Trade & Club Experience Manager
Department: Public Events
Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time
Location: Silverstone
Description
Our Public Events team thrives on adrenaline and energy, working tirelessly year-round to deliver over 40 world-class events—on brief, on time, and within budget. With a calendar more diverse than ever, featuring everything from two wheels to four, we're constantly growing stronger. The return of the European Le Mans Series, alongside iconic events like MotoGP and the award-winning Silverstone Festival, brings the world's best to Silverstone!
When you join us, you’ll hit the ground running. You'll take charge of your own projects, ensuring they meet the high standards expected of a premier venue. It’s not an easy ride, but we guarantee it won’t be boring. You’ll be surrounded by passionate, like-minded teammates who give their all to get the job done. As we expand our exciting program, you’ll play a key role in helping us reach new heights.
Job Purpose
We are seeking an experienced and highly organised Trade and Club Experience Manager to lead the strategic development, curation, and operational delivery of car and bike club participation, trade stands, and partner activations — with a primary focus on Silverstone Festival, the UK’s flagship celebration of motorsport, heritage, and car culture.
This role is pivotal in shaping how Silverstone connects with enthusiast communities, builds long-term loyalty, and delivers culturally credible, fan-first experiences. You’ll be responsible for curating the right blend of clubs and trade partners to enhance attendance, drive engagement, and create standout activations — all underpinned by best-in-class planning and execution.
In addition to Silverstone Festival, the role will support car, bike, and trade requirements across the wider event calendar. We're looking for someone with a deep passion for automotive culture, a strong track record in complex event delivery, and the ability to foster meaningful relationships with clubs, exhibitors,
Key Relationships
- Public Events and BGP Operations teams.
- All internal departments. The key business areas critical to the success of our events including finance, marketing, catering, logistics and venue operations.
- External: Car and bike club leaders, exhibitors, suppliers, and enthusiast communities.
Key Responsibilities
1. Club Strategy & Relationship Development
- Identify, curate, and maintain strong relationships with car and bike clubs — including heritage, performance, custom, and lifestyle communities.
- Develop an annual club strategy that supports attendance growth, aligns with Silverstone’s brand, and builds fan loyalty.
- Act as the primary liaison for all club partners, managing communications, onboarding, and feedback.
2. Operational Planning & Live Event Delivery
- Lead the full operational delivery of automotive club and trade zones for Silverstone Festival and other events.
- Create detailed logistics plans including layouts, vehicle movement, H&S compliance, signage, and access.
- Take responsibility for the management and execution of all car pass and accreditation processes, working closely with operations and security teams to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and a seamless on-site experience.
- Act as the live event lead for club and trade areas — resolving issues, coordinating with operations, and ensuring delivery excellence.
3. Budget and Reporting
- Manage all relevant budgets, including cost forecasting, spend tracking, and supplier negotiation.
- Deliver operational efficiency while ensuring a high-quality club and trade experience.
- Find upsell opportunities and areas for commercial optimisation.
- Measure event success using KPIs such as attendance, engagement, exhibitor satisfaction, and ROI.
- Prepare post-event reports and recommendations for future improvements.
4. Attendee Experience
- Develop fan journey maps for car, bike and trade that highlight friction points, opportunities, and moments that matter.
- Design engaging experiences tailored to different attendee segments.
- Work with marketing teams to develop promotions, partnerships, and ticketing strategies.
5. Trade Partner Engagement
- Source and manage relationships with automotive and lifestyle exhibitors.
- Oversee placement, operational needs, contracts, and on-site execution.
- Work with marketing and partnerships teams to integrate trade content into the broader event experience.
5. Audience & Culture Development
- Help position Silverstone as the UK’s home for car and bike culture, both on and off the track
- Stay informed on audience trends, car culture movements, and subcultures to ensure relevant club/trade mix.
- Collaborate with content and social teams to leverage clubs for storytelling and engagement.
6. Post-Event Review & Relationship Retention
- Lead post-event evaluations with clubs and partners.
- Maintain an active retention plan and contact database to support long-term loyalty and growth.
- Report on club/trade participation, attendance, spend, and satisfaction metrics.
7. Support Wider Events Calendar
- Expand club/trade involvement in other Silverstone events, tailoring activations for format and audience.
- Share knowledge and insight across the wider team to elevate all events.
- Support with projects on other events as assigned
Team Responsibilities
- Help to create a positive and proactive culture within the department.
- Professional presentation reflecting the Silverstone values.
Performance Responsibilities
Performance will be monitored against the following:
- Trade and Club member satisfaction and post-event feedback (e.g. NPS, experience ratings)
- Growth and retention of participating car and bike clubs across events
- Reduction in operational issues (e.g. access, accreditation, arrival logistics)
- Effectiveness of experience improvements across key journey touchpoints
- Contribution to audience engagement and repeat attendance
- Positive cross-team collaboration and stakeholder feedback
- Budget performance
- Ownership and completion of events/projects on time
- Teamwork
- Objectives set through the Personal Development Review (PDR) process.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
- Proven experience in managing car and bike club engagement and trade partnerships, with deep knowledge of enthusiast communities and a passion for delivering memorable, high-impact automotive experiences.
- Ability to develop innovative, culturally authentic experiences that balance heritage and modern automotive lifestyle trends.
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills to build and support relationships with clubs, trade exhibitors, internal teams, and external partners.
- Solid experience in event operations, with a strong grasp of vehicle access, accreditation, and onsite logistics.
- Creative and solutions-focused, with the ability to design engaging club and trade experiences while navigating the demands of a fast-paced live environment.
- Self-starter with ownership mentality, able to manage multiple priorities, work under pressure, and meet tight deadlines.
- Collaborative team player with a positive, proactive attitude and the ability to influence across departments.
- Knowledge of health, safety, and regulatory requirements relevant to live motorsport and trade events.
- Flexible approach to working hours, including evenings and weekends, especially during peak event delivery periods (March–December).
Silverstone is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk and expects all team members and volunteers to share this commitment. Background checks and DBS checks at the appropriate level will be obtained prior to employment commencing.
