Description

A Bethesda-area company is seeking an Events Manager who will work primarily on behalf of a regional professional membership association.

The Events Manager will manage the planning, promotion and execution of a diverse portfolio of conferences, educational programs, networking events, meetings and a large annual trade show.

The Events Manager will work closely with staff, volunteer committees, venues, vendors, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors to deliver successful events that advance organizational goals and provide meaningful value to members.

What Makes this Role Different

The Events Manager will simultaneously manage multiple events and meetings at different stages of development.

This is a highly hands-on position on a small, collaborative team. The Events Manager will not hand off each phase of an event to separate marketing, production, registration and project-management departments. The successful candidate will be able to see the full portfolio, establish priorities, anticipate competing deadlines and move comfortably between big-picture planning and detailed execution.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the full lifecycle of conferences, trade shows, networking events, educational programs, and meetings, proactively moving each event from initial concept and budgeting through execution, evaluation and financial reconciliation.
• Develop and maintain integrated project plans covering programming, marketing, registration, sponsorships, logistics, materials, staffing, volunteer assignments and finances; establish priorities, anticipate future needs and identify risks or potential delays before they affect an event.
• Serve as the primary staff liaison to assigned volunteer committees by preparing focused agendas, timely meeting materials and staff recommendations; facilitating decisions; producing accurate minutes and action items; and ensuring responsibilities and deadlines are understood and completed.
• Engage volunteers in meaningful assignments, maintain accountability between meetings and help identify and develop future committee leaders while balancing volunteer ideas with organizational priorities, budgets and staff capacity.
• Coordinate work across a small team, establish clear ownership, maintain an accurate, centralized record of decisions, deadlines and event details, and personally execute cross-functional work as needed.
• Research and coordinate venues and vendors; evaluate proposals; assist with contract negotiations; and manage banquet event orders, floor plans, menus, audiovisual requirements, production schedules and other logistical details.
• Develop, monitor and reconcile event budgets, revenue projections and expenses; evaluate the financial implications of event decisions; and provide leadership with timely reports and recommendations.
• Manage or oversee event registration, attendee records, exhibitor and sponsorship administration, invoices, communications, event materials and fulfillment of contracted benefits, ensuring information remains complete and accurate across all platforms.
• Develop and execute event marketing and communication plans, personally preparing promotional emails, website and registration content, social media posts, attendee communications and other materials while ensuring information is timely, accurate and consistent.
• Lead onsite execution, including staff, volunteer, vendor, speaker and venue coordination; resolve issues calmly and decisively; analyze event results and feedback; and document recommendations, procedures and lessons learned for future events.

Requirements

• Four to six years of progressively responsible experience planning and executing professional meetings, conferences, trade shows or other complex events.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage multiple events simultaneously through the complete event lifecycle, including planning, timelines, budgets, contracts, communications, registration, onsite execution and post-event reconciliation.
• Experience guiding volunteer committees, boards or other stakeholders who are not under the position’s formal authority, including building consensus, clarifying responsibilities and maintaining accountability and follow-through.
• Exceptional organizational and project-management skills, with the ability to establish priorities, coordinate interdependent workstreams and meet deadlines without sacrificing accuracy or quality.
• A proactive and resourceful approach, including the ability to anticipate future needs, identify potential problems, develop recommendations and advance work without continual direction or reminders.
• Experience developing and monitoring event budgets, evaluating financial implications, negotiating with vendors and reviewing contracts and banquet event orders.
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills, with the confidence to facilitate decisions, establish expectations and provide responsive, professional customer service.
• Strong attention to detail and a demonstrated ability to maintain accurate event, registration, financial and stakeholder information across multiple platforms.
• Ability to succeed on a small team by moving comfortably between strategic planning, administrative execution, communications, logistics and onsite problem solving.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint and the ability to quickly learn new systems and technology.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working for an association, nonprofit organization, association management company or other membership-based organization.
• Experience with association management or customer relationship management systems, event-registration platforms, email-marketing systems, website content-management platforms, social media and basic graphic-design tools.

This position requires in-office attendance in the Bethesda area, as well as attendance at events throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Periodic early-morning, evening and occasional weekend availability is required. The work schedule may be adjusted around major event responsibilities.