Sales Manager - Exhibitions

Sales Manager / Senior Business Development Executive Please note: Applications will only be considered from candidates with prior experience working within the exhibitions organizers and Arabic speakers is advantage. Job Summary The Sales Manager / Senior Business Development Executive is responsible for driving aggressive new business growth by acquiring new exhibitors, sponsors, and strategic partners across the company's exhibitions, conferences, and events portfolio. This is a highly sales-driven role focused primarily on new client acquisition (approximately 90% hunting and 10% account management). The successful candidate will proactively identify, engage, and convert new prospects into long-term commercial partners through a consultative sales approach. They will be expected to consistently generate new opportunities, manage a healthy sales pipeline, and exceed revenue targets while maintaining accurate CRM records and sales forecasts on a daily basis. Key Responsibilities New Business Development (Primary Focus) • Identify, prospect, and secure new exhibitors, sponsors, strategic partners, and commercial clients through proactive outbound sales activities. • Generate qualified leads through cold calling, email outreach, LinkedIn, networking, referrals, industry research, and market intelligence. • Build and maintain a robust pipeline of new business opportunities to ensure sustainable revenue growth. • Develop targeted account acquisition strategies to penetrate new markets and industry sectors. • Arrange and conduct face-to-face meetings, virtual presentations, and sales pitches with prospective clients. • Own the complete sales cycle from prospecting through negotiation, contract signing, and handover. • Consistently achieve and exceed new business revenue, sponsorship, and exhibition sales targets. • Identify opportunities to sell across multiple events and portfolios to maximize client lifetime value. Sales & Commercial Performance • Sell exhibition space, sponsorship packages, branding opportunities, conferences, and bespoke commercial solutions. • Prepare tailored commercial proposals, quotations, and presentations aligned with clients' marketing and business objectives. • Negotiate commercial agreements and successfully close high-value deals. • Maintain strong commercial awareness to identify upselling and cross-selling opportunities where appropriate. • Deliver accurate sales forecasts and pipeline reports to management. CRM & Pipeline Management • Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all sales activities, client interactions, opportunities, and forecasts within the CRM system on a daily basis. • Consistently manage and progress opportunities through each stage of the sales pipeline. • Ensure all prospecting activity, follow-ups, meetings, proposals, and sales outcomes are recorded in the CRM. • Use CRM data and sales metrics to prioritize opportunities, improve conversion rates, and support revenue forecasting. • Demonstrate strong pipeline discipline and effective time management to maximize sales productivity. Market Development • Research target industries and identify new revenue opportunities. • Monitor competitor activity, industry trends, and emerging markets. • Attend exhibitions, conferences, networking events, and trade shows to generate qualified sales leads. • Build strong relationships with key industry stakeholders and decision-makers. Client Relationship Management (Secondary Focus) • Build strong relationships with newly acquired clients to encourage repeat business. • Understand clients' commercial objectives and recommend solutions that deliver measurable return on investment. • Ensure a smooth handover to internal teams while remaining engaged with key accounts for future opportunities. • Maintain regular contact with existing clients to identify additional sales opportunities. Cross-Functional Collaboration • Work closely with marketing, production, operations, and event teams to deliver successful commercial outcomes. • Share customer feedback and market insights to support product development and future event growth. • Collaborate with internal teams to ensure contractual commitments are fulfilled and client expectations are exceeded. Skills & Experience • Proven track record in new business development and B2B sales. • Demonstrated success in consistently exceeding new business revenue targets. • Experience in exhibition sales, sponsorship sales, conference sales, media sales, or events is highly preferred. • Strong hunter mentality with confidence in cold calling, prospecting, networking, and developing new business opportunities. • Excellent negotiation, presentation, and closing skills. • Strong commercial acumen and consultative selling capability. • Experience engaging with senior decision-makers, directors, and C-level executives. • Proficient in using CRM systems (such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Zoho, or similar) as a core daily sales management tool. • Highly organized with strong pipeline management, forecasting, and sales planning skills. • Self-motivated, resilient, and target-driven with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced sales environment. Key Competencies • New Business Development • Lead Generation & Prospecting • Cold Calling & Outbound Sales • Consultative Selling • Negotiation & Closing • Pipeline Management • CRM Management & Sales Forecasting • Commercial Acumen • Presentation & Influencing Skills • Revenue Growth • Market Research & Competitive Intelligence • Cross-Functional Collaboration Key Attributes • Passionate about winning new business and opening new accounts. • Highly proactive with a strong hunter mindset. • Competitive, resilient, and motivated by achieving ambitious sales targets. • Comfortable engaging with senior executives and decision-makers. • Excellent networking and relationship-building skills. • Strong self-discipline with excellent follow-up and pipeline management. • Comfortable using CRM every day to manage sales activities, opportunities, reporting, and forecasting. • Thrives in a fast-paced, target-driven environment with minimal supervision. • Team player with a commercial mindset and a continuous improvement attitude. Role Profile • 90% New Business Development (Hunting) • 10% Account Management (Farming) • KPI-driven with a strong emphasis on outbound activity, pipeline generation, CRM discipline, and revenue growth. • Expected to maintain high levels of prospecting activity, accurately manage the CRM daily, and consistently convert new opportunities into long-term commercial partnerships. ***We will be shortlisting candidates within the next two weeks. If you do not hear from us during this time, it means your profile has not been selected on this occasion. We truly appreciate your interest and the time you invested in applying. Please feel free to continue checking our website and LinkedIn page for future opportunities that may be