Director, Events & Strategic Partnerships

Job description

Director of Events & Strategic Partnerships Job Description Position Summary The Director of Events & Strategic Partnerships is a strategic, creative, and results-oriented leader responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive events, programming, and partnership strategy that drives visitation, increases sales, enhances brand awareness, and fosters meaningful community engagement. This role leads the vision, planning, and execution of signature events, experiential activations, neighborhood programming, and strategic collaborations that create memorable guest, resident and tenant experiences while delivering measurable business results. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment and has extensive experience producing large scale lifestyle events within retail, hospitality, mixed-use, or experiential destinations. Key Responsibilities Strategic Leadership Develop and execute an annual events and experiential programming strategy aligned with organizational goals, leasing initiatives, marketing objectives, and community engagement priorities. Identify opportunities to drive customer acquisition, frequency, dwell time, tenant sales, and overall property performance through innovative programming. Build a year-round calendar of signature events, seasonal activations, cultural celebrations, wellness programming, entertainment, and neighborhood experiences. Develop strategic partnerships with community organizations, nonprofits, cultural institutions, local businesses, influencers, sponsors, and civic leaders. Event Planning & Experiential Programming Lead the concept development, planning, production, and execution of public events and lifestyle activations from inception through post-event evaluation. Create engaging experiential moments that elevate the guest experience while supporting tenant and brand objectives. Oversee all operational planning with the marketing and property management teams, teams, including event timelines, production schedules, permitting, staffing, security, transportation, parking, public safety, risk management, and guest services. Ensure all events meet brand standards while maintaining operational excellence and exceptional customer experiences. Partnership Development Cultivate and manage long-term strategic relationships that expand programming opportunities and enhance community engagement. Extensively collaborate and thoughtfully partner with retailers, restaurants, hospitality partners, including The Knox, Auberge Collection hotel and condos, apartments and office buildings, and other entities within the Knox Street neighborhood. Foster relationships and synergistic alliances with local governments, tourism organizations, chambers of commerce, arts organizations, and community groups to develop mutually beneficial initiatives. When relevant, identify strategic sponsorship opportunities that offset event costs and create incremental revenue. Vendor & Agency Management Manage relationships with event production companies, entertainment agencies, marketing agencies, decorators, production vendors, audiovisual teams, contractors, and specialty vendors. Lead vendor selection, contract negotiations, performance management, and ongoing partnership evaluation. Ensure vendors consistently deliver high-quality experiences while maintaining budgets and timelines. Financial & Operational Management Develop and manage annual event and programming budgets. Forecast expenses, monitor expenditures, negotiate vendor pricing, and maximize return on investment. Measure program performance using attendance, sales impact, customer engagement, sponsorship revenue, media exposure, and other key performance indicators. Present program results and strategic recommendations to executive leadership. Cross-Functional Collaboration Partner closely with Marketing, Property Management, Leasing, Operations, Security, Facilities, and Executive Leadership to ensure successful event execution. Support retailer marketing initiatives and identify collaborative programming opportunities that increase tenant participation and sales. Work alongside leasing teams to create programming that supports tenant recruitment and retention. Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Hospitality Management, Event Management, Communications, Business, or a related field. Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in event management, experiential marketing, placemaking, lifestyle programming, or community engagement, with notable experience in the local Dallas market. Preferred experience within retail, hospitality, mixed-use real estate, destination marketing, entertainment, or lifestyle-driven environments. Demonstrated success producing large-scale public events and complex experiential activations. Extensive experience developing strategic partnerships with community organizations, sponsors, retailers, and public stakeholders. Strong financial acumen with experience managing substantial event and operational budgets. Proven expertise overseeing agencies, production vendors, entertainment partners, and external consultants. Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining exceptional attention to detail. Strong negotiation, communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills. Ability to thrive in a collaborative, entrepreneurial, and fast-paced environment. Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as required by event schedules. Preferred Experience • Retail destinations • Mixed-use developments • Hospitality and resort environments • Lifestyle centers • Entertainment venues • Tourism organizations • Destination marketing organizations • Community development initiatives Core Competencies • Strategic Planning • Experiential Marketing • Lifestyle Programming • Event Production • Community Engagement • Partnership Development • Budget Management • Vendor & Agency Management • Sponsorship Development • Operational Excellence • Project Management • Cross-Functional Leadership • Creative Problem Solving • Data-Driven Decision Making • Stakeholder Management What Success Looks Like The successful Director of Events & Strategic Partnerships will create compelling experiences that strengthen community connections, elevate the destination’s brand, support retailers and partners, and drive measurable business outcomes. This leader will consistently deliver innovative programming that increases visitation, tenant sales, customer engagement, sponsorship opportunities, and return on investment while positioning the property as a vibrant and sought after destination.