Guest Experience Manager

Role overview

Guest, invitation and communication management

• Maintain the master invitee and guest database and coordinate invitation lists from host, government, partner, and programme stakeholders.
• Manage invitations, RSVPs, confirmations, reminders, amendments, cancellations, waiting lists, and processes to prevent duplicate or conflicting records.
• Coordinate data capture with the registration platform provider and produce registration and attendance reports.
• Manage professional, personalized guest communications, including invitation letters, confirmations, reminders, event information, access instructions, and arrival details.
• Act as the senior escalation point for complex or sensitive enquiries and handle VIP communications with discretion and protocol.

VIP services and guest journey

• Coordinate with Protocol, Programming, Partnerships, and Client teams to identify and manage high-profile guests.
• Maintain VIP profiles covering arrival, accreditation, access, protocol, and special arrangements; coordinate arrivals, escorts, holding areas, and venue movements.
• Manage the journey from invitation and pre-arrival through registration, transport, venue access, welcome, help desks, lounges, sessions, hospitality, assistance, and departure.
• Identify potential guest-journey friction points and develop practical improvements.

Registration and onsite services

• Define registration workflows, guest categories, badge categories, access permissions, and accreditation requirements with providers and operational teams.
• Plan registration desks, VIP registration, and onsite support; address late registrations, lost badges, incorrect accreditation, substitutions, and other issues.
• Develop the onsite Guest Services plan, staffing requirements, briefing documents, FAQs, escalation procedures, and service protocols.
• Recruit, brief, train, and lead guest-facing staff; hold daily team briefings and maintain service standards.

Experience

• At least 8–10 years 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.

Benefits

• Competitive project-based compensation.
• Opportunity to lead guest experience at two flagship international events in Abu Dhabi and work with senior government officials and global leaders.
• The role offers high-profile government and diplomatic event experience, a collaborative events team, and potential future project opportunities.