Global IT Events Director

The Global IT Events Director is a senior operational leader responsible for designing, delivering, and continually improving the end\u2011to\u2011end IT operations for all MARI live events worldwide.

This is a hands\u2011on, globally distributed role that blends technical leadership, resource orchestration, and on\u2011site live event management. You will oversee all technical elements of event delivery \u2014 from planning, site inspections, network builds, POS deployments, Wi\u2011Fi design, broadcast / streaming requirements, accreditation systems, and endpoint provisioning to on\u2011site support teams, overnight builds, and rapid issue resolution during live operations.

MARI\u2019s event calendar includes high intensity overlaps across regions (Americas, APAC, EMEA), multi\u2011month installations, and peak concurrent periods that require careful planning, vendor management, and operational precision.

You will own the global event IT operating model, manage internal and third\u2011party resources, maintain standards and runbooks, and ensure MARI delivers faultless technical execution at every event., Global Event Technology Leadership

• Own the full lifecycle of IT delivery for all global MARI events \u2014 planning, design, setup, live operations, de\u2011rig, and post\u2011event reviews.
• Develop and enforce a global Event Technology Standards Framework (networks, Wi\u2011Fi, POS, ticketing, printers, devices, connectivity, resilience, documentation).
• Conduct technical site visits and lead pre\u2011production planning sessions with Production, Operations, Commercial, and external partners.

Event Calendar & Resource Orchestration

• Manage the global event calendar to prevent resourcing conflicts during overlapping periods (e.g., February Americas overlap, August\u2013September APAC triple overlap, October\u2013January EMEA peaks).

• Build detailed resource allocation plans, identifying when internal teams, temporary staff, or third\u2011party vendors are required.

• Coordinate scheduling around 4\u20138\u2011week planning windows, ensuring global workloads are sustainable and predictable. On\u2011Site Technical Delivery

• Serve as senior technical lead at major events worldwide.

• Oversee all on\u2011site infrastructure as well as potential disaster recovery scenarios.

• Network and Wi\u2011Fi deployment.

• Cabling and infrastructure setup.

• POS and payment device rollout.

• Ticketing and access control systems.

• Artist / athlete / media areas.

• Press rooms, broadcast / streaming support.

• Back\u2011office IT and endpoint provisioning.

• Rapidly diagnose and resolve issues during live operations, ensuring business continuity. Vendor & Third\u2011Party Management

• Build and manage a global network of boutique IT event support vendors to supplement internal teams.

• Negotiate contracts, scopes of work, SLAs, day rates, and surge capacity terms.

• Establish escalation pathways between internal teams, 3rd\u2011party engineers, and event production. Event Runbooks, Documentation & Knowledge Management

• Create and maintain event\u2011specific IT runbooks, diagrams, staffing plans, network maps, and pre\u2011flight checklists.

• Develop repeatable, scalable templates for art fairs, tennis events, endurance sports, festivals, and long\u2011duration winter attractions.

• Ensure post\u2011event debriefs capture lessons learned and feed into continuous improvement. Infrastructure & Technology Readiness

• Ensure all event technologies are fully tested, configured, and signed off before deployment.

• Manage event equipment inventory and warehousing\u2014 laptops, iPads, POS units, printers, switches, APs, cabling.

• Oversee temporary internet services, 4G / 5G fallback, and redundant connectivity. People Leadership & Team Development

• Manage and mentor a distributed global Support and Events technology team.

• Coordinate with IT Operations & Support teams to ensure effective follow\u2011the\u2011sun support.

• Provide coaching, training, and development to build a world\u2011class event engineering capability. Budget Ownership & Cost Management

• Own the event IT budget forecast, including staffing, equipment, vendors, and travel.

• Evaluate buy vs. rent vs. outsource decisions for event hardware.

• Tracks spend per event and identify opportunities for operational efficiency. Unusual Challenges or Circumstances

• Extensive travel to global events (including nights, weekends, holidays).

• Multi\u2011week or multi\u2011month on\u2011site presence for intense installations (e.g., Winter Wonderland, Frieze Seoul).

• High\u2011pressure live environments requiring rapid response and exceptional problem\u2011solving.

• Simultaneous events across regions requiring strong remote coordination.

• Adaptability to outdoor environments, temporary structures, weather, and last\u2011minute operational changes. Key Results Areas

• Zero critical outages across all major MARI events.

• On\u2011time build readiness and go\u2011live execution.

• Accurate staffing models for each region and peak period.

• Standardised event runbooks used globally.

• High vendor performance and reliable surge capacity.

• Strong relationships with Production, Commercial, and Operations teams.

• Positive feedback from event directors, partners, and VIP stakeholders.

• 10+ years in event technology, live events, or field\u2011based technical operations.

• Demonstrated leadership in delivering IT for large\u2011scale, multi\u2011day or multi\u2011week events.

• Hands\u2011on experience with event networks, temporary connectivity, Wi\u2011Fi design, ticketing systems, POS, and broadcast support.

• Experience managing global technical teams and 3rd\u2011party vendors.

• Background supporting art fairs, sports, experiential events, or major festivals highly desirable.

• Strong understanding of hardware logistics, IT security, BYOD environments, and temporary event infrastructures. Skills And Abilities

• Expert at managing complex, multi\u2011site, multi\u2011team event operations.

• Exceptional troubleshooting in high\u2011pressure, live environments.

• Strong negotiation skills with vendors and contractors.

• Ability to produce clear diagrams, runbooks, and operational documentation.

• Excellent communication with both technical and non\u2011technical stakeholders.

• Strong analytical capabilities for resource modelling and event forecasting.

• Able to lead teams across time zones within a follow\u2011the\u2011sun model. Qualifications And Training

• Bachelor's degree in IT, Engineering, or equivalent experience.

• ITIL, PRINCE2, or project management certifications beneficial.

• Vendor\u2011specific networking certifications desirable (e.g., Cisco, Aruba, Meraki).

• Event\u2011specific technical qualifications (broadcast, networking, or AV) advantageous. Aptitudes / Personal Profile Drive and Energy

• Strong drive for success and relentless pursuit of achieving results.

• Is action oriented and pursues everything with energy and drive. Passionate about success and winning.

• Dedicated, committed, enthusiastic, positive, and motivated. Has courage and persistence in convictions no matter how difficult the task is. Adaptability

• Is open, flexible, and adaptable to changes in work demands, people, and situations.

• Ability to view overall business priorities and redefine own and team\u2019s priorities in line with expectations and objectives.

• Ability to plan and communicate the steps needed to deliver a defined outcome.

• Ability to ensure the most urgent and important needs of the business are achieved.

• Time management for the event team and prioritising escalations. Communication

• Persuasive and influential. Understands the attitudes, interests, needs, and perspectives of others and can convince others and gain agreement.

• Listens intently and ensures other party feels they have been heard and understood.

• Maintains confidentiality, remains open to others\u2019 ideas, and exhibits willingness to try new things.

About MARI MARI is a global events and experiences company with a portfolio of world\u2011class live properties spanning sport, art, lifestyle, and entertainment. These include major international tennis tournaments, among them the Mutua Madrid Open and Miami Open presented by Ita\u00fa, Frieze, a leading voice in contemporary art, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, TodayTix Group, a leading digital ticketing and technology company for theatre and live performance, and Barrett\u2011Jackson, the foremost U.S. collector car auction company. MARI delivers live experiences that bring people together, inspire audiences, and shape culture worldwide.