Associate Director of Creative

Access Destination Services•Las Vegas, NV

19d•Hybrid

About The Position

Access is seeking an Associate Director of Creative in Las Vegas, NV. This is a hybrid position based in their Las Vegas office, with oversight of both the Las Vegas and Arizona markets. The individual is expected to reside in the Las Vegas area while leading teams across both locations. The role will involve regular travel to Arizona (approximately 2 times per month) to stay closely connected with the team, maintain relationships, and ensure alignment across markets. The Director of Creative Services (Live Events) is the senior leader responsible for defining, scaling, and driving the creative vision, strategy, and execution standards for live events, meetings, and experiential programs across all markets. This role ensures that all creative output is grounded in real-world event execution, translating bold ideas into experiences that can be successfully produced on-site. The Director leads the organization in designing immersive, scalable, and operationally sound event experiences that drive revenue, client satisfaction, and brand differentiation. As the creative authority for live events, this role partners closely with Sales, Event Operations, and Executive Leadership to ensure all concepts are not only innovative, but feasible, profitable, and executable within venue, budget, and production constraints.

Requirements

Define and lead the creative vision for live events, meetings, and experiential programs across all markets
Ensure all creative strategies are rooted in how events are physically built, produced, and experienced by guests
Establish standards for immersive environments, staging, entertainment, guest flow, and multi-day program design
Drive innovation in event formats, environments, and experiential storytelling, not just visual design
Translate industry trends and cultural insights into real-world event applications that elevate the guest experience
Ensure consistency in delivering high-impact, executable event concepts across all destinations
Oversee the creative direction of high-value, complex event proposals, ensuring they clearly communicate the live experience
Ensure proposals demonstrate how ideas come to life on-site, not just how they look on paper
Guide teams in developing guest experience narratives, spatial layouts, and experiential moments
Partner with Sales and Events to align on scope, feasibility, and pricing for live programs
Elevate proposal quality by reinforcing execution confidence, operational clarity, and storytelling impact
Serve as the executive bridge between Creative, Sales, and Event Operations
Ensure all creative concepts align with venue capabilities, production timelines, labor, and logistics
Establish frameworks that require creative teams to design with execution, safety, and guest flow in mind
Oversee alignment between creative vision, budget, and operational delivery
Anticipate execution challenges across markets and implement scalable solutions and best practices
Lead the national strategy for event-focused creative partners, including production, entertainment, fabrication, and technical partners
Build partnerships that support large-scale, high-quality live event execution
Drive initiatives around exclusive offerings, custom builds, and scalable event solutions
Partner with Procurement and Finance to ensure creative partner strategies align with creative ambition and financial performance
Ensure all partners are equipped to deliver experiential programs, not just design services
Lead and develop a national team of creative leaders with a focus on live event expertise and experiential thinking
Establish a culture where teams design for real environments, real guests, and real-time execution
Mentor Associate Directors and senior leaders to balance creative vision with operational accountability
Implement training programs that deepen team knowledge in event production, logistics, and experiential design
Build a leadership pipeline of talent capable of delivering complex, high-value live programs
Lead the long-term creative strategy to support revenue growth, client retention, and market differentiation through live experiences
Ensure all creative output contributes to winning business and delivering exceptional on-site execution
Partner with Executive Leadership to position Access as a leader in experiential design and live event innovation
Drive consistency in how we deliver high-quality, executable event experiences across all markets
Influence company strategy by aligning creative direction with operational realities and financial goals
Establish systems and processes that support efficient, scalable development of live event programs
Lead capacity planning and resource allocation across markets to support complex event pipelines
Drive consistency in tools, workflows, and creative systems that improve speed-to-market and execution quality
Anticipate shifts in client demand and industry trends, ensuring the team is prepared to adapt and deliver at scale
Champion continuous improvement in how we design, sell, and execute live experiences
Consistently displays the Access Values (Imagine First, Demand Integrity, Embody Excellence, Always Collaborate, Service Obsession)

Nice To Haves

7+ years of creative experience in a DMC or a related industry such as hospitality or events.
Comfort with Salesforce with an understanding of the platform’s feature's ability to understand and analyze reports t share insights and identify trends.
Verifiable knowledge and relationships in the specific, local destination.
Successful negotiation and relationship-building skills.
At least 3 year's experience leading high-performing sales teams and achieving KPI targets.
Strong experience with Social Tables, Canva, AI products and diagramming.
Solution-Oriented Mindset: Proactive and the tendency to take initiative to contribute to the success of self and team.
Customer Service: Obsession with providing excellent customer service and a passion for the hospitality and special events industry.
Interpersonal Skills: Ability to communicate effectively and build positive relationships, both internally and externally.
Flexibility: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, changing environment while meeting deadlines and exceeding expectations.

