Technical Director

About Us

Sparks is a leading global brand experience agency, specializing in the design and execution of award-winning experiences that forge deep connections between brands and audiences. Recognized by Adweek as Experiential Agency of the Year, we bring a unique blend of strategic insight and execution excellence to every brand activation, corporate event, trade show exhibit, and immersive experience. Our commitment to creativity, innovation, and flawless execution drives us to craft impactful experiential marketing solutions that deepen relationships, inspire action, and build trust-all around the world.

Summary

The Technical Director (TD), Events is responsible for the technical execution of Sparks events, working effectively with internal teams to provide guidance and oversight of all production elements. The TD delivers technical event solutions that drive client results and meet Sparks financial requirements while maintaining efficient operations, intradepartmental communication, and a cohesive relationship with all technical production parties.

Preferred locations for this role include the following; however, qualified candidates outside of these markets will also be considered.

• Philadelphia, PA
• Fort Wayne, IN
• Las Vegas, NV
• Royal Oak, MI
• Grand Prairie, TX

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Support Executive Producer and Account Director and offer technical solutions to help execute live, virtual or hybrid events
• Responsible for identifying the technical production team of contractors and vendors to support client programs
• Maintain Sparks standards and processes throughout event planning
• Be a leading voice to the client, when called upon, in finding technical and value build solutions
• Track budget costs throughout the course of a program, identifying scope changes that affect budget to the Executive Producer or client in a clear manner
• Assist with event job closings and margin management
• Assist with event RFPs and pricing proposals
• Research and remain current on industry trends, new technology and equipment to procure for client programs (i.e. media development, audio, visual, lighting, etc.)
• Assist in conceptualization of build outs, event designs and site layouts
• Assist with location scouting, site surveying and permitting where necessary
• Negotiate discounted rates and aggressive pricing with production vendors across all programs
• Review vendor contracts and talent riders to ensure they accurately reflect the scope and budget parameters
• Mentor and coach junior event/production staff to develop skills that can meet changing client needs as well as grow their technical knowledge on programs

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree and/or 10+ years of technical production experience in a major agency, communications company or production company
• Strong project management skills including budgeting, scheduling, and client relations
• Strong technical expertise and significant experience working with audio visual and production vendors.
• Experience with large scale productions (i.e. festivals, large keynotes, outdoor consumer activations, etc.)
• Strong production competencies to build quotes to requests gear and labor with audio visual vendors and then being able to translate this information to budgets
• Be able to utilize AutoCAD or to effectively brief an AutoCAD designer
• Build labor call sheets and other pertinent onsite or other schedules to align contractors and vendors
• Must be client focused, accountable for results, an innovative thinker, pay attention to details, be nimble and flexible, and maintain positive written and verbal communication while planning with your teams
• Established experience and ability to lead projects in a team-based environment
• Ability to utilize project management tools such as, Google Docs and the MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access)

Travel Requirements

Travel 25% to 50%

What We Offer

The Freeman Company provides benefits that aim to empower our people and their families to thrive mentally, physically, and financially. These are a handful of the types of programs and benefits our full-time people may be eligible for. There may be some variances in specific benefits across regions.

• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid Parental Leave
• Life, Accident and Disability
• Retirement with Company Match
• Paid Time Off

Diversity Commitment

At The Freeman Company, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is helping us to create not only a great place to work, but also an environment where our employees, our customers and our communities around the world can reach their goals and connect with each other. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status and other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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