Associate Director, Experiential

Join BDG’s Experiential team, where we create elevated, high-impact, award-winning events at the country’s biggest cultural tentpoles — NYFW, Art Basel, Coachella, F1, and more. We’re looking for a strategic, creative, highly organized leader ready to own branded experiences from ideation through on-site execution, someone who thrives on the adrenaline of bringing big ideas to life in real time, and wants to help shape what’s next for experiential. ### Key Responsibilities **Pre-Sale** - Lead ideation, scoping, and pitch strategy for custom events and brand activations across our stable of proprietary properties. - Write and revise compelling pitch decks and RFP responses, shaping direction rather than just contributing to it. - Partner with Creative, Sales, and Editorial to ground concepts in audience insight and brand strategy. **Post-Sale / Execution** - Own budgeting for assigned activations: building budgets, onboarding and managing vendors, tracking spend, approving invoices, and reconciling final costs. - Lead vendor negotiation, contracting, and production timelines as primary point of accountability for delivery. - Interface with clients throughout the process — refining concepts, managing expectations, and solving creatively in real time, including on-site. - Manage logistics for tentpole events (room blocks, travel, staffing) and ensure proper team resourcing. - Oversee recaps and event materials, guiding junior team members on quality and brand alignment. - Present strategic recommendations and recaps to leadership and clients. - Refine best practices and templates to improve team efficiency over time. ### Qualifications - 5–8+ years in experiential marketing, brand activations, or events, with a track record of leading complex activations independently and successfully. - A fast-paced go-getter with an out-of-the-box, marketing-minded approach — genuinely passionate about where experiential is headed. - Skilled negotiator with proven budget and vendor management experience. - Strategic thinker with strong creative instincts and excellent writing and visual storytelling skills. - Strong client-facing communication and presentation skills. - Highly dependable and collaborative across cross-functional teams. - Highly organized, able to manage multiple high-stakes projects under tight deadlines. - Proficient in Canva, Keynote, PowerPoint, MS Office, and (or similar). - Willing to travel and work nights/weekends as needed.