Events Manager

Hybrid Work Model

SEGA. . . What do you think of when you hear that word? Do you think of the console with the iconic, harmonized voice fire ups or do you think of the countless gaming hits from Sonic the Hedgehog, Golden Axe, or the Persona series? . . .

When we think of SEGA, we think of its evolution as a pioneer in the video game market to one of the most prominent video game developers and publishers ever! Globally, SEGA has over 5,000 employees passionately working to bring the best gaming entertainment to players around the planet. We have one of, if not the richest, portfolio of original IPs something we are very proud of and excited about as the market continues to change.

New streaming technologies and shifts in the retail landscape are well poised for what will be the most disruptive and innovative time in our industry. Our IP strategy positions us well for this, and we are enthusiastic about the future!

There's never been a more exciting time in the company's history to join SEGA!

Job Summary:

The Events Manager reports to the Director, Brand Marketing to support all SEGA Brand teams on event strategy and planning for Sonic & SEGA/Atlus brand.  This person will lead the event strategy and support execution of major consumer events including Anime Expo, SD Comicon alongside other partnership activations and Sonic the Hedgehog mascot tours. The successful candidate will have experience creating innovative and engaging event experiences that not only entertain but drive revenue. This candidate will have strong event strategy and project management skills, knowledge of the entertainment, console gaming, licensing and mobile ecosystems, and be skilled at operating within a matrix structure, interfacing with a cross-section of international stakeholders.  

The ideal individual will be a highly organized self-starter, with excellent communication and interpersonal skills and have a solid understanding of event management and marketing. They will have a keen eye for detail, tracking ongoing updates for brand and product roadmaps while overseeing the planning and day to day execution for SEGA’s presence at both large-scale trade shows and events, partnership activations, and mascot tour. They will be comfortable tracking and working with data and research to help inform event plans. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work with Brand, Licensing, Creative, Product Marketing and Publishing teams to strategize and plan innovative and engaging event marketing activations for SEGA brands and products in order to impact specified business KPIs. 
• Represent SEGA of America and ensure alignment with SEGA of Japan and SEGA of Europe to successfully manage events within the Americas.
• Experience in overseeing events across a variety of objectives from licensing, gaming, entertainment brands.
• Work with internal events teams to help manage logistics and deliverables for trade shows, including registration, staffing, schedules, custom premium items, housing, packing, and shipping.
• Identify, evaluate, and negotiate with key event logistics partners to increase efficiencies. 
• Track and analyze event activation performance ROI to understand trends and make recommendations for future strategy and KPIs.
• Route, organize and distribute key marketing assets and materials across internal stakeholders to ensure creative and campaigns are in line with brand strategy. 
• Keep up to date with video game, entertainment, social network, event and pop culture trends to continuously educate all stakeholders and inform strategic planning.
• Work with Legal, Accounting, and other internal stakeholders to ensure event and vendor contracts are clearly defined, documented and executed. Manage internal process for completing payments according to contractual obligations.
• Other responsibilities are performed as assigned or needed. 
• Working in-office is an essential function of this position.  This requirement of face-to-face interaction is in place to ensure effective supervision, collaboration, and teamwork.  In-office attendance is required for the following reasons:
  • For effective supervision of employees and our work product, which includes ensuring all employees have necessary oversight of their work and access to supervisory assistance, which includes meetings to review work product, deadlines, and status.
  • To foster communication and collaboration among team members, which includes the following: allowing for spontaneous brainstorming sessions and exchanges of ideas, quick access to team members to enable collaborative problem-solving, and stronger cohesion among co-workers and within teams.
  • To enhance the sharing of information necessary to effective job performance and product creation. 
  • To enhance understanding of our stakeholders’ work and business needs, facilitate a more seamless and organic workflow, and ultimately increase efficiency and successful outcomes.

Qualifications and Skills:

• 3-5 years of experience across event and/or partnership marketing, communications and event management.
• Video game and/or Entertainment industry experience preferred. 
• Thrives in a cross functional role within a matrixed global organization.  
• Must be detail oriented; possess good time management skills and business process management abilities. Should be solution-oriented and able to prioritize quickly in a changing environment. 
• The ability to multitask in fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication skills and ability to interface with all departments and levels within the company, as well as with external partners and outside vendors, to keep projects on track.
• Must be able to give and receive factual information, give and receive clear directions, explain difficult material, and convince others to take action.
• Ability to put together strategic marketing presentations and evangelize them to all stakeholders. 
• Ability to see trends, understand the competitive landscape, and has the aptitude to see the big business picture. Able to understand the perspective of the game consumer across genres and platforms.  
• Experience managing high profile partners/accounts and working with large scale multi-media entertainment franchises on global campaigns is a plus.