Company Overview
SmartSource has more than 35 years of experience serving clients' business technology needs across events, staffing, legal, government, finance, education, entertainment, and meeting production. With fully staffed and equipped offices in major metropolitan markets throughout North America, SmartSource delivers scalable technology solutions for meetings, conventions, trade shows, exhibits, specialty events, and temporary business environments.
SmartSource draws from an extensive inventory of IT, AV, interactive, and event production technologies to support solutions as varied as computers for contract staff, office equipment for temporary spaces, breakout room support, general sessions, registration technology, digital signage, kiosks, exhibit environments, and multi-story video walls. The team is focused on helping clients execute with confidence, reduce complexity, and create stronger attendee and stakeholder experiences.
About the Role
The Business Development Executive is a sales hunter and strategic account builder responsible for driving new revenue growth across SmartSource's event, exhibit, AV, IT, and interactive technology solutions. This role is built for a consultative seller who can identify opportunity, engage executive-level stakeholders, uncover business needs, and position SmartSource as a trusted partner throughout the customer journey.
The ideal candidate brings proven experience in live events, trade shows, exhibits, experiential marketing, event technology, AV production, or a related B2B services environment. This person is comfortable prospecting, managing complex sales cycles, responding to RFPs, developing proposals, building business cases, and collaborating across internal teams to move qualified opportunities from first conversation to signed agreement.
This role reports to the VP of Sales, Event Solutions.
Core Responsibilities
- Act as a front-line representative of SmartSource through inbound and outbound outreach, creating meaningful connections that lead to long-term client partnerships.
- Actively pursue leads, prospect target accounts, qualify opportunities, and build a disciplined pipeline across enterprise, mid-market, agency, exhibit, and event clients.
- Engage key decision-makers and influencers through email, phone, social, in-person meetings, industry events, and relationship-driven business development.
- Run thoughtful discovery sessions to understand client goals, business challenges, event requirements, stakeholder priorities, and buying criteria.
- Align SmartSource solutions to client objectives by connecting event technology, AV production, exhibit support, IT, digital signage, interactive solutions, and onsite service into clear business value.
- Evaluate sales opportunities and make sound decisions about strategic fit, core value, commercial potential, and resource requirements.
- Develop pitches, capabilities presentations, strategic ideas, tactical recommendations, written proposals, RFP responses, quotes, and business cases.
- Review client RFPs and quotes with operations, sales leadership, production, and solutions stakeholders to ensure accuracy, feasibility, profitability, and strong positioning.
- Negotiate terms and conditions and prepare detailed agreements based on client needs, SmartSource standards, and approved commercial parameters.
- Clearly communicate client goals, scope, strategic priorities, and tactical requirements to internal teams so project execution meets client expectations.
- Collaborate with Marketing, Solutions, Operations, Production, and Account Management to deliver a seamless client experience from first conversation through signed agreement and handoff.
- Represent SmartSource at industry events, conferences, client meetings, trade shows, and networking opportunities to increase visibility and open new markets.
- Maintain accurate CRM records, pipeline stages, next steps, activity history, and forecasting data in Salesforce, HubSpot, or other required systems.
- Provide feedback on market trends, competitive activity, client needs, messaging, sales process, and future solution development.
- Support team growth by sharing experience, mentoring newer team members, and contributing to improved messaging, strategy, and go-to-market execution.
Requirements
- 3+ years of proven B2B sales experience in trade shows, exhibits, live events, experiential marketing, AV production, event technology, IT rentals, or a related service-based industry.
- Demonstrated success in new customer acquisition, account penetration, client retention, and relationship expansion.
- Strong ability to build and manage a sales pipeline, prioritize qualified opportunities, and move complex deals fo