Meeting Manager

Association Headquarters is seeking to build a pipeline of Meeting Managers in the Alexandria, VA area due to tremendous growth in our organization!

The Meeting Manager is responsible for organizing the program, logistics, and registration information for events, including meetings, education courses, and webinars. He/she works closely with volunteer planning committees, internal departments, venues, and vendors to meet the objectives of each meeting.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Meeting Planning

• Prepare draft budgets for meetings based on venue costs, event schedule, and historical performance
• Assist meeting committees with budgeting and planning by providing historical data and recommendations
• Compile and maintain a meeting preparation calendar for meeting committees and staff, showing tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines
• Meet deadlines on individual meeting planning timeline
• Initiate the bid process, send Request for Proposals and finalize contracts of all meeting contractors, including audiovisual, exhibition services, transportation, photography, and all off-site venues
• Prepare comprehensive post-meeting reports on hotel data, income, and expenses, and quantitative and qualitative lessons learned. