About the Role
We have an exciting career opportunity for a commercially driven and experienced Sales Manager to lead the sales function across Clarion's market-leading Baby Show portfolio, the UK's leading consumer exhibitions in the pregnancy, baby and early-years sector. Our flagship events include The Baby Show at ExCeL London, NEC Birmingham and Olympia London.
Responsibilities
•Develop and deliver the sales strategy across all three events, taking ownership of revenue targets, budgets and commercial performance.
•Lead, motivate and develop the sales team, setting individual targets, monitoring performance and providing regular coaching and support.
•Drive new business acquisition, existing account growth and exhibitor retention to maximise revenue across the portfolio.
•Identify and develop new revenue opportunities, including sponsorship, partnerships, premium positioning and additional commercial products.
•Manage key accounts and build strong relationships with exhibitors, sponsors and strategic partners.
•Oversee sales pipelines, revenue forecasting and performance reporting, using Salesforce to monitor progress, identify risks and implement corrective actions.
•Analyse sales results, market trends and competitor activity to identify opportunities for growth and inform commercial planning.
•Oversee the development and management of commercially effective floor plans in collaboration with the Sales and Operations teams, maximising space utilisation and revenue yield.
•Ensure the exhibitor mix reflects the quality, positioning and target audience of The Baby Show.
•Work closely with Marketing to align sales activity with marketing campaigns, audience development and exhibitor promotional opportunities.
•Liaise with Finance to monitor invoicing, outstanding payments and debt collection.
•Ensure contracts, CRM records, sales administration and reporting are accurate and completed within agreed deadlines.
•Resolve exhibitor issues and commercial conflicts professionally, both in the office and on-site.
•Represent Clarion Events at client meetings, industry functions and relevant UK and international exhibitions, including occasional weekends.
•Contribute to post-event reviews and future business planning to support continuous improvement and portfolio growth.
Requirements
•Proven experience in a sales management or team leadership role, ideally within exhibitions, events or a related commercial environment.
•A strong track record of achieving revenue targets, winning new business and growing existing accounts.
•Demonstrable experience managing, motivating and developing a sales team.
•Experience in sales strategy, pipeline management, revenue forecasting and performance reporting.
•Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to identify new revenue streams and maximise existing opportunities.
•Experience in consultative selling, negotiation and building long-term client relationships.
•Experience using Salesforce.
•Strong analytical, organisational and problem-solving abilities, with excellent attention to detail.
•A proactive, resilient and results-driven approach, with the ability to manage competing priorities and work effectively under pressure.
•A collaborative leadership style, with the ability to motivate others, take ownership and lead by example.
•Ability to work calmly under pressure with a consistently high level of output.
Nice to have: Experience of running an onsite rebook campaign and team is highly desirable.
Benefits
•25 days' holiday plus bank holidays
•End of year wellbeing shutdown (closed for the last week of the year)
•Employees on a permanent or fixed-term contract are gifted an extra day of leave that can be used for a celebration of your choosing, e.g. birthday, Eid, Diwali, etc.
•Summer Hours in August (3pm finish on Fridays)
•Helping Our World (HOW) Days – one paid day per quarter to carry out charity work
•Pension Scheme
•Private Medical Insurance
•Health Cash Plan
•Wellbeing Library (MYNDUP)
•Mentoring Programme
•Season Ticket Loan
•Cycle to Work Schemes
•Free on-site gym and shower facilities
•Free eyesight tests
•Free flu vaccination – offered on site once a year for all employees
