Sales and Sponsorship Executive

Sales and Sponsorship Executive (up to £29,500 per annum)

Immediate is home to some of the biggest and most loved consumer brands in the UK, including Radio Times, Good Food and BBC Gardeners World magazine. Our trusted, quality content reaches millions of people a month across digital, print, video, podcasts, apps and live events.

We’re the destination for people looking to get more from the things they love. We’re here to inspire, fuel, encourage and educate.

Whether it’s the big things, or the little things; from reaching fitness goals to savouring good food, cultivating outdoor spaces, or enjoying the latest TV sensation – we help bring our audiences joy!

Immediate Live is the UK’s leading consumer events company. From craft and gardening to dance, food and contemporary art, Immediate Live creates events and experiences that connect and inspire highly engaged communities both digitally and live. Premium, passion-led events run across the UK and Ireland, attracting over 650,000 visitors annually.

About the role

We are looking for a highly organised, enthusiastic, and resilient Sales & Sponsorship Executive who enjoys building relationships, generating new business, and working closely with clients to deliver a high standard of customer service.

The Craft portfolio includes 5 market leading events: The Festival of Quilts (Birmingham), Knit + Stitch (London/ Harrogate/ Northern Ireland) and The Stitch Festival London).

The five craft shows are some of the most successful in the business and you’ll be joining a fun and hard-working team, committed to making the events the best in the market.

Reporting to the Head of Sponsorship and Sales Manager, you will work closely with the sales, sponsorship, marketing and operations teams to support both revenue generation and client delivery. You will help manage stand bookings, lead generation, sales administration and exhibitor relationships, while coordinating sponsorship activity to ensure agreements are fulfilled before and during our events

As a Sales and Sponsorships Executive you will;

Sales & Revenue Generation

• Sell stand space and digital products across the events, working to achieve revenue targets and meeting KPIs and yield expectations
• Make high-volume outbound calls (approx. 50 per week), with a strong focus on new business development
• Communicate clearly and professionally with clients via email and phone
• Attend competitor and industry events (as agreed) to generate leads and insights

Client Management

• Manage client relationships from initial contact through to event delivery, attending meetings when required
• Develop a strong understanding of exhibitor needs through ongoing communication
• Work closely with key clients to ensure sponsorship agreements are delivered to a high standard.
• Be active in lead generation for the sponsorship team and coming up with creative ideas for new partnerships with relevant clients

Pipeline, Reporting & Administration

• Build and manage your own pipeline with accuracy and accountability
• Maintain accurate forecasting and communicate pipeline progress to your manager
• Use the CRM system (Salesforce) to record all client interactions and maintain accurate data
• Track performance against KPIs and report on sales activity and achievements
• Maintain strong organisation across all aspects of your workload
• Ensure floorplans are accurate and support the team to ensure they align with Salesforce data
• Take responsibility for key admin tasks such as creation of the list of nameboards, maintaining sponsorship decks and proposals, creation of Welcome Packs and other onsite paperwork, ordering of required stationery etc.
• Ensure the Exhibitor Manual is distributed to all exhibitors and work closely with the marketing team to ensure all digital benefits of participation are delivered
• Use project management tools and processes to ensure workflows are managed in a timely manner and deadlines are met across multiple projects
• Create debrief documents for each sponsor at the end of each campaign and subsequently be part of the debrief meetings with clients to deliver post show debriefs

Collaboration & Internal Working

• Attend and actively participate in weekly sales/ sponsorship & team meetings
• Collaborate with marketing to understand campaigns and enhance sales messaging and sponsorship proposition
• Work closely with multiple teams across Immediate Live including the sales, marketing, editorial and operations teams, to help ensure sponsorship agreements are delivered to a high standard

Event Delivery & Onsite Activity

• Support onsite event delivery, including rebook campaigns to secure future revenue
• Sell stands and sponsorship face-to-face - this will include rebooking and cross selling into other events
• Personally manage around 30 - 40 clients onsite
• Attend agreed events, which may require travel and overnight stays
• Work closely with the operations team to deliver a seamless exhibitor/ client experience and ensure successful event execution and that onsite deliverables are fulfilled.
• Use the time onsite to support relationship building and offer excellent customer service to all clients

Requirements

• Demonstrable success in or understanding of a sales or target-driven role
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Confident communicator with strong interpersonal and listening skills
• Effective negotiation and objection-handling abilities
• Highly organised with excellent time management
• Comfortable with high-volume outreach and proactive sales activity
• Self-motivated, resilient, and results-driven
• Natural relationship builder and networker

Desirable Experience

• Experience in consumer events, exhibitions, or media sales
• Market and industry knowledge relevant to live events
• Previous experience in a sales environment

Benefits

• A relaxed working environment with regular socials including a summer festival
• Immediate Community webinars, well-being initiatives and Mental Health First aiders
• 25 days holiday plus a day for your birthday. Our offices will be closed between Christmas and New Year’s which are in addition to your annual entitlement
• Tailored training and development through our Love Learning platform
• A progressive and transparent culture with clear career progression
• Flexible / hybrid working plus early finish Fridays
• Cycle to work scheme
• Enhanced Family Policies including paternity, adoption and surrogacy leave. We also provide a pregnancy loss, fertility, and carers policy
• Competitive pension plans and Life Assurance
• A newly renovated modern office with lots of collaborative spaces

At Immediate, we pride ourselves on our open, inclusive, collaborative, and dynamic culture that empowers our people to thrive and give their best. We care deeply about our people, our local communities and the impact we have on the environment. Our active Diversity & Inclusion network, comprehensive well-being programs, and clear sustainability strategies reflect this commitment.

People are at the heart of our business and creating a diverse and inclusive working environment is important to us. Immediate is an equal opportunities employer. We’ll never treat anyone less favourably because of their sex, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marital/civil partnerships, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnic origin, age, religion or belief or disability. We’re also committed to supporting applications from those who are returning to work following a career break, maternity leave or caring responsibilities.

Immediate is a place you can grow, be supported, and make a difference.