WHO WE ARE:
Henry’s is proud to be one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies! As Canada’s greatest camera store, we know our stuff – and that’s why we’ve been in retail for over 100 years. The loyalty of our employees and their passion for photography and customer service sets us apart from the competition. You will be surrounded by dedicated, humble and passionate people who work hard at what they do and encourage you to be exactly who you are. It means that your expertise is valued and your contributions count. We embrace and drive change, showcasing our creativity and challenging traditional ways of doing business. Our success is based as much on our creative and talented teams as the selection of products, competitive prices, and industry leading services we offer.
Come and create with us!
OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE:
The Manager, Community and Events is a critical role in delivering Henry’s strategic direction and driving future growth. The role is responsible for building the activations and community program that brings two of our three brand pillars to life: Real Expertise and Trusted Services, and for re-establishing Henry’s as the destination for the local creator and community in every market we serve.
This role owns Henry’s activations program across store and brand level, the paid seminar and revenue streams, the local creator and ambassador portfolio, and the structure that drives stores to build lasting relationships with the camera clubs, schools, colleges, and creative groups around them. The mandate is to make Henry’s the place where the community gathers and the expert with everything they need.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Activations Strategy & Architecture (Real Expertise + Trusted Services):
- Define and own the Henry’s activations strategy across store and brand level. Build a year-round activations calendar that is consistent, branded, and aligned to Henry’s three customer segments: The Photographer, The Content Creator, and The Memory Maker. Each segment must have purpose-built programming, with the female cut within each segment treated as a deliberate lean-in.
- Build and run a tiered activations model with three distinct streams that escalate in commitment, ambition, and revenue contribution:
- Tier One. In-Store Community Activations – In-store and local market activations designed to drive store traffic, capture net new customers into the database, and deepen engagement with existing customers. Examples include first time camera owner workshops, beginner bootcamps, photo walks, gear care clinics, and community meet ups.
- Tier Two. Premium Ticketed Creator Activations – Paid activations featuring certified, recognized creators leading elevated workshops, seminars, panels, and intensives. Henry’s sells tickets, generates margin, and uses these as flagship brand engagement and revenue moments, including co-branded activations with vendor partners.
- Tier Three. Larger Brand & Digital Activations – Larger co-branded brand activations with vendors and a scaled online seminar offer that monetizes expertise beyond physical store catchments. Sold for profit and used to fund online content and digital marketing.
- Continuously build, refresh, and update the workshop, seminar, and photo walk library so programming stays relevant, seasonal, and tied to product and category priorities.
Store Enablement & Participation:
- Set the participation standard for stores: every participating store delivers a minimum of two activations per month, on a consistent monthly cadence, to a defined minimum experience standard covering setup, staffing, run-of-show, and activation kit.
- Hold stores accountable to activation KPIs. Set clear targets for each activation, monitor performance store by store, and support underperforming stores to meet the standard.
- Support stores with the tools, training, templates, and activation kits to execute activations confidently and consistently. Stores execute; this role holds the standard and removes friction.
- Conduct store visits to provide hands-on support, activation delivery, and reinforcement of the participation standard.
Community Development & Local Reach:
- Build the local outreach structure that helps stores identify, approach, and build ongoing relationships with camera clubs, schools, colleges, and creative groups, with repeatable partnership models stores can align to.
- Re-establish Henry’s as a destination for the local creator and community, positioning every store as the local hub for expertise, gear, and connection.
Creator Portfolio & Ambassadors:
- Identify, recruit, and manage a portfolio of local creators, educators, and ambassadors to lead Henry’s seminars and activations and build content with us. Build a roster that spans all three customer segments and reflects the real diversity of Canadian creators.
- Develop these relationships into a pipeline that feeds the UGC program once it stands up in 2027. Align to Henry’s policy that all customer facing creator content uses real Canadian creators with proper credit, and never AI generated imagery.
Revenue, Commercial & Vendor Co-Op:
- Build and drive the activations revenue stream across premium ticketed activations, paid seminars, activation-attributed sales, and vendor co-investment, and manage it with a tracked contribution view.
- Build the commercial mechanics that convert attendance into sales: in-activation offers, post-activation follow-up, and activation packaging with bonus offers or bundles that drive purchase in-store and online.
- Establish and lead vendor co-op funded activation programming. Build a structured pitch and partnership model that secures vendor investment to fund Tier One activity and joint investment to amplify Tier Two and Tier Three, working with Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, DJI, Panasonic, and Gentec.
Budget Management:
- Own and manage the activations and community budget. Track spend against Henry’s funded and vendor co-op sources, manage activation costs, and report cost, revenue, and contribution by activation and by tier.
Execution, Content & Measurement:
- Own activation execution end to end, including venue, format, sign up flow on Eventbrite, in-store activation, staffing, vendor deliverables, content capture, post activation nurture, and reporting.
- Define clear KPIs for every activation and capture content and post-activation surveys at each one. Ensure every activation produces a content asset library that is captured, edited, and pushed through Marketing, Lifecycle, Social, and Retail channels. Activations must work twice. Once for the people in the room. Once for the audience that sees the content afterward.
- Activate Studio 185 at the Church Street store as a Henry’s flagship activations and workshop venue.
Cross-Functional Partnership:
- Work closely across Marketing and E-Commerce, and partner with Merchandising and Operations, so activations tie to product, inventory, staffing, and the commercial calendar.
CROSS-FUNCTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
This role is highly collaborative. Key partnerships include the Director of Marketing and E-Commerce, Head of Merchandising, Vendor Partners (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, DJI, Panasonic, Gentec, and others), Operations and Regional Managers, Store Teams, and the Lifecycle and Engagement Manager.
SUCCESS METRICS
- Activations Volume – Total activations delivered annually across all three tiers, and consistent achievement of the minimum two activations per store per month.
- Store Participation – Store level adherence to the monthly participation standard and activation KPIs.
- Activations Revenue – Revenue generated from Tier Two and Tier Three activations, including ticket revenue, sell through rate, and contribution margin.
- Database Growth – Net new customers captured into the database from activation sign ups.
- Creator & Community – Size and quality of the local creator and ambassador portfolio, and active store relationships with local clubs, schools, and creative groups.
- Vendor Investment – Co-op investment secured against activations.
- Content Output – Content asset volume produced from activations and downstream channel performance.
- Brand Reputation – Lift in earned media, social engagement, and customer perception of Henry’s as Canada’s photography and creator authority, and as the local destination for creators and community.
- Henry’s Values – Demonstrates and models Henry’s core values to deliver on our company’s purpose of helping people to create, capture, and connect.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
- Post-secondary education in Marketing, Business, Communications, or a related field (preferred).
- 5+ years of progressive experience across activations and experiential marketing, community or partnership development, or retail marketing, ideally in a multi-store environment.
- Proven track record building and scaling activations programs that drive both brand engagement and revenue.
- Direct experience owning a budget and a revenue or contribution target, with the commercial discipline to report against it.
- Experience developing community, partnership, ambassador, or creator programs.
- Experience building paid online education, seminars, or webinars is a strong asset.
- Vendor and partner management experience, including securing co-op and investment partnerships.
- Strong project management and commercial fluency. Comfortable with budgets, ROI cases, KPIs, and presenting to senior leadership, with the credibility to align and support store teams.
- Microsoft Office Suite, Eventbrite, Klaviyo – Working knowledge required or strongly preferred for managing activations, sign ups, and customer communication.
- Photography, Content Creation, or Creative Category Knowledge – A strong asset.
We sincerely thank all applicants for their interest in the role. Due to the volume of resumes received we will only contact applicants meeting role requirements for next steps.
In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and all other applicable legislation, Henry’s is pleased to accommodate individual needs for applicants with disabilities within the recruitment process. Please let us know if you require an accommodation to ensure your equal participation in the recruitment and selection process.
Artificial intelligence tools may be used to support parts of the recruitment and selection process, including application screening
Please Note: This is a open and verified vacancy.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: $65,000.00-$75,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Disability insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Store discount
- Vision care
- Wellness program
- Work from home
Experience:
- activations or community marketing: 3 years (required)
- multi-store retail marketing: 2 years (required)
- budget management or reporting: 2 years (required)
- vendor co-op or sponsorship partnership: 1 year (preferred)
- paid seminar or workshop program development: 1 year (preferred)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Concord, ON L4K 3Z2
