Commercial Manager – Exhibitions

Location: Central London (Hybrid - 4 days in office)

45k + Commission

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Commercial Manager to lead the sales function for a well-established, market-leading trade exhibition. This role is ideal for a driven, strategic sales leader who thrives on building relationships, developing high-performing teams and delivering measurable commercial growth.

The Role

As Commercial Manager, you will take ownership of the commercial strategy and lead a small sales team to maximise revenue, retention and long-term growth. You will play a key role in shaping the event’s success while building strong relationships across the hospitality industry.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead, manage and develop a team of two Sales Executives, providing coaching, direction and performance support.
• Develop and deliver robust commercial plans aligned to wider business objectives.
• Identify revenue opportunities, set clear sales targets and drive strategic initiatives to maximise growth, retention and long-term commercial success.
• Champion effective CRM usage across the team, ensuring accurate data management, strong pipeline control, quality reporting and enhanced customer engagement.
• Manage and grow key accounts, building long-term strategic partnerships.
• Drive new business development, identifying and securing new revenue streams.
• Oversee and strategically manage the exhibition floor plan to optimise commercial performance.
• Establish yourself as a trusted authority within the industry by attending events, building meaningful relationships and staying ahead of market trends.
• Meet with current and prospective clients face-to-face for a minimum of 50% of the working week.
• Utilise advanced negotiation, objection handling and people skills to close and grow business opportunities.
• Embrace and promote the use of AI-driven tools and insights to enhance sales performance, improve processes, strengthen customer engagement and support data-led decision-making.

About You

• An experienced sales professional with a strong track record of delivering revenue growth.
• Confident leading and motivating a small team.
• Strategic, commercially minded and results-driven.
• Excellent negotiation, communication and relationship-building skills.
• Highly organised, with strong pipeline and sales planning capabilities.
• Comfortable working with CRM systems and leveraging AI-driven tools to enhance performance.
• A proactive networker who enjoys being visible in the market and building industry credibility.

What’s on Offer

• Hybrid working
• A collaborative, growth-focused and values-led culture.
• Competitive benefits package including enhanced family leave, pension, wellbeing initiatives, mentorship programmes and regular social events.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a commercially ambitious leader looking to make a significant impact within a respected events business! Get in touch with us if you're interested besavvy@savvyrecruitment.com