Senior Manager, Field and Events

Overview

You're running field marketing and events to drive pipeline and support the sales team. This means planning trade shows, regional events, customer dinners, and potentially a user conference. You're juggling vendor relationships, venue logistics, booth design, swag orders, and the constant question: "What's the ROI on this event?" You'll work closely with sales to make sure events actually help them hit quota, not just create marketing moments.

Role Snapshot

Company Context

Stage: Growth stage (537 employees suggests Series B/C+ funded)

Size: 537 employees

Growth: Expanding field presence, likely hitting key industry conferences

Market Position: Vertical SaaS targeting salons, medspas, spas—industry trade shows are critical channels

GTM Reality

Event Portfolio You'll Likely Manage:

• Industry trade shows (beauty industry expos, medspa conferences, spa trade shows)
• Regional roadshow events (city-specific demos or networking dinners)
• Customer events (user conference, VIP dinners, executive roundtables)
• Possibly partner events or co-marketing activations

Cross-Functional Work:

• Sales: They want events that bring them hot leads, not tire-kickers
• Marketing: Brand alignment, content support, campaign integration
• Customer Success: Customer events and references for prospect meetings
• Finance: Budget management, expense tracking, ROI reporting
• Ops: CRM tracking, lead capture, attribution setup

Competitive Landscape

Event Context:

• You're competing for attention at industry trade shows with multiple booth neighbors selling similar tools
• Budget is always tight—every event needs to justify itself
• Sales wants to go to everything, but you have to pick what actually drives results

What You'll Actually Do

Time Breakdown

Event Planning & Logistics (35%) | Vendor Management (20%) | On-Site Execution (20%) | Sales Coordination (15%) | Reporting & Analysis (10%)

Key Activities

• Event planning: Researching which trade shows and conferences to attend, booking booth space 6-12 months out, negotiating contracts with venues and vendors. Creating event briefs and project plans for each activation.
• Logistics coordination: Managing booth design and shipping, ordering branded swag and collateral, coordinating with AV vendors, handling lead capture tech (badge scanners, forms, etc.). Chasing down vendors when things go wrong.
• Sales enablement: Scheduling sales attendance, training reps on booth etiquette and how to work events effectively, setting up customer meetings around events, coordinating dinners and side meetings.
• On-site execution: Being on your feet all day at events, managing the booth, solving last-minute problems (wrong materials shipped, AV doesn't work, badge scanner breaks), making sure sales reps show up on time.
• Post-event follow-up: Making sure leads get into CRM properly, coordinating sales follow-up, analyzing which events drove pipeline, reporting on ROI, fighting for budget for next year.

The Honest Reality

What's Hard

• Events are exhausting. You're traveling constantly, on your feet all day, dealing with problems in real-time. You'll be answering Slack messages about booth setup while trying to network.
• ROI is hard to prove. Leads come in and sales may or may not follow up. Deals close months later and attribution gets murky. Finance wants hard numbers you can't always provide.
• Budget constraints are constant. Sales wants to go to every event, but you have to make trade-offs. You'll disappoint people.
• Vendors and venues screw up. Shipments arrive late, wrong materials show up, booths aren't set up right. You're problem-solving on the fly under pressure.
• Internal coordination is like herding cats. Getting sales reps to commit to events, show up on time, and follow up properly is an ongoing challenge.

What Success Looks Like

• Consistent pipeline generation from events quarter over quarter
• Sales leadership saying "That event was worth it" instead of questioning the spend
• Events that run smoothly with minimal fires to put out
• Strong working relationship with sales—they trust your event picks and show up prepared
• Budget efficiency—doing more with less each year as you learn what works

Who You're Supporting

Primary Stakeholders:

• Sales leadership (they want events that drive pipeline, not just brand awareness)
• AEs and SDRs (they work the events and need good booth traffic)
• CMO/VP Marketing (they care about brand presence and efficient spend)
• Finance (they want clear ROI and budget discipline)
• Customers (for user events and speaking opportunities)

What They Care About:

• Are we at the right events for our ICP?
• Are leads from events actually qualified or just people grabbing swag?
• Can we track deal influence back to specific events?
• Are we maximizing face time with prospects and customers?
• What's our cost per opportunity from field programs?

Requirements

• 5-7 years in field marketing, event management, or similar role ("Senior Manager" implies mid-senior level)
• Experience planning and executing B2B trade shows and field events at scale
• Strong project management skills—juggling multiple events simultaneously
• Budget management experience and ability to report on ROI
• Vendor negotiation and relationship management
• Ability to travel 30-40% (possibly more during peak event season)
• CRM proficiency (Salesforce likely) for lead tracking and attribution
• B2B SaaS experience preferred, SMB or vertical SaaS a plus
• Thick skin for when events don't perform and people question the spend