Guest Experience Manager

Our client is a leading events and experiences company in the UAE, delivering major government-led events. They are looking for an experienced Guest Experience Manager to lead the complete guest and delegate journey for two high-profile international events.

Both events are high-profile, government-led international gatherings. They bring together senior government officials, ministers, international organisations, global leaders, industry executives, innovators, investors, academics and other influential stakeholders.

This is a highly operational, guest-facing role for someone with significant experience delivering government summits, COP-level events, international ministerial conferences or other high-profile government and diplomatic events.

Key Responsibilities

Guest and Invitation Management

• Own and maintain the master invitee and guest database, keeping all information accurate, current and properly managed.
• Coordinate the invitation lists received from the host organisation, government stakeholders, partners, programme teams and other entities.
• Manage the full range of guest categories:
• Ministers and government officials
• VIPs and VVIPs
• International organisations
• Speakers and partners
• Industry leaders
• Media
• General delegates
• Run the complete invitation process, including invitations, RSVPs, confirmations, reminders, amendments, cancellations and waiting lists.
• Set up clear processes that prevent duplicate invitations, wrong classifications and conflicting guest information.
• Work closely with the registration platform provider so that guest information is captured correctly and carried through to the accreditation system.
• Produce regular registration and attendance reports for the Project Director and the client.
Guest Communications

• Develop and manage all guest-facing communications across the event journey.
• Make sure every communication is professional, personalised, accurate and suitable for senior government and international audiences.
• Manage invitation letters, confirmations, reminders, event information, access instructions, arrival details and other guest communications.
• Act as the senior escalation point for complex or sensitive guest enquiries.
• Handle VIP and senior stakeholder communications with discretion and the correct protocol.
VIP and Government Guest Management

• Work closely with the Protocol, Programming, Partnerships and Client teams to identify and manage high-profile guests.
• Understand the different requirements of ministers, ambassadors, senior government officials, international organisations and other VIP and VVIP guests.
• Keep accurate VIP profiles covering arrival details, accreditation, access level, protocol requirements and special arrangements.
• Coordinate VIP arrivals, meet-and-greet arrangements, escorts, holding areas and movements within the venue.
• Pass VIP requirements accurately to the relevant operational teams without compromising confidentiality.
Guest Journey and Experience

You will own the end-to-end guest experience, mapping every major touchpoint from invitation to departure:

• Invitation and RSVP
• Pre-event and pre-arrival communications
• Registration and accreditation
• Transport and arrival coordination
• Venue access and security interfaces
• Welcome and meet-and-greet
• Registration desks and badge collection
• Information and help desks
• Wayfinding
• VIP and delegate lounges
• Conference and session access
• Hospitality touchpoints
• Guest assistance
• DepartureYou will spot potential friction points in advance and develop practical solutions that improve the overall experience.

Registration and Accreditation

• Work with the registration and accreditation provider to define registration workflows and guest categories.
• Make sure the registration system meets the specific needs of a government-led international summit.
• Coordinate badge categories, access permissions and accreditation requirements with the Security, Protocol and Operations teams.
• Plan registration desks, VIP registration, and onsite troubleshooting and support.
• Develop processes for onsite exceptions such as late registrations, lost badges, incorrect accreditation and substitutions.
• Monitor registration performance and resolve issues quickly.
Onsite Guest Services

• Develop the onsite Guest Services operational plan.
• Set staffing requirements for registration, welcome desks, information desks, guest services and VIP support.
• Recruit, brief and train guest-facing staff on the expected standards of behavior, appearance and communication.
• Develop briefing documents, FAQs, escalation procedures and guest service protocols.
• Lead team briefings before opening each day.
• Manage the onsite Guest Experience team and keep service standards consistently high.
• Resolve guest issues calmly, professionally and discreetly.
Experience

• At least 8–10 years of experience in guest experience, delegate management, registration, VIP services, protocol or event operations.
• Demonstrable experience delivering large-scale government summits, international conferences, COP-level events, ministerial meetings or major government-led events.
• Strong experience managing complex invitation and registration databases involving multiple stakeholder groups.
• Experience working directly with government officials, ministers, VIPs and VVIPs, diplomatic stakeholders and C-suite executives.
• Hands-on experience managing registration and accreditation platforms and large delegate databases.
• Previous UAE or GCC government event experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience working at a major international conference venue is an advantage.Languages

• Fluent English, spoken and written, is required.
• Arabic is a strong advantage

• A competitive project-based compensation package
• The chance to lead the guest experience on two flagship, government-led international events in Abu Dhabi
• Direct exposure to senior government officials, ministers and global leaders
• Work at one of the region’s leading international venues
• High-profile project experience that will strengthen your portfolio in government and diplomatic events
• A collaborative, multi-disciplinary team of experienced event professionals
• The potential for future project opportunities with a leading UAE events company