Director, Experiential Partnerships - Fanatics Events

Job description

## About Us Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform. We ignite the passions of global sports fans and maximize the presence and reach for our hundreds of sports partners globally by offering products and services across Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles, and Fanatics Betting & Gaming, allowing sports fans to Buy, Collect, and Bet. Through the Fanatics platform, sports fans can buy licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods; collect physical and digital trading cards, sports memorabilia, and other digital assets; and bet as the company builds its Sportsbook and iGaming platform. Fanatics has an established database of over 100 million global sports fans; a global partner network with approximately 900 sports properties, including major national and international professional sports leagues, players associations, teams, colleges, college conferences and retail partners, 2,500 athletes and celebrities, and 200 exclusive athletes; and over 2,000 retail locations, including its Lids retail stores. Our more than 22,000 employees are committed to relentlessly enhancing the fan experience and delighting sports fans globally. **About Fanatics Events** Fanatics Events creates large-scale consumer festivals and live experiences that bring fans, athletes, brands and partners together. Our flagship productions include Fanatics Fest, a multi-day fan festival combining sports, collectibles, athlete appearances, content, and immersive brand experiences; and WWE World, a multi-day consumer event produced in partnership with WWE. As we continue to scale our live events business, we are seeking an Experiential Partnerships Director to lead the development and execution of complex brand partnership programs across Fanatics Events. **The Role** The Director of Experiential Partnerships is a senior individual contributor responsible for turning ambitious brand partnership ideas into exceptional, executable fan experiences. The role owns major partner programs from early-stage concept development through onsite execution, working across partnerships, creative and operational teams to shape solutions, support new business development, pressure-test feasibility and lead delivery once sold. The ideal candidate has personally led complex experiential programs for brands at major tentpole events and combines strategic thinking with the operator judgment to anticipate challenges, mobilize teams and move programs from idea to execution. **What You'll Do** **Shape & Sell the Solution** - Support the development of pitch materials and partnership proposals, helping translate experiential concepts into clear, compelling client-facing recommendations. - Lead and support partner pitches, bringing an experiential and operational point of view to new business conversations. - Pressure-test concepts for feasibility, cost, timing, dependencies, and execution risk before commitments are made. - Support management of the pipeline, including opportunity tracking, revenue forecasting, budgets, and financial projections. - Engage the appropriate internal teams early to ensure partnership solutions are both ambitious and executable. **Own the Program** - Own assigned partnerships from kickoff through onsite execution and post-event wrap. - Translate commercial commitments and creative concepts into clear work-streams, timelines, budgets, and decision points. - Drive execution across Creative, Operations, Production, Talent, Marketing, Media, Legal, Finance, agencies, and vendors. - Maintain command of the overall program while holding functional experts accountable for their respective workstreams. **Oversee Delivery** - Anticipate operational challenges and dependencies before they become critical issues. - Bring clear recommendations and solutions when navigating ambiguity or changing circumstances. - Maintain financial discipline across assigned programs, identifying potential scope or budget exposure early. - In collaboration with Operations, manage assigned partner programs onsite, making timely decisions and resolving issues in a fast-moving live environment. **Lead the Partner & Operation** - Serve as the primary day-to-day lead for assigned brand partners and their agencies. - Set clear expectations around scope, timelines, responsibilities, and decision-making. - Navigate evolving partner requests while protecting program feasibility, economics, and the overall fan experience. - Build trusted relationships across partner organizations and effectively engage senior Fanatics leadership when appropriate. **What We're Looking For** - 8–12 years of experience in experiential marketing, integrated brand experiences, live events, sponsorship activation, or related disciplines. - Demonstrated experience personally leading complex experiential programs from concept development through onsite execution. - Experience delivering major tentpole events and programs for blue-chip brands. - Experiential agency experience strongly preferred and will be prioritized. - Strong event production fluency and an understanding of how creative concepts translate into operational and financial requirements. - Demonstrated ability to take ambiguous or incomplete information and turn it into a clear recommendation and actionable plan. - Proven ability to lead complex cross-functional teams, agencies, and vendors without direct reporting authority. - Strong client-facing communication skills, financial discipline and comfort operating independently in fast-moving environments. - Willingness to travel and work onsite during major event weeks, including weekends as needed. **What Success Looks Like**