Director of Events and Experiences
About this role
The team at Perplexity is looking for a Director of Events to establish and manage all aspects of their global events, including hosted events, speaking engagements, and sponsorships. This role is central to shaping the external perception and reach of the Perplexity product. The director will be responsible for setting the overall strategy, overseeing production execution, managing budgets, and building the necessary team infrastructure from the ground up.
This individual will be deeply involved in the operational details, such as conceptualizing and producing various event types like launches, dinners, and summits. They will also manage the speaker program, negotiate sponsorship agreements, and ensure that all events align with the Perplexity brand identity. A key component of the role involves creating scalable systems, including playbooks and vendor management processes.
This position is ideal for an experienced event leader who thrives on building functions from scratch. The successful candidate will need a strong blend of strategic planning, hands-on production expertise, and team leadership capabilities. Someone who can effectively connect event outcomes to business metrics will be well-suited to drive the function's success.
What you will do
- Own the strategy, budget, production, and results for all hosted, speaking, and sponsored events.
- Determine the event calendar by deciding which events to run, speak at, or skip.
- Produce complex hosted events, including launches, dinners, summits, and roadshows, managing concept, programming, and vendor relations.
- Manage the speaking program by selecting stages and preparing speakers for engagements.
- Oversee sponsorship activities, including negotiation, designing brand footprints, and managing associated spend.
- Coordinate field events in partnership with the Sales team to ensure proper customer engagement.
- Develop systems such as playbooks, event tiers, intake processes, and vendor management protocols.
- Measure event success through metrics like attendance, coverage, pipeline, and signups.
What you need
- Must possess over 12 years of experience producing events, specifically including large hosted events, sponsorships, and field programs, preferably within a technology company.
- Demonstrated experience in building or leading an events team is required.
- Proven ability to manage large budgets, agency relationships, and vendor contracts effectively.
- Must have experience negotiating sponsorships and possess a strong understanding of sponsorship value.
- Experience running an executive speaking program, including selecting stages and managing the day-to-day execution.
- Proficiency in event production elements such as run of show, staging, AV, registration, staffing, security, and permits.
- Must be adept at driving measurement by building event attribution models and tracking brand sentiment.
- The candidate should be able to collaborate effectively with cross-functional partners including Sales, Product, Comms, Brand, Finance, Legal, and executives.
Nice to have
- Power user of AI tools
Benefits
- Salary range of $185K – $240K
- Offers Equity
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
What is the remote policy?
The posting indicates the role is based in San Francisco or New York, and willingness to travel internationally is required.
What is the compensation structure?
The salary offered for this role is between $185K and $240K, and the role also offers equity.
What technologies are relevant to this role?
The role requires the candidate to be a power user of AI tools, as much of their work already runs through them.
What does the team structure look like?
The role involves leading a team composed of both Individual Contributors (IC) and managers.