Business Development Manager – Sponsorship

Who we are

We are William Reed.

We are a global media group delivering exceptional content through events, digital, data & insight.

From agribusiness, ingredients and food processing, to retail, hospitality & fine dining – we provide the inspiration, insight and connections to power our customers’ success.

Rethink Events produces world-leading summits focused on innovation, investment, and sustainability in agriculture, food, water, and energy. Its conferences bring together senior executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers to accelerate technology adoption and address global challenges.

We have offices in Gatwick, Brighton and London, UK; Montpellier, France; Singapore and Chicago, US. The successful candidate will work from our Brighton office.

Position

Position: Full time – permanent

Location: Brighton

Are you a proactive, ambitious and results-driven sales professional who excels at building strong relationships and acquiring new clients? Are you passionate about identifying new opportunities and driving business growth?

As Business Development Manager, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the commercial success of our global summits. You’ll lead high-value sponsorship sales and forge strategic partnerships — all while driving innovation and sustainability across the agri-food-tech ecosystem.

The role would suit someone who thrives on winning new business and is driven to exceed personal targets while playing a pivotal role in achieving overall team commercial goals. You will also work closely with the production and marketing teams to ensure sponsors achieve maximum ROI and long-term partnerships are fostered.

What you’ll be doing:

Commercial Growth & Sales Leadership

• Driving new business development through proactive outreach and consultative selling
• Achieving and exceeding sponsorship revenue targets across multiple international events
  
  

Strategic Account Management

• Building and nurturing long-term relationships with C-suite executives and global brands
• Understanding client goals and delivering tailored sponsorship solutions that drive ROI and renewals
  
  

Market Intelligence & Collaboration

• Staying ahead of trends in agri-tech, food-tech, and sustainability, and maintaining a deep understanding of the markets and competitor events
• Collaborating cross-functionally with production and marketing to craft compelling propositions
• Representing Rethink Events at global conferences, supporting sponsors and driving renewals
  
  

Requirements

What you’ll need:

• Proven track record in B2B sales, ideally in business development and within conferences or media
• Experience closing deals with senior stakeholders
• Strong commercial acumen and a strategic mindset
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills
• A proactive, driven approach in fast-paced, target-led environments
• Familiarity with Salesforce or similar CRM platforms
• Ability to speak additional languages, especially Portuguese, would be highly advantageous
• Flexibility in working hours and a willingness to travel internationally for events
  
  

Other information

Company Benefits and Initiatives Include:

• 25 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays – increasing by one additional day after 6 years, up to a maximum of 30 days.
• An additional day of leave for you to take on a cultural celebration day or on your birthday if you like. A day for you! At William Reed, we call this our “MeDay”.
• A volunteer day to take for supporting a chosen charity and giving back to the community.
• Contributory Pension
• Life Assurance Scheme
• Group Income Protection
• Enhanced family-friendly leave pay entitlements
• Wellbeing benefits, including: A health care cash plan, Employee assistance programme, Virtual GP service and Access to health & wellbeing resources and tools.
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
  
  

Why work for us

We provide a supportive work environment and are committed to maintaining a healthy work/life balance for all of our employees. Working for William Reed means that you will be joining a stable organisation that is committed to developing its employees and brands.

We warmly welcome and encourage applications from talented individuals of all backgrounds and characteristics.

If you need any support in accessing this opportunity, please do not hesitate to discuss this with us.