Sales Director, Accounts & Sponsorship

PURPOSE:

Build and lead a best-in-class conference program for a new, flagship initiative serving the digital infrastructure ecosystem, spanning data centers, AI-enabled compute, and enterprise/edge architectures. The role combines content leadership with senior industry engagement to develop a program that is technically credible, commercially impactful, and operationally excellent.

WHO WE ARE:

At Closer Still, we strive to deliver the best. We're on a mission to be the most dynamic B2B events and communities business in every market we serve, bringing people together to learn, connect and grow.

Operating across five regions, we power over 200 market-leading events, publications and brands across Business Technologies, Healthcare, Learning, HR & Education, and Future Transport & Infrastructure.

But what truly sets us apart is our people.

Our teams are diverse, driven, and united by a shared commitment to excellence. Rooted in our core values of ownership, empathy, teamwork, integrity, and determination, we empower every employee to grow, shape their own path and make a meaningful impact.

Joining Closer Still means being part of something bigger - not just building events, but creating opportunities, connections, and lasting value for the communities we serve.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

You will own the end-to-end commercial strategy and revenue performance for a new digital-infrastructure conference brand. You'll build market-shaping partnerships, develop high-impact exhibitor and sponsorship packages, and drive adoption of premium thought-leadership and demand-generation offerings. You will work hand-in-glove with Event Lead, programming, marketing, and operations to ensure our partners achieve measurable outcomes and renew at industry-leading rates.

THE ROLE:

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1) Commercial Strategy & Revenue Leadership

* Define and execute the annual sales strategy, revenue roadmap, and growth model across exhibits, sponsor ships, thought-leadership experiences, and premium programs (hosted buyer, workshops, showcases, round tables).

* Build commercial constructs aligned to industry priorities- next-gen compute and networking, facilities & power management, sustainability, automation, AI/ML workloads, IT/OT integration, and edge architectures.

* Oversee forecasting, pipeline health, pricing strategy, and territory planning to ensure predictable, scalable revenue.

* Partner with leadership on multi-year growth planning and segmentation across event audiences.

2) Partner Acquisition, Growth & Relationship Development

* Lead high-impact outreach programs to secure category-leading exhibitors, A-tier sponsors, and premium content partners.

* Maintain a broad and deep market map of solution providers across customer segments including compute, networking, power/cooling, automation software, sustainability, and edge ecosystems.

* Develop partner retention strategies rooted in performance analytics, audience alignment, and ongoing value delivery.

3) Cross-Functional Alignment (Program, Marketing & Ops)

* Collaborate with the Event Lead, Content Program Director, and Community Development Manager, to connect agenda themes with commercial opportunities-ensuring thought-leadership packages are editorially aligned, valuable, and market-relevant.

* Partner closely with marketing on value messaging, partner promotion, and demand-generation plans that drive qualified buyers and decision-makers.

* Work with operations to optimize exhibitor experience, floorplan strategy, traffic flow, and onsite activation opportunities that elevate partner impact.

4) Product Innovation & Packaging

* Create new commercial products and premium offerings that reflect evolving customer needs-product theaters, project showcases, executive dialogues, data-center site tours, research integrations, matchmaking programs.

* Evolve packaging based on buyer/audience behaviors, category growth, and year-over-year performance data.

* Guide the development of tiered sponsorship models that deliver clear differentiation and measurable outcomes.

5) Industry Intelligence & Ecosystem Engagement

* Stay ahead of market shifts affecting data centers, AI compute, sustainability mandates, power/thermal innovation, and enterprise/edge deployments.

* Maintain relationships with standards bodies, consortia, regional associations, and cloud/AI infrastructure communities to inform commercial strategy and identify partnership opportunities.

* Track competitive events and partner initiatives to sharpen positioning, scheduling, and category leadership.

ABOUT YOU:

Weighting:
Industry relationships and sector expertise are prioritized; event-sales experience is highly valuable but not mandatory for the right candidate with strong enterprise or solution-provider relationships.

Sector fluency

Preferred understanding of the digital-infrastructure ecosystem (data centers, power & cooling, compute/network/storage hardware, cloud/AI/edge architectures) and the commercial drivers for both operators and…