Guest Experience Manager

Role overview

Guest and invitation management

• Own the master invitee and guest database and coordinate lists from the host organisation, government stakeholders, partners, programme teams, and other entities.
• Manage guest categories including ministers, officials, VIPs and VVIPs, international organisations, speakers, partners, industry leaders, media, and delegates.
• Run invitations, RSVPs, confirmations, reminders, amendments, cancellations, and waiting lists; prevent duplicate invitations and conflicting information.
• Coordinate accurate transfer of guest information to registration and accreditation systems and produce registration and attendance reports.

Communications and VIP management

• Manage professional, personalised guest communications throughout the event journey, including invitations, confirmations, reminders, event information, access instructions, and arrival details.
• Escalate complex or sensitive enquiries and handle VIP and senior stakeholder communications with discretion and appropriate protocol.
• Coordinate VIP requirements with Protocol, Programming, Partnerships, and Client teams; maintain profiles covering arrival details, accreditation, access, protocol, and special arrangements.
• Coordinate VIP arrivals, meet-and-greet arrangements, escorts, holding areas, and venue movements, sharing requirements with operational teams while protecting confidentiality.

Guest journey and accreditation

• Map and own touchpoints from invitation and RSVP through pre-arrival communications, registration, transport, venue access, welcome, help desks, wayfinding, lounges, sessions, hospitality, assistance, and departure.
• Identify guest-journey friction points in advance and develop practical improvements.
• Define registration workflows and guest categories with providers; coordinate badge categories, access permissions, and accreditation requirements with Security, Protocol, and Operations.
• Plan registration desks and VIP registration; support onsite troubleshooting and exceptions including 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 and staffing requirements for registration, welcome and information desks, guest services, and VIP support.
• Recruit, brief, and train guest-facing staff; prepare briefing documents, FAQs, escalation procedures, and service protocols.
• Lead daily team briefings, manage the onsite Guest Experience team, maintain service standards, and resolve guest issues professionally.

Experience and qualifications

• At least 8–10 years of experience in guest experience, delegate management, registration, VIP services, protocol, or event operations.
• Demonstrable delivery experience with 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 with registration and accreditation platforms and large delegate databases.
• Previous UAE or GCC government event experience is strongly preferred; major international conference venue experience is an advantage.

Languages

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

Compensation

• The role offers a competitive project-based compensation package.

Project opportunity

• Lead guest experience for two flagship government-led international events in Abu Dhabi, with exposure to senior officials and global leaders.
• The project offers high-profile government and diplomatic event experience, a collaborative event team, and potential future project opportunities.