As the Vice President, Events & Sponsorship you will lead the team responsible for building and managing Fidelity’s Personal Investing units best in class, business-critical events marketing and sponsorship programs across national, regional and local teams. The ideal candidate has strong marketing, events and sponsorship experience as well as a background working within the financial services category, especially an organization with regional and local distribution efforts.
Primary Responsibilities
The VP, Events and Sponsorship, is an events planning & execution expert, brilliant sponsorship relationship manager and holistic marketing leader responsible for:
Event and Sponsorship Execution (40%)
End to end accountability for all PI event programs and sponsorship relationships
Lead in developing and executing the holistic PI event strategy to build and execute strategic event marketing programs across the organization portfolio – national, regional and local
Ensures all Event marketing channel programs follow best practices in working in an impactful way to demonstrate Fidelity’s thought leadership in an integrated marketing approach across all communication channels, Fidelity markets and PI business groups.
Key relationship lead for all ongoing sponsorship activities including, but limited to: LPGA, Boston Pops & other symphonies, US Open tennis Lead, think strategically and deliver ideas through the team’s execution of best in class event and sponsorship programs
Demonstrate creative and strategic problem solving when challenges arise – bringing solutions proactively to the team for consideration
Exhibit strong influencing tactics and strategies; is able to impact decisions both within the organization and with business partners.
Develop and establish strong relationships with peers, cross-functional business partners, team members and senior level associates – both in the home office and across the field sales organization
Manage and coordinate with internal teams and/or vendors to successfully execute against programs, deliverables and business needs. Play a lead role on complex projects and support team on smaller projects
Event & Sponsorship Planning & Strategy (30%)
Providing strategic, innovative thinking to “connect the dots” around key event components including presenters, presentation content, locations /market alignment, marketing and media support, and overall customer experience
Evaluate program requirements and propose innovative solutions to achieve objectives
Lead the team to develop thoughtful project plans and align all business partners to meet deliverables
Provide direction for the teams, as well as creative input and oversight, for complex multi-channel integrated programs, overseeing the work to ensure project execution and delivery
Work with business teams to identify topics, audience of each event
Align messaging / marketing activities to amplify content / thought leadership to the appropriate target segment through each shared, owned and earned media channel
Cultivate and grow key strategic sponsorship relationships that enhance, further, and extend the core elements of Fidelity’s Brand personality in a broad and meaningful way.
Lead cross-functional Fidelity planning and execution in order to build programmatic integration with PR, Corporate, PI business areas and paid/owned/earned media and marketing channels to drive action in amplifying and delivering programmatic content in new and innovative ways in order to ultimately enhance live-event ROI
Outline considerations and sponsorship opportunities for optimal use of marketing dollars for impact
Results oriented - understands importance of return on investment, tradeoffs and necessary synergies
Work closely with team members and in conjunction with key business partners in CKSI and Finance for all PI event measurement, metrics and oversight of $20M+ annual budget
Center of Excellence (30%)
As the go-to in house expert for Events and Sponsorship within PI and Fidelity, acts as a trusted partner to marketing leadership throughout Segment, CKSI, Account, Creative and Production teams
Maintains stable of relevant vendor partners and functional experts and is a sought-after though leader in the space who brings industry best practices to Fidelity
Maintain, lead and grow the strategic capabilities within the team. Ensure that team members have the learning opportunities and training they need to deliver relevant insights and competitive perspectives.
Set and uphold standards that result in compelling results
Work to clearly define roles and ensure productive collaboration across different capabilities and groups within PI.
Skills and Knowledge
Deep interest and prior experience in working with sales organizations and a field sales force
Extensive experience with events, advertising (creative & media), local and corporate sponsorships (strategy, evaluation & activation)
Ability to navigate a highly matrixed working environment
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build productive, collaborative relationships across a broad array of functional areas
Operates with a “can-do” attitude despite uncertainties and business flux
Operates independently / with minimal direction from direct manager on multiple, concurrent projects
Proven track record as a strong team leader / manager to develop team capabilities and exceptional marketing skills
Demonstrated understanding of the competition, best practices in the event marketing space for financial services and other key industries
Ability to assess audience needs and identify/coordinate team resources to solve a variety of problems
Ability to create and maintain strong business relationships, build trust, and foster collaboration across a broad array of functional areas
Ability to interpret data and generate insights – program measurement, competitive, consumer sentiment – and apply it in strategic decision-making
Presents him / herself with polish and poise
Strong budget oversight and optimization
Superior written and verbal communication skills
Education and Experience
Bachelor’s Degree Master’s Degree a plus
15+ years of experience in marketing, sponsorship and / or event marketing, preferably within financial services. 5-10 years management experience.
Demonstrated experience working with senior management / senior clients
Agency experience, especially with financial services clients, a plus
Must be willing to travel onsite for event programs (30% - 40%)
