Events Assistant – Temporary for 3 months

Job Description

Art Jameel is looking for an Events Assistant for the fall/winter season. The Events Assistant will be responsible for managing the flow of the festivals taking place in the Fall season, according to the in-house Learning and  Events team’s specifications. The Event Assistant will liaise with various suppliers and organisations to plan the event and identify resources that meet quality standards, as well as report on progress and adjust plans to stay with the budget limitations and timetables– and sustainability-minded applications where possible. The ideal candidate has excellent communication and organisational skills, and previous experience in a similar role for medium to large-scale events.

Required: License to work in the UAE (Freelance license such as Trader, Sole Proprietor, or Commercial Trade License)
Plus: Fluency in Arabic

Start Date: September, 2024

End Date: December 2, 2024

Accountability

The Event Assistant reports directly to the Events Coordinator.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Support on the research, logistics and development of the festival programmes taking place in October and November
• Liaise with suppliers and participants in the lead up to, during and after events – including caterers and furniture providers, market and food vendors, speakers, workshop leaders, parking marshals among others
• Assist in the collection and organisation of all documents for permits, legal and financial agreements
• In the lead up to events, assist in all production aspects of the event, liaising with the Events team, Learning team, Operations and facilities to complete mapping, furniture allocations, wayfinding, run of shows etc.
• Support with administrative processing of programme participant payments and vendor agreements in collaboration with Art Jameel finance team
• Liaise with visitor experience team on the recruitment of volunteers, including identifying volunteer stations and tasks, where applicable
• Actively monitor event updates and ensure they are reflected on the Jameel Arts Centre website
• Work with communications team to ensure all published information is accurate and up-to-date
• Carry out venue inspection before, during and after the event; be present for all walk-throughs
• Provide visitor reception, registration and information during events; encourage visitors to engage fully with the Centre and its facilities; sign up to the newsletter; drive traffic to the shop (online and on site), library and restaurant
• During events, actively check on all participants and all activated areas, escalate to the Events and Operations team where necessary, and troubleshoot and ensure that problems are proactively addressed and avoided, successes are noted, and problem areas are identified for future improvement
• Proactively handle any arising issues and troubleshoot any emerging problems on the event days
• Oversee set-up, run-through and breakdown on event days
• Monitor galleries, exhibits, utilised event spaces and courtyards and report any maintenance requirements to the Operations team
• Support in the takedown of the event infrastructure and in the overall event wrap up procedure
• Contribute to the development of post-event evaluation processes, such as surveys and debriefs
• Ensure and coordinate that all necessary permits are secured, requesting required documentation from the Art Jameel Team and shepherding through the process where needed
• Manage all project delivery elements within time limits
• Ensure compliance with health and safety obligations

Candidate Specifications

• License to work in the UAE (Freelance license such as Trader, Sole Proprietor, or Commercial Trade License)
• Excellent communication skills
• A positive, solution-oriented attitude
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Keen attention to details
• Good organisational and coordinating abilities
• Proactive and great level of creativity in carrying out assigned duties
• Ability to multitask and prioritise assignments in the face of multiple duties
• Good time-management skills
• Excellent decision-making skills
• Must be able to work in a team environment
• Solid background in event production and/or management
• Festival experience preferred
• A minimum of 3 years relevant work experience in events

Conditions of Work

• This is a project-based role
• No sponsorship will be provided