Zeynep Güray
Event and Content Strategist | Digital Marketing Executive
Istanbul
Summary
Dynamic event, content, and digital marketing professional with 10+ years shaping audiences and campaigns across music, arts, and culture. Adept at end-to-end programming, influencer partnerships, and data-driven digital initiatives that drive engagement and ROI. Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, manage budgets, and deliver compelling experiences for diverse audiences.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Language
Work History
Programming & Event Manager
DasDas
07.2024 - 04.2026
- Curated a robust programming calendar, balancing local talent with international acts to maximize audience engagement.
- Negotiated artist contracts, rider requirements, and technical specs; coordinated production, marketing, and front-of-house for seamless shows.
- Managed event budgets and cost controls; optimized resource allocation while preserving artistic quality.
- Partnered with marketing/PR to craft campaigns, ticketing promotions, and media partnerships.
- Fostered relationships with artists, agents, and agencies to secure repeat engagements.
- Conducted post-event analysis, capturing attendance, revenue, and feedback to inform future programming.
- Full-time
- On-site
Programming & Event Executive
Zorlu Performans Sanatları Merkezi (PSM)
08.2023 - 06.2024
- Developing the seasonal key calendar windows for Zorlu PSM with the view to promote homegrown talent and local artists.
- Liaising with artists or their representatives, building strong responsive rapport for the ‘end to end’ arrangement of negotiating offers, and securing spots.
- Meticulous with budget parameters for events, which can lead to creative decisions when adapting accordingly to microeconomic conditions.
- Generating and implementing new project ideas and providing a platform where we can cultivate exposure for exciting newcomers giving them the opportunities to grow their audience and talent, but also to giving established artists fresh new promotion angles to perform live.
- Generating and implementing new project ideas and providing a platform where we can cultivate exposure for exciting newcomers giving them the opportunities to grow their audience and talent, but also to give established artists fresh new promotion angles to perform live.
- Engaged in full-time responsibilities that included planning, coordinating, and executing events.
Digital Marketing Executive
Zorlu PSM
03.2020 - 06.2024
- Instrumental in delivering the digital advertising, data analysis, and reporting procedures for Zorlu PSM, Zorlu Çocuk Tiyatrosu, Sonar İstanbul, and touche, integrating with platforms such as Meta, Twitter, ‘Programme’, Youtube, and Google Ads. Including the oversight for the calendar events such as Sonar İstanbul, Mix Festival, and PSMLovesSummer. And sustaining relationships with digital media purchasing and the digital content agencies.
- Active in filtering and calibrating mailing / subscription / ticketing data to lock in the appropriate demographic groups.
- Executed agile content creation, implemented for suitability and intuitive appeal for digital and social media channels for Zorlu PSM, Zorlu Çocuk Tiyatrosu, Sonar İstanbul, and touche. Increasing follower engagement reach and organic impressions.
- Developed effective campaign strategies and event collaborations for Influencer Marketing management.
- Drafting content creation with the collaboration of digital editorial platforms in the Arts & Culture sector, building towards new audience demographics for the designated events / projects.
- Introduced new tools to discover, manage, analyze, and report on new tangible consumer markets.
- Assumed responsibility for the reconceptualization of the official website, subject to department feedback and customer input. Applied a responsive, award-winning design. Creating and optimizing a UI and UX interface after careful content remapping to allow for streamlined features and pages to be flexible clean and modular.
- Revamped the content and flow of the Zorlu PSM's digital radio, Vestel PSM Radyo stations, in response to the analysis of the audience listenership; elicited from the unique user, connection and duration data. Likewise utilized the same approach to incorporate new production content for the podcast channel.
- Actively involved in creating and curating content in conjunction with our blog to produce our bimonthly publication ‘PSM Gazete’.
- Worked full-time in role
Digital Marketing & Event Executive
Dream Sales Machine
01.2018 - 02.2020
- Intensive hands-on approach creating thematic branding and building event / experience ecosystems, connecting with attendees, visitors and participants. The key to the engagement was creating an end-to-end arrangement, developing and designing a new website, digital application and ticketing system, to connect visually stunning content with the line-up of events, including the following:
- Istcoffeefest, with huge bursts of attendees; 45,000 in 4 days in Istanbul, and 25,000 in 3 days in Ankara. The event, covering over 100 companies and vendors, is a sheer delight for coffee lovers, who can enjoy the journey of coffee heritage. Developing this event was instrumental in providing a great contribution to the local and global coffee culture. It's more than just gathering over a cup of brew, it is about the history, culture and art of coffee.
