_European Planner

Location: NEC / ExCeL | Department: Central Planning - HYBRID ROLE (roughly 2 days per week in closest office, NEC or Excel)

About the role

As European Planner, you’ll play a key role in supporting the planning and delivery of GES events across Europe. Working closely with the Senior Planning Manager, European Operations and wider business, you’ll coordinate suppliers, systems, stock, purchasing and operational requirements to ensure every event is delivered smoothly and efficiently.

This is a varied role for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys solving problems and takes pride in getting the detail right.

What you'll do

• Act as a key point of contact for European planning and our subcontracted partners, including labour, materials and equipment suppliers.
• Take ownership of Show Build Live for European events, ensuring systems are fully prepared for delivery.
• Manage purchase orders through Sage X3 and complete post-event invoice reconciliation.
• Use Clarity to manage event data, stock requirements and quantities, working closely with the Inventory team.
• Work collaboratively with Transport, Commercial, Finance, Service Centre, Features and Show Ready teams.
• Support operational queries, provide guidance on systems and assist with training new colleagues.
• Coordinate supplier requirements, including IR35 certification where required.
• Create transport quotes for events, balancing efficiency, cost and sustainability.
• Ensure revenue data is accurate and aligned across relevant systems.
• Contribute to process improvements and the continued evolution of the Planning team.
• Support GES’s sustainability commitments through responsible reuse, recycling and replenishment.
• Ensure all activity meets relevant health & safety, client, corporate and legislative standards.

What we're looking for

• Experience working in a similar planning, coordination or operational role.
• Experience within the exhibition and events industry is desirable.
• French and Spanish Language is highly desirable
• Strong planning, organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritise in a busy environment.
• Confident working independently and taking ownership, while being a strong team player.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with strong attention to detail.
• A confident, proactive and solutions-focused approach to problem solving.
• Comfortable working with technology and multiple systems, with strong Microsoft Office skills.
• Experience with Clarity, Sage or similar systems would be advantageous.
• A genuine passion for events and pride in delivering high-quality work.
• A flexible mindset and enthusiasm for continuous improvement.

SOFT SKILLS which are important

• Team Player focused on collaboration
• Patient disposition and even temperament
• Strong Attention to Detail
• Organised and Methodical

Why join GES?

At GES, we’re on a mission to grow with our customers and shape a sustainable future for the events industry. We’re investing in innovation, people, and purpose—this role is your chance to be part of that evolution in a high-impact region.

What you'll get

• A chance to play a key role in European event planning with a high level of responsibility and autonomy.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Supportive, international team and a company culture that values bold ideas and taking initiative.
• Professional development opportunities to help you grow your career.
• 25 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays and statutory public holidays.

Our vision and values

We believe in trust, responsibility, understanding, and excellence in all we do. At GES, we take pride in helping our people and clients thrive—while working towards a more sustainable and successful future for the events industry.

This role may require occasional evening and weekend work during busy periods, as well as overseas travel where required.

Reporting to: Head of Operations
Tecna designs and delivers exhibition stands, brand activations and event environments for clients across the UK and Europe. As our business continues to grow, we’re looking for an experienced Production Manager to lead our production team at our Farnborough headquarters.

This is a genuine split role: roughly half management and half hands-on production. You'll lead our production team at our Farnborough headquarters while contributing directly to builds alongside an experienced and highly skilled team.

We have strong craft at the heart of our production operation. What we are looking to add is the layer around it: structured scheduling, effective workflow management, and a broader materials skill set. You will own the planning and people management, drive continuous improvement, and bring the knowledge and confidence to support the selection of the right materials and methods for each situation, rather than defaulting to the familiar.

We're looking for someone who is on trend with the industry, curious about new materials and methods, and ready to help us explore what's possible.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the production team day-to-day, allocating work, setting priorities, running 1-to-1s and performance reviews, and building a culture of quality and craft.
• Own production scheduling and workflow planning, working closely with the Head of Operations, Install Manager and Projects team to ensure everything is built, finished and dispatched on time.
• Get hands-on in production, contributing directly to the fabrication, finishing and assembly of exhibition components alongside the team.
• Challenge conventional materials and construction methods. If something needs to look like wood but doesn't need to be wood, we want you to know the alternatives and be confident proposing them.
• Identify and trial new substrates, finishes, fabrication techniques and production methods that keep Tecna's offering modern, efficient and competitive.
• Manage stock, materials and supplier relationships, maintaining availability, controlling costs and building strong partnerships with specialist suppliers.
• Covered within bullet 1 above.
• Drive continuous improvement across processes, equipment, factory layout and workflow to increase efficiency, quality and productivity.
• Maintain a safe, organised and well-run production environment with high standards of housekeeping and compliance.

What We Are Looking For

• An instinctive understanding of exhibition build standards. You know that a stand will be judged at arm's length on a busy show floor, not under a microscope, and you make confident production decisions that deliver the right result without over-investing effort where it will have negligible impact.
• A background in exhibition, events, theatre, film/TV production, props, scenic construction or a related industry where bespoke, visual environments are the end product.
• Experience leading a production or fabrication team, planning workloads, managing people and meeting tight deadlines.
• Materials-agnostic thinking: you're as comfortable with foam, GRP, acrylic, fabric structures or printed substrates as you are with timber, and you know when to reach for which.
• Awareness of current trends in experiential and exhibition design. You follow the industry, you know what good looks like, and you have opinions about where things are heading.
• Strong organisational and planning skills with the confidence to own a production schedule and hold a team to it.
• Good IT skills and comfort using business systems for scheduling, stock management and reporting.
• A practical, hands-on approach combined with the ability to step back and improve the systems and processes around you.

