PR and Events Manager

Job Introduction

This exciting role will work across both Titan Travel and Saga Holidays brands to position touring effectively within the two brands’ propositions. We share the same product and produce content for the same channels but deliver through aligned marketing plans with different brand guidelines. The role is creative and articulate with responsibilities for writing for PR and planning and delivering events. 

The role is directly responsible for effectively positioning the two brands with external media, aligning to our strategic goals to increase Titan brand awareness and consideration and attain Superbrand status for Saga – celebrating our expertise, our customers and positioning us as best for touring. The winning choice. Saga Travel Group are the largest escorting tour operator in the UK and Titan Travel the most awarded.  

This role is responsible for our brand reputation externally. You’ll plan and deliver a proactive PR programme (measured by published articles, back links, relevance, equivalent advertising value and positive engagement) as well build good relationships across travel media pertinent to our audience. You’ll write press releases, briefing papers and messaging to a high standard, clearly communicating key messages externally, it’s vital you build relationships internally to support product knowledge. Responsible for all financial aspects for PR and events from budget planning to contracting and purchase.  

As event manager you’ll plan, engage key stakeholders and execute our STG Touring event programme. Defining and working to budget, managing supporting materials, managing external suppliers, managing resource and delivering high quality expert-led events for consumers, media and trade. Within this aspect of the role, you’ll find opportunities to amplify our brands and event content to help grow new to brand customers.  

This role will report to the Head of Creative Marketing & Brand Reputation. 

Role Responsibility

Culture and strategy 

• Brand story-telling: champion both brands proposition and goal for fame/superbrand status. 

• Align messaging to key pillars under the exceptional experiences strategy (Experience is Everything (Saga) and Adventure Made Effortless (Titan) brand positioning). 

• Responsible for brand reputation and growing positive sentiment. 

• Adopt a flexible, enthusiastic and driven approach to achieving business goals. 

Manager and leader capability 

• Building excellent relationships with key journalists. 

• Develop close relationships with other marketing team colleagues, and key stakeholders across Product, Operational and Tour Management teams to ensure that we are leaders in touring, product is well positioned, customers are informed and our people are celebrated, specifically tour managers and guides. 

Delivery 

• Strategy: Creation and implementation of the PR and events strategy to deliver positive media coverage and brand awareness across the UK market 

• Writing: clearly communicate business messages to the media and manage follow up to drive increased coverage. 

• Brand positioning: be single minded in our communications and ladder up to our core brand proposition. 

• Digital PR: work with agency to produce successful digital campaigns in line with business strategy to increase brand awareness and grow organic traffic to site. 

• Expertise: demonstrate expert knowledge about our product, effectively communicate amplifying core pillars of expertise and winning choice. 

• Support social media: continuous improvement in engagement and grow our social presence, amplify with brand ambassadors, influencers and curate the best category content. 

• Reporting: provide regular media performance metrics 

• Event delivery: be present, lead and brief all aspects of on site event execution. 

• Plan and deliver events and interviews with customers for engaging people-led content across channels 

• Joint marketing: ad hoc to create and deliver joint marketing activity with strategic partners (tourist boards, airlines, cruise lines and ground suppliers), ensuring each brand’s values and position is maintained 

• Crisis Communications: Handle any crisis communications in conjunction with the Managing Director, Head of Creative Marketing & Brand Reputation and relevant internal departments and external advisers. 

The Ideal Candidate

• Excellent interpersonal, management and communication skills to ascertain brief and amplify message. 

• Creative with first class writing skills and tone of voice. 

• Naturally curious, enjoys finding solutions and exploring new opportunities. 

• Adaptable, able to flex across tactical and planned activity, brand building and recovery.

• Commercially aware of product priorities and highly knowledgeable about product offering. 

• Excellent understanding of touring and attraction drivers. 

• Experience in travel PR is necessary, either agency or in-house, alongside strong media contacts in the sector.

Our Saga Values:

• Precision Pace - Always owning and making things happen. 
• Empathy – Always aware of others. 
• Curiosity – Always asking why.
• Collaboration – Always one team, the Saga team!

Package Description

Everyday our colleagues deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. We believe exceptional work deserves even more exceptional rewards, that's why we have put together an amazing benefits package for all colleagues. 

We offer total flexibility over where you work – you choose a place that you feel happiest, healthiest and most productive, either from home or in one of our hubs in London, Crawley or Folkestone.

We have an award-winning wellbeing programme, modern family-friendly policies including premature baby leave, enhanced maternity and paternity leave and our unique grandparents’ leave policy.

Benefits available to all colleagues:

• 25 days of paid holiday (with option to purchase more), plus bank holidays that you can use any time of the year and an annual volunteer day on us.
• Free private medical insurance after 1 years' service, including access to a GP, and great levels of income protection and life assurance cover.
• Workplace pension scheme where we match your contributions up to 10%.
• AXA Be Supported.
• A range of reductions and offers from Saga Travel Group as well as leading retailers, travel groups discounts and entertainment companies.

About the Company

At Saga Travel Group, we’re driven by the aim of creating a place where older people are valued for their experiences. We’re a dynamic and forward-looking business with a clear, single-minded purpose: to deliver exceptional experiences every day for our colleagues and customers.

Our values underpin our approach and help guide us. We work with precision, pace, curiosity, empathy and collaboration to create a unique environment for our teams.

The vision for the Saga Travel Group is to build the travel company for the experienced traveller. We already have world-class escorted Saga and Titan touring businesses and now building a new dynamic, digital travel business that will deliver fresh, innovative product.

When you join Saga Travel Group you will work across two leading brands and play a vital role not only in our growth but in our mission to deliver lasting memories for our customers seeing them return again and again.

As an STG colleague you will see that we are committed to treating all employees fairly and to offering equal opportunities in all aspects of employment and advancement.

We value diversity not just because it is the right thing to do, but because diverse teams perform better. Creating a culture in which everyone feels welcome and offering equal opportunities in all aspects of employment and advancement is incredibly important to us.

We are an official Disability Confident employer and ensure that our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible and we will make reasonable adjustments as required.

We are a member of the 30% Club and partner with Moving Ahead which offers us a fantastic opportunity to take part in a leading, global, cross-company, leadership mentoring scheme to champion female talent.

We are a signatory of the Armed Services Covenant and have received a Silver Award from the Employer Recognition Scheme. 

To all recruitment agencies: Saga does not accept agency CVs unless specifically engaged on the role by the Talent Acquisition Team. Please do not forward CVs to our recruiters, employees or any other company location. Any engagement with employees or provision of CVs to employees within Saga where you have not engaged with the Talent Acquisition Team will be considered speculative and Saga will not be responsible for any fees related to CVs received in this unsolicited manner.

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Saga Group