🚀 Freelance Grip Onsite Manager
Grip Onsite | Grip
🚀 Who are We?
Grip is the AI-powered, end-to-end event platform built for engagement. We help commercial event organisers like Ascential, Hyve, Emerald and Clarion Events boost revenue by establishing, maintaining and tracking relationships between participants. We work with 12 out of 20 of the largest event organisers globally and are known for our revolutionary AI matchmaking engine.
Grip Onsite is our integrated registration and badge printing solution — combining self-serve kiosks, premium check-in stations, SmartBadges, and onsite technician support to deliver seamless attendee experiences at events worldwide.
🚀 The Role
As Freelance Grip Onsite Manager, you will own two interconnected areas: the hands-on operational delivery of Grip Onsite at live events, and the strategic growth of Grip Onsite as a commercial business unit. You'll be the expert on everything from badge stock and printer hardware to supplier relationships and process scalability — ensuring every event we support runs flawlessly and that the business behind it grows sustainably.
This is a freelance role suited to someone equally comfortable troubleshooting a printer at a registration desk and sitting in a commercial meeting.
🚀 Core Responsibilities
Onsite Operations
Own end-to-end delivery of Grip Onsite at live events, covering setup, operation, and breakdown of all hardware (kiosks, laptops, thermal printers, entrance scanners)
Manage badge stock across both product lines — firm laminated and paper — including production timelines, design approvals, delivery coordination, and backup stock planning
Oversee SmartBadge deployments: hardware configuration, 3rd Party integrations with Grip Manage and Grip Engage, data validation, and onsite testing
Serve as the primary escalation point for technical issues during live events across both Self-Serve and White Glove service models
Manage and coordinate 3rd Party technicians: scheduling, briefing, travel and accommodation logistics, and onsite performance
Ensure every event is fully prepared through rigorous pre-event checklists — hardware, software access, badge designs, integration validation, and customer briefings
Lead or support Walkthrough calls with customers 2 weeks before events, confirming badge fields, kiosk branding, technician needs, and attendee flow
Develop the technician pool and support model to ensure Grip can scale to more events across more geographies
Support the Sales team with deal structuring, quoting accuracy, and DealDesk input on Grip Onsite opportunities
🚀 Experience and Skills
You should have:
Proven experience in live event operations, registration technology, or onsite event services — you've been on the floor and know what can go wrong
Strong understanding of badge printing workflows, hardware logistics, and onsite registration systems (experience with onsite registration solutions is a strong plus)
Excellent supplier management skills — comfortable holding partners accountable to SLAs and resolving issues quickly
A structured, process-oriented mindset: you document, you build playbooks, you hate ad hoc chaos
Clear and confident communicator — able to work with customers pre-event, manage technicians onsite, and present business performance to internal stakeholders
Comfortable working independently and remotely, while being responsive and decisive when things move fast onsite
Familiarity with tools like Salesforce, Google Sheets, and project tracking systems is a plus
🚀 What Success Looks Like
Events are delivered on time, on spec, and without technical failures
Customers are well-briefed, confident, and satisfied
Margin targets across hardware, badge stock, and onsite support are met or exceeded
Operational processes are documented, repeatable, and scalable
Grip Onsite grows its event count and client base quarter over quarter
🚀 Working Arrangements
Freelance / contract engagement
Remote for business unit and operational planning work
Travel required for White Glove events (international travel may be needed)
Flexible hours with clear on-call expectations during live event windows
Skills Required
- Proven experience in live event operations, registration technology, or onsite event services
- Strong understanding of badge printing workflows, hardware logistics, and onsite registration systems
- Experience with onsite registration solutions
- Excellent supplier management skills, holding partners to SLAs and resolving issues
- Structured, process-oriented mindset; documentation and playbook creation
- Clear and confident communicator able to brief customers, manage technicians, and present internally
- Ability to manage badge stock production timelines, design approvals, delivery coordination, and backup planning
- Ability to manage and coordinate third-party technicians including scheduling and travel logistics
- Comfortable working independently and remotely with on-call responsiveness during live events
- Familiarity with Salesforce, Google Sheets, and project tracking systems
- Willingness and ability to travel for onsite (including international) White Glove events
- Ability to support Sales with deal structuring, quoting accuracy, and DealDesk input
What We Do
Grip is the AI-powered event platform built for business relationships. It helps event organizers like SXSW, RX and Clarion Events establish, maintain and track relationships between participants over multiple events. This is possible because Grip goes beyond networking. It combines AI with billions of interactions happening across the platform and an intuitive mobile event app so participants meet the right people at the right time. This results in organizers benefitting from better event satisfaction scores, increased growth and ultimately, higher revenues
