An alien invasion takes over the music festival where you and your team are activating…what do you do?  

While most challenges your team faces at an experiential marketing activation won’t be this outlandish, we all know the importance of having an event manager who is able to face even the most intense challenges head-on. But finding this person can be challenging. They’ve got to be organized, relentless problem-solvers, skilled consumer-engagers, and super communicators.  

How can you screen for such a unicorn?  

Below are some of our favorite questions for screening market manager candidates and seeing if they have what it takes for your next event! 

1.What is the craziest situation you’ve encountered at a previous event and how did you handle it? 

We all know events can be cuckoo bananas. I once managed an event when a hurricane broke our 20×40 tent. The inside of the footprint was soaked, so we put hay down to soak up the excess water. My co-manager discovered that day he was severely allergic to hay. So, he had to go to the medical tent and stay well outside the event footprint. It was a wild day, to say the least.  

It’s important your market manager stays collected during even the most chaotic times. If your candidate hasn’t weathered the storms, will they be able to if one arises at your event? Maybe…and maybe not.

2. What do you think this job entails?  

A one-sentence answer here is not a good sign. If they think an experiential marketing manager is a simple gig, they likely don’t really understand the job. This job has many aspects and a great candidate understands they may need to manage event assets, schedule brand ambassadors, capture event photos, provide real-time communication, coordinate the event day setup details with event organizers, adjust the activation based on inclement weather, complete reports, and tackle any other issues that come up. If they have a solid understanding of the event manager role, you’re more likely to be aligned on the expectations of their duties for your specific activation.  

3. What happens when we realize there’s an opportunity that wasn’t in the original job description? 

Events are full of surprises – some challenging like those referred to above, and some intriguing. We once had a client ask for an event photographer to be added to their activation days before the event. We were happy to oblige, but this meant our market manager was now also in charge of getting photo releases from customers. Fortunately, we had made a good hire, and he coordinated printing the releases and ensuring everyone who was photographed had the necessary documentation.  

 4. How do you manage a client or brand ambassador who is…let’s say…difficult? 

If you’ve worked in experiential marketing for any length of time, you know that there are some strong personalities in this industry. Sometimes these personalities collide and as a market manager, part of the role is to make sure this doesn’t turn into an explosion at your event.  

Listen to their demeanor as they answer this question. It’s not only the words they say, but the overall feeling as they say them. Does it stress them out to think about challenging personalities? Are they able to describe a difficult personnel experience with an easygoing demeanor? These clues can tell you if your candidate will be able to defuse a situation if one arises.  

 5. How would you define a successful event? 

Look for a candidate who values both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of an event. Of course, we all want to hit our KPIs whether that’s data capture, number of samples distributed, IG accounts reached– but if you’re too focused on the numbers, you might miss the quality conversations that lead to an authentic relationship between your brand and your target consumers.  

On the other hand, if the person is all about the connections, they may not be able to reach your experiential marketing goals, and the ROI might not be as strong. Look for the candidate who can see the value in both the numbers and the connections! 

Finding the right Market Manager is crucial for the success of your experiential marketing programs. We hope these questions will help you find your unicorn.