Freelance Event Producer / Event Manager

This is a hands-on freelance event production and delivery role supporting the planning and delivery of projects ranging from exhibition booths and trade shows to experiential activations, brand events, product launches, creator and influencer events and bespoke live experiences. You'll take ownership of projects from brief and feasibility through pre-production, build, live delivery and closeout, working with Heaven Media's Creative, Growth, Client Services and wider specialist teams. You'll work closely with the Head of Creative and act as a key link between internal teams, clients and specialist delivery partners, helping determine feasibility, resource, production approach, cost and successful delivery.

Responsibilities

• Own event and experiential projects end-to-end, from initial brief and feasibility through pre-production, build, live delivery and post-event closeout.
• Translate creative concepts into practical, costed and deliverable production plans.
• Manage exhibition and booth builds, working with fabricators from initial drawings and specifications through production, installation and breakdown.
• Source, brief and manage fabrication, AV, lighting, technical production, furniture, flooring, signage, graphics, connectivity and equipment partners.
• Coordinate merchandise and branded product creation, including ideation support, supplier sourcing, sampling, prototyping, branding, production, quantities, quality control, shipping and delivery to site.
• Coordinate print and physical event collateral, including signage, graphics, promotional materials and branded assets.
• Manage venues, event organisers, contractors and local suppliers.
• Develop and own budgets, estimates, timelines, critical paths, production schedules and project documentation.
• Source, recruit and coordinate event staffing, brand ambassadors, hosts, security, crew and specialist freelance resource.
• Manage logistics including freight, storage, shipping, customs, carnets where required, load-in, installation, show days and breakdown.
• Coordinate technical requirements including AV, screens, gaming stations, PCs/consoles, networking, power, lighting and interactive technology.
• Manage health & safety, risk assessments, method statements, permits, insurance and venue/event compliance.
• Conduct site visits and lead on-site project teams across build, live and breakdown, acting as the central production contact and point of escalation.
• Manage suppliers, obtain and compare quotations and negotiate costs while protecting project budgets, quality and margins.
• Identify and recommend the right fabricators, printers, merchandise partners, equipment hire companies, AV suppliers, staffing partners and other specialist suppliers for individual projects.
• Maintain clear and regular communication across clients, internal stakeholders and delivery partners, proactively identifying risks, dependencies, budget pressures and roadblocks.
• Work collaboratively across Heaven Media's wider capabilities, including Creative, Influencer, Social, PR, Content, Partnerships and Video/Production, helping connect physical experiences into wider campaigns.
• Support pitches and new business opportunities, providing production expertise, feasibility assessments, supplier recommendations, timelines and indicative costs.
• Work closely with Creative to ensure the delivered experience maintains the original creative vision while remaining practical, safe and commercially achievable.
• Support the definition of event KPIs and measurement plans, capturing relevant information and contributing to post-event reporting, learnings and recommendations.
• Manage post-event reconciliation, supplier invoices, budget closeout and project documentation.
• Support multiple projects across the UK and Europe, including international travel where required.
• Be flexible around live event schedules, including occasional evening and weekend working where required.

Requirements

• 3+ years' experience in event production, experiential, exhibitions or event management or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience delivering exhibition booths, experiential activations and live brand experiences.
• Strong project and production management experience, with a track record of meeting deadlines while maintaining strong client relationships.
• Experience creating projects from the ground up following a client brief and delivering against defined objectives and KPIs.
• Strong knowledge of exhibition fabrication and booth construction, including working with technical drawings, floorplans, build specifications and fabrication partners.
• Good understanding of AV and technical production.
• Experience sourcing and managing merchandise, branded products, print and event collateral.
• Strong knowledge of event logistics, including freight, storage, shipping and European event delivery.
• Strong supplier network and confidence sourcing and evaluating new partners across different markets.
• Practical experience managing budgets, schedules, logistics and multiple suppliers simultaneously.
• Confident and credible client-facing communicator.
• Strong onsite leadership skills and the ability to manage scalable teams, freelancers and suppliers.
• Commercially aware and confident obtaining, interrogating and negotiating supplier quotations.
• Able to independently take ownership rather than requiring constant day-to-day direction.
• Comfortable managing multiple projects and clients simultaneously.
• Excellent attention to detail and highly organised.
• Calm, pragmatic and solutions-focused when things change.
• Comfortable working with distributed international teams across different countries and time zones.
• Able to travel across the UK and Europe for site visits, builds and live events.

Nice to have

• Gaming and/or technology industry experience.
• Existing network of trusted UK and European fabricators, AV suppliers, staffing agencies, merchandise suppliers and production partners.
• Experience delivering at major gaming and technology events such as Gamescom, PAX, Paris Games Week, DreamHack or similar.
• Experience with gaming hardware, live gameplay setups and networking requirements.
• Experience delivering creator, influencer or community events.
• Experience working across both B2B and consumer-facing experiences.
• Experience supporting creative development, pitching and new business.
• Experience working with global brands and international agencies.