Senior Director of Audience Development & Intelligence

ADWEEK is seeking a dynamic and strategic Sr. Director of Audience Development & Intelligence to spearhead efforts in prospecting, acquiring, and engaging qualified attendees for our flagship events, including BRANDWEEK, Social Media Week, and ADWEEK House activations globally. This position plays a key role in leveraging ADWEEK’s existing community to build vibrant, meaningful conversations around trending industry topics, fostering connections, and increasing audience engagement across multiple platforms. The ideal candidate will have expertise in both B2B community development and audience acquisition, with a particular focus on growing and activating the ADWEEK community through targeted outreach and data-driven strategies.

As the leader of audience development efforts, this role will drive audience acquisition and engagement across all ADWEEK media channels, ensuring that in-person moments and small-group connectivity initiatives are seamlessly integrated with the broader ADWEEK content ecosystem. This individual will collaborate closely with editorial, commercial, and executive teams to ensure a consistent and effective approach to driving engagement across ADWEEK's high-impact events, webinars, and digital platforms.

This is a hybrid role and will be based in ADWEEK’s NYC office three (3) days a week.

Responsibilities

Audience acquisition and prospecting for ADWEEK events: Lead audience development for ADWEEK-owned events such as BRANDWEEK, Social Media Week, and ADWEEK House activations. This includes setting ticket sales targets, identifying and acquiring qualified attendees, developing personalized outreach strategies, and ensuring audience diversity that aligns with event goals and strategic objectives.
Leverage ADWEEK’s community for engagement: Utilize the existing ADWEEK community to spark and nurture high-value conversations about industry trends, emerging topics, and relevant insights. Build engagement by tapping into key influencer networks, thought leaders, and industry decision-makers within ADWEEK’s database to increase participation and foster meaningful discussions. Identify and explore key partnerships that are in ADWEEK community (agencies, companies, not-for profit organizations) that can bolster audience and community.
Develop and execute targeted outreach campaigns: Develop a data-driven approach to prospecting and acquiring attendees for key events, including personalized email campaigns, social media outreach, and strategic partnerships. Leverage ADWEEK’s 1st party data across owned and paid channels to reach specific audience segments, leveraging advanced targeting techniques to maximize qualified lead generation.
Maximize audience strategy for virtual engagement: Oversee the audience development strategy for virtual initiatives such as ADWEEK Connect and webinars. This includes targeted outreach campaigns for event registration, engagement on virtual platforms, and ensuring an integrated experience that brings virtual attendees into the broader ADWEEK community ecosystem.
Curate and execute targeted guest lists for small group events: Lead audience curation and outreach strategies for exclusive, small-group ADWEEK activations like parlor dinners, group chats, and happy hours. Ensure high-profile attendees are invited and engage with events that align with their interests while supporting revenue, audience, and strategic goals.
Collaborate with stakeholders across teams: Work closely with the editorial, commercial, and executive teams to set audience and ticket revenue goals for each event, ensuring alignment with business objectives. Provide strategic input on content programming that resonates with target audience segments and drives event success.
Leverage data and insights for continuous optimization: Continuously assess the effectiveness of audience development strategies through data analytics, tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) such as registration rates, attendee engagement, and post-event satisfaction. Use insights to refine strategies and improve future outreach efforts.
Support broader audience development initiatives: Help drive broader audience development efforts across ADWEEK’s media platforms (newsletters, website, video, and audio). Ensure a seamless connection between in-person experiences and digital content offerings, creating a consistent and engaging experience for all community members.

Qualifications

Proven expertise in audience development: At least 7-10 years of experience in audience acquisition, community building, or similar strategic roles, ideally within B2B marketing, events, or media.
Proven track record in prospecting and event growth: Demonstrated success in prospecting and acquiring qualified event attendees, with a strong understanding of how to develop targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with both broad and niche audiences.
Strong community building skills: Experience in leveraging existing communities to foster engagement, generate discussions, and build vibrant online and offline networks.
Strategic thinker with analytical acumen: Data-driven and capable of applying audience insights to optimize outreach efforts, including using CRM tools, email marketing platforms, and social media engagement metrics.
Collaborative leader with excellent communication skills: Able to collaborate cross-functionally with editorial, product, and sales teams, while communicating effectively with senior executives, community members, and industry leaders.
Entrepreneurial mindset: Comfortable working independently while being accountable for outcomes, with a passion for innovating new ways to engage audiences and achieve event goals
Industry knowledge and relationships: Extensive knowledge of the marketing, advertising, and media industries, with a solid network of industry leaders, particularly CMOs, agency heads, and other senior executives.
Customer-centric and service-oriented: A “concierge” mindset, with a focus on providing excellent service to high-profile community members and ensuring that their needs are met with professionalism and attention to detail.
Proven leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead and manage a cross-functional team, with an emphasis on strategic alignment and driving results across various audience development channels.

About ADWEEK:

ADWEEK is the leading source of news and insight serving the brand marketing ecosystem. First published in 1979, Adweek's award-winning coverage reaches an engaged audience of more than 6 million professionals across platforms including print, digital, events, podcasts, newsletters, social media, and mobile apps. As a touchstone of the advertising and marketing community, Adweek is an unparalleled resource for leaders across multiple industries who rely on its content to help them do their job better.

ADWEEK is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants and employees are considered for positions and are evaluated without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, military or veteran status, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other protected Federal, State/Province or Local status unrelated to the performance of the work involved.