Business Development Manager- Partnerships & Accounts, Private Luxury Events

Business Development Manager - Strategic Partnerships & Account Growth

Borough, South London (SE1 1EP) – Hybrid

Private Luxury Events: Expect the Extraordinary

Private Luxury Events delivers world‑class experiences to the luxury travel community through its event brands Amour, Private Luxury, TFest and Ultra. Our ethos has always been to put the human experience first. This mantra has powered some of the most respected events in the industry, inspiring thousands of luxury travel professionals around the world and at the heart of everything we do lies a passion for connecting people.

Part of Worldwide Events Group

Private Luxury Events sits within Worldwide Events Group, founded in 2004 and now a recognised leader in global MICE and luxury travel. Across our events, we bring people together and facilitate meaningful relationships, a philosophy we call H2H, human‑to‑human connection.

Innovation drives our evolution. We’re embracing AI to elevate personalisation, streamline event design, and create smarter, more intuitive experiences for our global communities.

Our Sister Brand: M&I

M&I brings together high‑calibre meeting planners and exhibitors from the hospitality industry through a series of standout events across Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. Our portfolio includes M&I Expo, M&I Flagship, M&I Healthcare, and M&I Luxe.

The Role

We're looking for a commercially driven Business Development Manager to manage, develop and grow a portfolio of strategic partnerships across the luxury travel, hospitality and events sectors.

Private Luxury Events works with exceptional hotels, hotel groups, destinations, tourism boards and hospitality brands, bringing them together with influential buyers through a portfolio of world-class events. Our partnerships are central to this, and we're looking for someone who can build strong, long-term client relationships while identifying opportunities to increase revenue and deepen commercial engagement.

This role has a strong focus on account management, strategic partnerships and commercial growth. You'll inherit a portfolio of established client relationships, taking ownership of those partnerships and working closely with key decision-makers to understand their objectives, develop tailored propositions and maximise their value across our events.

You'll be responsible for nurturing and expanding existing accounts, negotiating commercial agreements and identifying opportunities to grow partnerships across multiple events and markets. Alongside this, you'll bring proven business development experience and a proactive commercial mindset, identifying new opportunities within your portfolio and contributing to the acquisition of additional business where appropriate.

We're looking for someone who combines the relationship-building skills of a strong account manager with the commercial drive of an experienced business developer. You'll be comfortable managing senior stakeholders, developing high-value partnerships and taking ownership of ambitious revenue targets.

Responsibilities

Strategic Partnerships & Account Management

• Take ownership of an allocated portfolio of established, high-value partnerships across the luxury travel, hospitality and events sectors.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior decision-makers across international hotel groups, luxury hospitality brands, destinations and tourism boards.
• Develop a deep understanding of each partner's commercial objectives, identifying opportunities to strengthen relationships and deliver greater value through our event portfolio.
• Proactively manage account activity, maintaining regular communication and ensuring partners remain engaged with our events and wider proposition.
• Develop account plans that identify opportunities for retention, expansion, increased participation and long-term partnership growth.

Commercial Growth & Revenue Generation

• Drive revenue growth across existing accounts through upselling, cross-selling, renewals and the development of broader commercial partnerships.
• Identify opportunities to expand individual event relationships into larger, multi-event or multi-brand agreements.
• Lead commercial discussions and negotiate partnership contracts, packages and high-value deals that deliver sustainable revenue growth.
• Take a consultative approach to selling, developing tailored proposals that align partner objectives with the opportunities available across our portfolio.
• Work towards ambitious revenue targets, taking ownership of account performance and identifying opportunities to maximise the commercial value of each partnership.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities where appropriate, using your industry knowledge and relationship-building skills to develop additional revenue streams.

Business Development & Commercial Strategy

• Apply strong business development skills to identify growth opportunities across existing accounts and relevant luxury hospitality markets.
• Build relationships with key stakeholders and decision-makers, expanding networks and developing new commercial opportunities.
• Monitor competitor activity, market trends and partner needs to identify opportunities to strengthen our proposition.
• Maintain accurate Salesforce records, account plans, revenue forecasts and commercial reporting.
• Collaborate with internal teams to develop compelling partnership propositions and ensure a consistent, high-quality experience for clients.

Ownership, Collaboration & Growth

• Take ownership of account performance, commercial objectives and the ongoing development of strategic partnerships.
• Work independently, demonstrating initiative, commercial judgement and a proactive approach to solving problems.
• Adapt to evolving business priorities, event propositions and market opportunities.
• Contribute ideas to improve account development, partnership strategy and revenue performance across the business.

Requirements

You'll thrive in this role if you bring:

• Proven experience in business development, strategic account management, partnership sales or a commercially focused client-facing role.
• A strong track record of managing and growing existing accounts, developing long-term client relationships and increasing revenue from established partnerships.
• Demonstrable business development experience, with the ability to identify commercial opportunities, negotiate deals and deliver against revenue targets.
• Experience managing senior stakeholders and building relationships with key decision-makers.
• Confidence negotiating commercial agreements, developing proposals and securing high-value partnerships.
• Strong commercial awareness, with the ability to identify upselling, cross-selling and account expansion opportunities.
• Experience managing multiple accounts, prioritising opportunities and maintaining accurate forecasts and CRM records.
• A proactive, relationship-led approach combined with the drive, resilience and accountability to deliver ambitious commercial results.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and organisational skills.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

• Experience within luxury travel, hospitality, events, exhibitions, sponsorship or partnership sales.
• Experience working with international hotel g