Responsibilities

Define and lead the creative vision for live events, meetings, and experiential programs across all markets
Ensure all creative strategies are rooted in how events are physically built, produced, and experienced by guests
Establish standards for immersive environments, staging, entertainment, guest flow, and multi-day program design
Drive innovation in event formats, environments, and experiential storytelling, not just visual design
Translate industry trends and cultural insights into real-world event applications that elevate the guest experience
Ensure consistency in delivering high-impact, executable event concepts across all destinations
Oversee the creative direction of high-value, complex event proposals, ensuring they clearly communicate the live experience
Ensure proposals demonstrate how ideas come to life on-site, not just how they look on paper
Guide teams in developing guest experience narratives, spatial layouts, and experiential moments
Partner with Sales and Events to align on scope, feasibility, and pricing for live programs
Elevate proposal quality by reinforcing execution confidence, operational clarity, and storytelling impact
Serve as the executive bridge between Creative, Sales, and Event Operations
Ensure all creative concepts align with venue capabilities, production timelines, labor, and logistics
Establish frameworks that require creative teams to design with execution, safety, and guest flow in mind
Oversee alignment between creative vision, budget, and operational delivery
Anticipate execution challenges across markets and implement scalable solutions and best practices
Lead the national strategy for event-focused creative partners, including production, entertainment, fabrication, and technical partners
Build partnerships that support large-scale, high-quality live event execution
Drive initiatives around exclusive offerings, custom builds, and scalable event solutions
Partner with Procurement and Finance to ensure creative partner strategies align with creative ambition and financial performance
Ensure all partners are equipped to deliver experiential programs, not just design services
Lead and develop a national team of creative leaders with a focus on live event expertise and experiential thinking
Establish a culture where teams design for real environments, real guests, and real-time execution
Mentor Associate Directors and senior leaders to balance creative vision with operational accountability
Implement training programs that deepen team knowledge in event production, logistics, and experiential design
Build a leadership pipeline of talent capable of delivering complex, high-value live programs
Lead the long-term creative strategy to support revenue growth, client retention, and market differentiation through live experiences
Ensure all creative output contributes to winning business and delivering exceptional on-site execution
Partner with Executive Leadership to position Access as a leader in experiential design and live event innovation
Drive consistency in how we deliver high-quality, executable event experiences across all markets
Influence company strategy by aligning creative direction with operational realities and financial goals
Establish systems and processes that support efficient, scalable development of live event programs
Lead capacity planning and resource allocation across markets to support complex event pipelines
Drive consistency in tools, workflows, and creative systems that improve speed-to-market and execution quality
Anticipate shifts in client demand and industry trends, ensuring the team is prepared to adapt and deliver at scale
Champion continuous improvement in how we design, sell, and execute live experiences
Consistently displays the Access Values (Imagine First, Demand Integrity, Embody Excellence, Always Collaborate, Service Obsession)

Benefits

Certified as a Great Place to Work – 3 years in a row!
55+ years in the industry!
Women-owned and women-led
Fun, creative, and supportive culture
Focus on recognition and employee value – including annual and quarterly awards
Paid day off to serve your local community
Annual all-company retreat to connect, learn, and have fun together
Annual qualifier-based incentive trip for top performers (certain departments eligible)
Regional team outings
Monthly companywide meetings to connect, learn, and celebrate wins
Highly competitive total compensation, including strong base salary and quarterly bonuses
Very strong performance-based quarterly commission plans
401k with company match (eligible after 1 year – up to 4% of salary matched, vested immediately)
Monthly cell phone stipend
Work from home opportunities and flexibility (including full home office setup)
Flexible schedule opportunities
Generous PTO
Sick days
9 full holidays
5 half days off prior to holidays to unplug early
2 floating holidays off to be used on holidays of your choice
½ day Fridays in July & August (based on achievement of goals)
Extensive menu of health plans to choose from
Paid parental leave
Pet insurance program
Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
Mentorship program
“Masterclasses” in industry/department-specific topics
State-of-the-art technology platforms and tools – including training
Annual and monthly meeting content that focuses on professional development