Director, KOLS & Events

JOB OVERVIEW:

This position is responsible for the strategic development, planning, execution, and optimization of Henry Schein Dental’s national events, trade shows, conventions, regional meetings, and Key Opinion Leader (KOL) programs. This role leads the overall events and KOL strategy while ensuring operational excellence across all event marketing initiatives.

This position partners closely with cross-functional business teams, sales leadership, supplier partners, finance, and external stakeholders to deliver impactful event experiences that support business growth, customer engagement, education, and brand visibility. The Director will oversee event strategy, budget management, marketing execution, KOL engagement, and team leadership while ensuring alignment with organizational goals and sales objectives.

The ideal candidate is both a strategic thinker and hands-on leader who can operate effectively at both the executive and executional levels.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Event Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and execute the annual strategic plan for Henry Schein Dental events, trade shows, conventions, and regional programs
• Evaluate and rationalize the annual events calendar to align with company priorities, sales goals, and market opportunities
• Identify opportunities to develop new event concepts, educational programs, and customer engagement experiences
• Establish and maintain meaningful partnerships with key associations, industry organizations, and supplier partners
• Lead cross-functional collaboration with sales, marketing, education, finance, and business leadership teams

• Event Marketing & Execution

• Oversee planning, logistics, and execution of all national, regional, and supplier partner events
• Manage event marketing strategies including pre-event, onsite, and post-event campaigns
• Oversee booth experience, digital signage, presentation schedules, lead generation, attendee engagement, and surrounding event activities
• Ensure consistent brand representation and adherence to corporate brand standards across all events and communications
• Direct development and execution of attendee communications including email, social media, texting campaigns, websites, landing pages, and promotional materials
• Oversee continuing education (CE) event strategy, registration processes, and educational programming support
• Support regional event teams through development of templates, tools, and scalable resources

• KOL & Speaker Management

• Lead the strategy, development, and management of Henry Schein Dental’s Key Opinion Leader (KOL) program
• Build and maintain strong relationships with KOLs, clinical champions, speakers, and industry influencers
• Oversee KOL recruitment, contracting, utilization, and review processes
• Identify and cultivate new speaker relationships that support business objectives and educational initiatives
• Collaborate with suppliers and internal stakeholders to align KOL activities with event and marketing strategies

• Budgeting, Analytics & Operational Excellence

• Develop and manage event budgets, forecasts, and financial reporting in partnership with finance teams
• Track, analyze, and communicate event performance metrics, ROI, lead generation effectiveness, and marketing KPIs
• Develop sales attribution models, tracking parameters, and reporting processes to measure event success
• Identify opportunities for process improvement, operational efficiencies, and enhanced data governance practices
• Negotiate contracts with venues, vendors, agencies, suppliers, and external partners
• Manage vendor relationships and consolidate supplier partnerships where appropriate for efficiency and cost containment
• Develop contingency plans and proactively address operational risks

• Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop the events and marketing team to drive high performance and collaboration
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, teamwork, and continuous improvement
• Support training and development of sales teams related to onsite event processes, lead generation, and event tools
• Lead and develop virtual and cross-functional teams across multiple business units

SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:

• Extensive experience leading large-scale trade shows, conventions, and corporate events
• Experience developing and executing integrated event marketing strategies
• Strong understanding of marketing KPIs, lead generation, ROI measurement, and campaign analytics
• Experience managing Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), speaker programs, or clinical partnerships within healthcare, dental, or related industries
• Proven experience negotiating contracts and managing external vendor relationships
• Experience working in a direct selling environment and supporting national sales organizations
• Strong project management and organizational skills with ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously

GENERAL SKILLS & COMPETENCIES:

• Outstanding management and leadership skills and ability to attract, retain, motivate, develop, mentor and coach team members for high performance

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