Jessica Sparkes

Hired as part of the expansion of Europe's fastest growing start up to spearhead the development of the events and experiences programme globally to generate brand awareness and win the trust of the music industry.

Built the events department, creating, communicating and implementing all department processes, servicing 12 business units with a range of complex products and individual marketing needs.

Authored a global events plan for the business which is to be rolled out in 2023, covering 20 major brand activations with a projected £10 million + budget developed in line with the global marketing strategy and strategic goals of the business.

Delivered a range of complex event projects with budget ranging from £50,000 - £2million. Including a whole company offsite for 600 guests from 20 countries, held across 7 venues in Mallorca over 2 days.

Developed the events team from 1 employee to 5 over a 6 month period. Alongside this, I created a training and development programme to upskill the team across all areas of event production and delivery.

Created a system of stakeholder management that allowed clear cross-functional working relationships, approval processes and adherence to project timelines.

Authored the events H&S processes for the business, working with external suppliers to ensure the business is compliant in each operational region and creating templates and processes for the successful and safe delivery of all event formats globally.

Owner of all supplier and venue relationships, maintaining a network of suppliers and contractors that align with the principles of the business.

Own and manage event agency and freelancer contracts, workloads and relationships, ensuring that projects are delivered on time, on budget and to the agreed specifications.

Managed and delivered multiple major brand event projects including: :

House Festival, 10,000 capacity high-end city festival. I oversaw all event operations alongside the Festival Director.

The Universal Music Brit Awards After Party, delivered the 1000 capacity party at The Ned in central London, overseeing the creative production, operational delivery and sponsor activations.

Soho House at Primavera Sound, 600 capacity VIP area within the Primavera Festival Site. Overseeing creative production, event logistics and partnership management.

The GQ and Land Rover Dinner at The Hay Festival, a 250 capacity VIP dinner at a private house in Hay on Wye. Responsibilities included partnership management, operational logistics and event creative.

Milan Lates with Apple Music, an event series delivered during Milan Fashion Week taking place in an unfinished building acquired by Soho House. I had full project management oversight, from event creative to operational delivery.

Provided production services for VIP event clients, taking care of the founders most valued friends, business contacts and supporters. I delivered a range of events for these clients, from private birthday parties to weddings, overseeing every aspect from providing creative decks for tablescapes to writing event menus. I was responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of these events onsite, managing large teams in locations that were often logistically challenging and highly private. I ensured the profitability of each project, working closely with the founder to ensure we were providing value for money alongside an exemplary service. Please note that I’m under NDA for most of these clients, but will be happy to share details of some (non-NDA) projects at the interview stage.

Successfully creatively programmed and logistically delivered the UK, Europe and Asia Cities Without Houses (CWH) events programme, covering over 250 events per year, leading a small team of producers and local contractors.

Author and owner of the Soho House Events Brand Book, the blueprint for all pop up events globally. I ensured that each event was delivered to the standard of the brand, supporting with event creative and shaping event ideas to ensure they personified Soho House.

Project managed the openings of new UK Houses (Greek Street Relaunch, Redchurch St Townhouse, White City House), managing event operations, creative and programming. As part of these projects, I also supported with the transition from the architects and builders to the operating team, working as a conduit between these parties to ensure a smooth transition to a live hospitality operation.

Oversaw and led a team of 40 creatives during covid, delivering over 1000 pieces of content including digital events, photo stories, articles, podcasts and videos over the course of a year. I implemented a project management tool to streamline workflows, increasing productivity of the team.

Collaborated with the in-house legal and development teams to ensure all events were correctly licensed within their respective territories and that local authorities from the council to the Met police were informed and comfortable with the event plans.

Identified and developed talent from other business areas, training them to event producer level within a short period and securing them roles within the events team.

Senior Producer working on Google Beach, a major activation at Cannes Lions. I oversaw the production of the highlight event of the week, the Executive Dinner, which hosted 130 Google VIP guests.