Operations Director - B2B Exhibition Location: Guildford (hybrid) Hours: Full-time; flexible working considered. Compensation: £62,000 base £8,000 bonuses Why this is a standout move Own the operating system of a flagship event. You’ll build and run the end-to-end delivery of a major new addition to a leading organiser’s portfolio - multi-hall, international, and commercially critical. Scope that stretches you (safely ). Think complex build and tenancy, multi-theatre conference overlay, hosted buyers, international freight, and rigorous H&S. Culture that backs doers. Hybrid, accountable, outcomes-driven. An award-winning team with a bias for innovation and continuous improvement. What you’ll actually run Strategy : Design the operational strategy for a multi-hall European venue; lock in SLAs, risk controls and sustainability measures. People & partners : Lead an in-house ops team and a network of venues, contractors, logistics, AV, security and registration partners. Floorplan & tenancy : Own CAD/floorplan evolution with sales and marketing; optimise stand mix, feature builds and visitor flow. Commercial stewardship : Build and manage detailed budgets; deliver margin, cost controls and re-investment cases. Onsite leadership : Command tenancy, build/break and show days; keep compliance watertight and the customer experience premium. After-action impact : Lead debriefs and performance reporting; turn insights into upgrades for the next edition. How big is this job? Footprint : multi-hall venue, with international participants from 50 countries (exhibitors, distributors, manufacturers, retailers, media). Commercial size : four-figure number of exhibitors, tens of thousands of trade participants, and a multi-stage conference overlay across 3 live days. Operational complexity : feature theatres, awards/showcase build, buyer lounges, meeting programmes, media zones; international freight and contractor orchestration. About you 7–10 years in operations for large B2B exhibitions/trade shows, with 3 years in a senior leadership role. Track record delivering complex, international shows; expert with venue contracts, risk, H&S and multi-supplier ecosystems. Fluent with event tech (e.g., ExpoFP, Ungerboeck/Chronos, Swapcard or similar) and comfortable implementing new tools. Sharp negotiator, clear communicator, calm under pressure; builds strong teams and high-trust supplier relationships.