Conference Director

Informa Group Plc. • Santa Monica, CA

5d • $120,000 - $140,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Conference Director for Informa Festivals Gaming will lead the strategic vision, development, and execution of all live events serving the global game development community. This role encompasses oversight of the GDC Festival of Gaming -- the game industry's premier professional event -- as well as regional GDC-affiliated conferences worldwide and a portfolio of executive-focused gatherings. As the game development industry's largest annual gathering, the GDC Festival of Gaming brings together developers, publishers, marketers, investors, and business leaders in San Francisco each March for learning, networking, deal-making, and celebration. This flagship event is supported by a year-round ecosystem including GameDeveloper.com, GDC Vault, regional events, and GDC Digital products. The Conference Director will lead a specialized team of conference producers who possess deep knowledge of the game development community. This role requires both strategic leadership and hands-on collaboration with the editorial team at GameDeveloper.com to ensure cohesive content experiences across all platforms. The ideal candidate will bridge the worlds of professional event management and game development, bringing either conference planning expertise with strong game industry knowledge, or game production experience with a proven understanding of live events. Success in this role demands exceptional team leadership, strategic event planning capabilities, and authentic engagement with the game development community. The Conference Director will be responsible for creating experiences that serve developers' evolving needs while maintaining GDC's position as the industry's most essential gathering.

Requirements

• 7-10 years of progressive experience in conference/event management, game development, or a combination of both
• 3+ years of team leadership experience, with demonstrated success in building and managing high-performing teams
• Proven track record of delivering large-scale professional events or managing complex game development projects with multiple stakeholders
• Strong understanding of the game development industry, including development processes, business models, emerging technologies, and community dynamics
• Exceptional strategic thinking and planning abilities with strong execution skills and a data-driven approach to decision-making
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and inspire diverse audiences from indie developers to C-suite executives
• Demonstrated ability to curate compelling content and identify industry trends that resonate with professional audiences
• Excellent project management capabilities, including managing multiple concurrent events, budgets, timelines, and resources in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Collaborative mindset with experience working across multiple departments and stakeholder groups

Nice To Haves

• Direct experience with GDC or other major game industry events (as attendee, speaker, organizer, or sponsor)
• Background in both conference production AND game development, providing dual perspective on community needs and event execution
• Established network of relationships within the game development community, including studios, platform holders, service providers, and industry organizations
• Experience launching or scaling new event properties or expanding existing events into new markets
• Experience working in a matrixed organization with multiple stakeholder groups

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the strategic vision for Gaming group live events, including the GDC Festival of Gaming, regional conferences worldwide, and executive-focused gatherings
• Drive innovation in event formats, content delivery, and attendee experiences to meet the evolving needs of the game development community and maintain GDC's position as the industry's premier professional gathering
• Establish key performance indicators and success metrics while partnering with the operations team to ensure seamless event execution
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of conference producers, empowering them to leverage their deep community expertise and fostering a culture of collaboration, creativity, and continuous improvement
• Manage team workloads, project timelines, and content budgets, making strategic trade-offs to ensure successful event delivery within financial parameters
• Collaborate closely with the editorial team at GameDeveloper.com to ensure cohesive content strategies across live and digital platforms
• Partner with marketing, sales, operations, and regional teams to align on business objectives and deliver exceptional event experiences
• Work with conference producers and the advisory board to curate compelling, relevant programming that addresses the game development community's needs across all disciplines, career stages, and emerging industry trends
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with key industry leaders, studios, sponsors, platform holders, and community stakeholders to secure high-quality speakers and strategic partnerships
• Serve as an ambassador for GDC and affiliated events, representing the brand within the game development community and identifying new opportunities for engagement

Benefits

• Great community: a welcoming culture with in-person and online social events, our fantastic Walk the World charity day and active colleague groups and networks promoting a positive, supportive, and collaborative work environment
• Broader impact: take up to four days per year to volunteer, with charity match funding available too
• Career opportunity: the opportunity to develop your career with bespoke training and learning, mentoring platforms and on-demand access to thousands of courses on LinkedIn Learning. When it’s time for the next step, we encourage and support internal job moves
• Time out: 15 days PTO rising to 20 after three years and 25 after six years, plus 10 national holidays, a birthday leave day and the chance to work from (almost!) anywhere for up to four weeks a year
• Competitive benefits, including a 401k match, health, vision and dental insurance, parental leave and an ESPP offering company shares at a minimum 15% discount
• Strong wellbeing support through EAP assistance, mental health first aiders, free access to a wellness app and more
• Recognition for great work, with global awards and kudos programs
• As an international company, the chance to collaborate with teams around the world

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed