Event Director - LIONS Riyadh

The Event Director of LIONS Riyadh is a pivotal leadership role, responsible for defining the strategic direction, commercial success, creative ambition and overall delivery of the Festival. 

Working across Tahaluf, LIONS and key stakeholders, the Event Director will translate the overall vision into a clear business and delivery plan, ensuring commercial, content, marketing, audience, partnerships, operations and experience teams are aligned behind shared priorities and objectives. 

The role will lead the development of LIONS Riyadh as a distinctive regional Festival within the global LIONS ecosystem, ensuring it carries the authority and creative standards of LIONS while building a proposition that is relevant to Saudi Arabia, the GCC and the wider Middle East. 

The Event Director will be responsible for building a commercially sustainable platform with a strong and differentiated position across creativity, marketing, media, culture and business, while ensuring the Festival delivers clear value for audiences, partners and stakeholders.  

The role requires exceptional leadership and stakeholder management, with the ability to operate confidently across senior government, global brands, agencies, media organisations, creative leaders and international partners. 

The successful candidate will combine strategic thinking, commercial discipline, creative judgement and operational leadership, with the ability to make decisions, manage complexity and maintain momentum across a large cross-functional programme. 

Key Responsibilities   

• Develop and own the overall event strategy, business plan, budget and long-term growth roadmap, establishing clear commercial, audience, content and experience objective 

• Own overall revenue, expenditure and operating profit performance, driving commercial growth across sponsorship, strategic partnerships, brand experiences, hospitality and other revenue opportunities. 

• Oversee the development of a compelling event proposition, content programme, audience strategy and end-to-end customer experience, ensuring LIONS Riyadh delivers a distinctive, world-class festival. 

• Lead and align teams across Sales, Partnerships, Content, Marketing, Operations, Creative, Finance and Project Management to deliver against shared objectives. 

• Build a high-performing, collaborative team culture, providing direction, coaching and performance management to develop talent and drive accountability. 

• Build and manage senior relationships with government stakeholders, strategic partners, global brands, agencies and industry leaders to strengthen the event's positioning and long-term success. 

• Own the master event plan, overseeing critical milestones, dependencies, resources and onsite delivery to ensure operational excellence and a seamless festival experience. 

• Establish effective governance, reporting and decision-making processes, proactively managing risks, resolving challenges and acting as the senior escalation point across the project. 

• Maintain a deep understanding of the global and regional creative, advertising, marketing, media, technology and cultural landscape, identifying emerging trends, competitive developments and opportunities for growth. 

• Champion LIONS Riyadh's positioning within the global creative ecosystem, working with key stakeholders to build industry credibility, international participation and a lasting presence in the region. 

• Lead post-event performance reviews, evaluate commercial and strategic outcomes, and translate insights into continuous improvement and long-term growth plans for future editions.

Function: Management
Experience Level: Director