Job Title: Account Manager
Based at: London HQ (flexible working hours to be discussed)
Reports to: Account Director
About Story:
Story Events is a client-focused agency founded in 2013 with a strong creative edge. We prioritise deep partnerships with our clients, aiming to reflect their personality, values, and goals in unique event experiences. Our goal is to craft and deliver bespoke experiences that mirror our clients personality, values, people and objectives. We combine a culture of research and development with a talented team, generating fresh ideas that are executed seamlessly.
As a proud member of the Smart Group, we not only offer the expertise of our dynamic Story Events team but also leverage the collective wisdom of our sister brands with over 25 years of event excellence – including Evolution London, Moving Venue and Last Supper. Since this acquisition we have embedded the resources from the Smart Live division, specialising in content development, higher production specifications and incentive trips.
Within Story Events, we have a dedicated team that goes the extra mile to deliver excellence and perfection, offering comprehensive event planning services to alleviate stress. Specialising in creative event solutions, we tell the story of our clients’ brands, products, or businesses through unexpected and unique experiences, drawing on our expertise and industry knowledge.
Our enthusiasm is the driving force behind our work – we live and breathe events, bringing creative flair to inspire and delight our clients.
About the Role:
The role involves joining our sales team at Story to account manage and develop existing clients as well as being proactive to develop and bring in new clients to our already valued portfolio. You will be supporting the Account Director and the wider team to ensure we are providing clients with the right solutions and exceeding their expectations, with particular focus on the creative briefs that come in. You will promote repeat business and be hungry for seeking new business opportunities through developing our existing clients and winning new business, alongside building up your own client base to nurture and grow.
The role demands a strong creative skill set, being able to pick up a brief, understand the key requirements and craft together a creative and strategic response. You will push the clients’ boundaries and be able to create an engaging and solid pitch. Your focus is to seek and win the client, produce the content to engage with the client and see them through the account management process.
Responsibilities:
Overall responsibilities include:
- Leading the response to creative briefs and generating creative concepts.
- Building creative proposals, mood boards and constructing pitch proposals which push the
- boundaries and exceed the client’s expectations.
- Have big ideas and a specific design led, creative way of thinking.
- Dealing with incoming enquiries, taking, and interpreting the client brief, arranging site visits and meetings with prospective clients. Talented in creating an event journey that surprises and delights.
- Sending proposals and enquiry responses to clients and venues and negotiating the very best rates
- Producing complex budgets and developing a good understanding of pricing concepts
- Account Management of key Story clients and building your own client base
- Account Development of current clients to grow them organically.
- Proactively securing new enquiries for Story. Always driven to uncover new business opportunities.
- Promote Story by demonstrating an in-depth knowledge of all our services.
- Entertaining clients with a business focus in mind.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, confident when pitching in front of clients.
- Ensuring that the profit margins and revenue for events sold are maximised.
- Have knowledge and be keen to support with the marketing output at Story including blogs,
- newsletters, and social media.
- Achieve individual sales targets through your own initiative and client retention.
Qualities and Experience:
- Creative flair and ability to lead a brainstorm and develop creative ideas.
- Be proactive, have a hardworking and self-starter attitude.
- Experienced, highly professional sales person with excellent negotiation skills.
- Strong team player but able to work independently.
- Excellent attention to detail, in particular when building budgets.
- Confident and professional approach when dealing with client, suppliers and colleagues.
- Microsoft outlook, excel, PowerPoint and using an internal CRM system.
- Strong desire to embody the Story brand internally and externally.
- Self-critical and continuously wanting to learn and improve.
- Excited to join a bespoke, growing events agency.
- Be organised, calm under pressure and have the ability to juggle multiple projects simultaneously.
- Be fun, be creative and be passionate in all that you deliver.
We require our Account Manager to have the following:
- Minimum of 2 years’ experience within the industry, agency experience would be useful but not mandatory.
- A good foundation of operational knowledge and excellent London venue and supplier knowledge
- A creative edge and passionate about the events industry
- Excited and keen to seek new business opportunities and expand our client portfolio of events.
Benefits and Salary:
Salary will be dependent on experience.
- Medicash – Health Cash Plan, including dental, optical, 24/7 mental health support helpline, virtual wellbeing tools
- Code Hospitality Membership – access to exclusive offers in over 600 restaurants, bars and hotels
- Holiday Allowance starts at 23 days plus bank holidays.
- Fabulous regular social events
- Incentive trips for high performing employees – this year the team went to New York!
- Enhanced Maternity and Paternity Leave and Pay
- Travel Loan