Meetings & Events - Sourcing specialist

Role & responsibilities

• Strategic Venue & Supplier Sourcing
• Lead venue sourcing activities for meetings, conferences, leadership events, training programmes, offsites and client-facing events.
• Analyse event requirements and develop sourcing strategies aligned with business objectives, budget and attendee experience expectations.
• Source and evaluate hotels, convention centres, resorts, event venues, destination management companies (DMCs), event agencies and other event suppliers.
• Conduct market research and benchmark venue rates, supplier capabilities and industry trends to support decision-making.
• Provide venue recommendations based on location suitability, contractual terms, operational feasibility, attendee experience and commercial value.
• Contract Negotiation & Commercial Management
• Lead RFP, RFQ and proposal evaluation processes for hotels, venues and event suppliers.
• Negotiate commercial terms, pricing, concessions and contractual protections to maximise value and mitigate risk.
• Ensure all supplier agreements comply with EY procurement policies, legal requirements and standard contract templates.
• Drive savings initiatives through strategic sourcing, preferred supplier utilisation and volume-based negotiations.
• Support supplier renewals and contract reviews while maintaining a strong supplier governance framework.
• Hospitality & Industry Expertise
• Serve as the M&E team's subject matter expert on hotel operations, venue management and hospitality contracting.
• Demonstrate strong knowledge of hotel industry terminology including:
• Guest room blocks and pickup analysis
• Attrition and cancellation clauses
• Food & Beverage minimum commitments
• Meeting room rental structures
• Complimentary ratios and concession strategies
• Revenue displacement and peak period pricing
• Force majeure and risk mitigation clauses
• Commission and non-commission models, and negotiated rate structures
• Advise stakeholders on hotel operational considerations that impact cost, attendee experience and event success.
• Maintain knowledge of regional and global hospitality market trends, supplier capabilities and emerging venue solutions.
• Supplier Performance & Governance
• Monitor supplier performance against contractual service levels and programme expectations.
• Support supplier onboarding, due diligence and ongoing relationship management activities.
• Maintain sourcing databases, preferred supplier catalogues and venue intelligence resources.
• Identify opportunities to enhance supplier performance, improve service delivery and strengthen strategic partnerships.
• Reporting & Process Improvement
• Analyse sourcing activity, contract performance and savings opportunities through reporting and KPI management.
• Support compliance monitoring and programme governance initiatives across the M&E function.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to streamline sourcing processes, improve stakeholder experience and enhance programme efficiencies.
• Own and drive data entry and accuracy on CVENT and contract uploads on ARIBA
• Support sourcing-related technology platforms, databases and supplier management tools.

Preferred candidate profile

• Minimum 3 5 years of experience in hotel sales, venue sourcing, hospitality procurement, destination management, corporate event management or strategic sourcing.
• Strong experience negotiating hotel contracts and managing large-scale venue sourcing projects.
• Experience working with global hotel chains, event agencies and hospitality suppliers.
• Demonstrated knowledge of meetings and events operations and procurement practices.
• Experience working in multinational, matrixed and stakeholder-driven environments is highly desirable.