- ICAF, also known as the Istanbul Comics and Art Festival. Is a multidisciplinary art festival that offers a creative experience in the field of urban arts, including public space installations, comics/publishing stores, workshops, seminars and artist talks. Gathering a wonderful blend of old generation meets next generation artists.
- Reformist, a multi-disciplinary sporting event, including fitness, and wellness exhibitions, offering the flexibility to be an active participant or spectator.
- Baristaclash, a highly sought after and competitive event... 80 talented individuals have the chance to share their skills, barista flair and expertise. From blind tasting to testing their knowledge, artistic niche for latte art, and finally putting the barista aficionados through their paces with an intensive speed ordering round.
- Worked full-time in event management, overseeing various projects and operations.
Co Founder
BenKadıköy, BenBeşiktaş, BenEskişehir, BenEge
06.2015 - 09.2019
- Manage Mobile applications projects.
- BenKadıköy (2015), as a new generation marketing communication application for Kadıköy which is one of the biggest and coolest district of Istanbul. Our expertise is to connect the people who like Kadıköy focused on 4 main areas with our expertise and competencies: Local, Events, Place, Culture base mobile application.
- BenBeşiktaş (2016) Local event application is made for those who live in Beşiktaş.
- BenEskişehir (2016) Local event application is made for those who live in Eskişehir.
- BenEge (2017) Summer event application is made for those who visit Bodrum, Marmaris, Çeşme, Kuşadası, Datça, Fethiye.
- Creating and managing digital / local marketing strategies
- Creating and managing content for apps
- Creating and managing content for social media accounts
- Self-employed
Social Media Manager
2025 Arena
08.2014 - 05.2015
- Engaging with strict merchandising and style guidelines; often with government restrictions, created and moderated social media content, generating exclusive loyalty programmes. The portfolio included prestige clients, who catered for the high-end market with product placements.
- Full-time
Interior Designer
Chelsea Furniture
02.2013 - 04.2014
- Tailoring homes; redesigned and refurbished private residences to reflect the niche of the client’s personality.
- Worked full-time in a dynamic environment
Founder
Zeglence
09.2012 - 11.2025
- A project of passion which is currently a well recognised platform amongst an ever growing organic audience. Established a niche for being the daily face of the music, arts and culture, with a insightful suggestions, recommendations and a deep appreciation of the Turkish scene. Later attracting the attention of artists and festivals for interviews, articles and offering a unique and intimate perspective through my blog which later expanded to other social media and music platforms.
- Self-employed
Interior Designer
MOB A.S
12.2009 - 02.2013
- Integral to every aspect of the site / project management implementation, from setting the first concrete block to the ‘turn of the key’ for the client. Transforming empty spaces, into beautifully staged, inviting and luxurious residence / hotel / restaurant experiences.
- Full-time
Education
Interior Architecture -
Yeditepe University
Istanbul, Türkiye01-2008
Skills
- Event coordination
- Budget management
- Paid media strategy
- Content strategy
- Data analytics
- Stakeholder management
Timeline
Programming & Event Manager
DasDas
07.2024 - 04.2026
Programming & Event Executive
Zorlu Performans Sanatları Merkezi (PSM)
08.2023 - 06.2024
Digital Marketing Executive
Zorlu PSM
03.2020 - 06.2024
Digital Marketing & Event Executive
Dream Sales Machine
01.2018 - 02.2020
Co Founder
BenKadıköy, BenBeşiktaş, BenEskişehir, BenEge
06.2015 - 09.2019
Social Media Manager
2025 Arena
08.2014 - 05.2015
Interior Designer
Chelsea Furniture
02.2013 - 04.2014
Founder
Zeglence
09.2012 - 11.2025
Interior Designer
MOB A.S
12.2009 - 02.2013
Interior Architecture -
Yeditepe University