Senior Commercial Director – Events & Exhibitions – Dubai, United Arab Emirates

About this opportunity: A high-impact leadership role at the heart of a growing events and exhibitions portfolio, where you will own the commercial strategy, drive revenue growth, and shape long-term client partnerships. You will lead high-performing teams, close strategic deals, and collaborate across the business to deliver world-class, commercially successful events.

About the Role

In this role, you will lead the commercial agenda for a portfolio of events and exhibitions, setting strategy, revenue targets, and go-to-market plans in line with business objectives. You will build and nurture senior-level relationships with key clients, partners, and sponsors, identifying new business opportunities and securing multi-year, high-value deals. You will manage and motivate a sales organisation, ensuring strong pipeline management, disciplined forecasting, and consistent achievement of commercial KPIs. Working closely with marketing, operations, and finance, you will ensure cohesive planning, compelling value propositions, and profitable delivery of event solutions that drive both revenue and client satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities & Deliverables

• Define and lead the commercial strategy for the events and exhibitions portfolio, setting revenue targets and growth plans in alignment with overall business objectives.
• Drive revenue growth and new business development by identifying opportunities, developing compelling propositions, and securing strategic partnerships and sponsorships.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key clients, partners, and stakeholders, acting as a senior point of contact and trusted commercial advisor.
• Lead, coach, and develop high-performing sales teams, instilling a culture of accountability, performance excellence, and customer focus.
• Negotiate key contracts and commercial agreements, ensuring favourable terms, appropriate risk management, and long-term value creation.
• Own P&L performance for the portfolio, overseeing pricing strategy, budgeting, forecasting, and margin optimisation in collaboration with finance.
• Ensure seamless collaboration across marketing, operations, and finance to align commercial objectives with event delivery, audience development, and operational feasibility.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activities, and customer insights to refine offerings, identify new revenue streams, and maintain competitive advantage.
• Provide regular reporting on pipeline, revenues, and key commercial KPIs to senior leadership, recommending actions to mitigate risks and capture opportunities.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Marketing, Management, or a related discipline (BS/MS).
• 15+ years of progressive commercial, sales, or business development experience, ideally within the events, exhibitions, or related B2B sectors.
• Proven track record in commercial strategy, P&L ownership, and delivering sustained revenue growth across complex portfolios.
• Strong experience in building partnerships, structuring sponsorships, and negotiating high-value, multi-stakeholder deals.
• Demonstrated leadership skills with experience managing and mentoring high-performing sales or commercial teams.
• Excellent negotiation, influencing, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to operate confidently at senior and C-suite levels.
• Strong financial acumen, analytical ability, and comfort working with forecasts, pipelines, and commercial performance metrics.

Certifications (Desirable)

• Professional certifications in sales, commercial management, or leadership are an advantage.
• Additional training in negotiation, strategic account management, or finance for non-financial managers is beneficial.

Salary & Role Details

• Salary / Compensation: AED 50,000 (final package will be aligned with experience and client policy).
• Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates (events & exhibitions environment with regional exposure).
• Employment Type: Full-Time.
• Working Conditions / Schedule: Standard full-time working hours; flexibility may be required around key event cycles and business travel.
• Other Details: Additional role-specific and benefits information will be shared with shortlisted candidates.

How to Apply

If you are interested in this opportunity, you must log in to our portal and submit your application with your updated CV.

We appreciate all applications; however, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.