Nice to Have

• Experience with CNC routing, print, finishing or graphics application.
• Familiarity with modular exhibition systems (aluminium framing, tension fabric, similar).
• Experience in scenic construction, props-making or set building for film, TV or theatre.
• Working knowledge of lighting and AV integration within exhibition or event environments.

Benefits

Annual bonus based on company performance

25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays

Private healthcare

Paid volunteering days

Regular company events and socials

Job Advert

Senior Event Delivery Manager – Salons Professionnels (F/H)
Avez-vous de l'expérience dans le secteur des salons et des événements ?
Êtes-vous un(e) gestionnaire de projet compétent(e) dans les six aspects suivants : Périmètre, Calendrier, Finance, Risques, Qualité et Ressources ?
Si oui, votre profil nous intéresse !
En tant que SeniorEvent Delivery Manager, vous gérerez la prestation et le déploiement des opérations centrales sur le site de l'événement, incluant l'électricité, l'aménagement des stands, les revêtements de sol et le mobilier.

Vos Principales Missions

• Cadrage et suivi : Travailler à partir des informations fournies dans le brief des responsables de comptes ( Account Managers ) et de tout bon de commande de travaux supplémentaires.
• Gestion des risques : Évaluer, analyser et gérer tous les risques associés pouvant impacter la livraison du projet.
• Sécurité et conformité : Veiller au respect des normes de santé et de sécurité (H&S) par l'ensemble du personnel (interne et prestataires désignés), ce qui inclut la vérification que les formations requises ont bien été suivies.
• Objectifs de livraison : Prendre la responsabilité de la livraison du projet en veillant à atteindre les résultats et bénéfices attendus.
• Coordination transversale : Travailler en étroite collaboration avec l'équipe globale des Opérations, ce qui inclut la planification opérationnelle, la livraison sur site avec la gestion des comptes, ainsi que les parties prenantes du site ou palais des congrès ( Venue ) pouvant influencer le projet global.
• Management de terrain : Encadrer et gérer la main-d'œuvre dédiée sur le site du projet.
• Suivi de performance : Rédiger en temps voulu un rapport post-événement mettant en avant les problèmes rencontrés ou les objectifs dépassés, afin que des enseignements et des actions correctives puissent être pris par vous-même et/ou le département.
• Respect des engagements : Veiller au respect des accords de niveau de service publiés, qui dépendent de l'organisateur et du salon.
• Outils digitaux : Utiliser pleinement les systèmes logiciels qui font partie des procédures opérationnelles au sein du département.

Profil Recherché

• Anglais courant / Courant professionnel (impératif) : Niveau bilingue ou assimilé. Vous travaillerez quotidiennement avec nos équipes et partenaires en Europe ; la maîtrise parfaite de la langue (écrite et orale) est une condition essentielle pour ce poste.
• Expérience confirmée (Minimum 6 ans) : Une solide trajectoire professionnelle de 6 années minimum dans la gestion opérationnelle ou la gestion de projets de livraison au sein du secteur des salons professionnels et des expositions de grande envergure. Vous maîtrisez parfaitement les codes, le rythme et les rouages de cet écosystème.
• Maîtrise du "Delivery" et de l'exploitation terrain : Une expérience probante dans la livraison concrète d'événements complexes sur site. Vous savez piloter l'aménagement de stands, la coordination des corps de métiers (électricité, signalétique, agencement) et la gestion de la main-d'œuvre.
• Méthodologie et outils de pilotage : Capacité éprouvée à concevoir et rédiger des feuilles de route, des plannings d'exécution millimétrés et des procédures opérationnelles pour sécuriser le déploiement sur site.
• Gestion de projet globale : Une vision transversale sur les 6 piliers clés d’un projet : cadrage du périmètre ( Scope ), respect des plannings, suivi rigoureux des budgets/P&L, cartographie et anticipation des risques, standards de qualité et management des ressources.
• Qualités relationnelles et communication d'excellence : Un excellent contact humain, une aisance de communication (orale et écrite) tant avec les clients et les Account Managers qu'avec les équipes techniques ou les directions des parcs d'expositions ( Venues ).
• Rigueur, gestion d'équipe et des imprévus : Une excellence organisationnelle incontournable, un fort esprit critique et une grande réactivité pour diagnostiquer les problèmes et imposer des solutions immédiates sous forte pression.
• Mobilité : Flexibilité sur les horaires lors des phases de montage/démontage et forte propension à voyager sur les différents sites événementiels.

Qui Sommes-Nous ?GES est un fournisseur mondial de services complets pour le secteur des salons professionnels. Nous offrons des expériences événementielles extraordinaires grâce à des productions basées sur le partenariat.

Notre vision est de grandir aux côtés de nos clients et de créer un avenir véritablement durable pour les événements. En introduisant des technologies innovantes, nous ouvrons des opportunités de croissance pour nos parties prenantes. Nous voulons veiller à ce que le secteur de l'événementiel continue de prospérer en harmonie avec nos équipes et notre planète.

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