us to measure our progress and identify any actions needed to continue to support an inclusive culture. This data is anonymised to maintain the privacy of applicants. If you have any questions relating to how this data is used, please contact a member of the recruitment team.

Should you require any adjustments during the application and/or interview process, please do not hesitate to inform your recruiter or a member of the recruitment team. Please note, the job description is available in other accessible formats (for example, large print).

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who best meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme, please email the recruitment team at recruitment@macfarlanes.com.