Built Scalable Event Marketing Function for Premium Food & Beverage Brand
Search Challenges:
The search required a narrow and difficult-to-access profile. Candidates needed prior food & beverage experience, a background in consumer or premium brands, and willingness to work onsite — significantly limiting the local talent pool.
Additionally, the market skewed heavily in one direction: candidates were either strong executors without strategic ownership, or strategic marketers without hands-on event experience. Identifying talent that could operate across both was critical.
Approach:
Rather than running a broad search, we defined a targeted set of consumer brands where events roles carry true ownership across partnerships and field execution, and executed a focused outbound strategy against that cohort. Given the limited candidate pool, precision mattered more than volume.
A key differentiator was hands-on candidate development. The eventual hire had highly relevant experience but was initially underselling the scope and impact of her work. We worked closely with her to reframe and position her background — translating executional experience into clear strategic value aligned with the client’s expectations.
Outcome:
The selected candidate brought deep, directly relevant food & beverage experience not commonly found in the local market, along with strong instinct for representing a premium brand in-market.
Once introduced, the client moved decisively — progressing from candidate submission to offer within four weeks despite scheduling challenges and travel on both sides.
The hire is now positioned to scale the company’s event marketing and sponsorship strategy, expanding brand presence and driving greater consistency and ROI across in-market activations.
Key Metrics:
• Candidates submitted: 9
• Interview process (submission to offer): 28 days
Role Placed:
Events Manager (partnerships, sponsorships, and field marketing)
Sean McLoughlin is the Practice Director and VP of Operations at HireMinds. Known for his expertise in market mapping, Sean helps clients identify both direct talent competitors and emerging candidate pools, driving strong search outcomes and high offer acceptance rates. Internally, he oversees operational initiatives spanning training, analytics, and recruiter enablement. Outside of work, Sean enjoys spending time with his four kids, reading history, and maintaining a daily running streak.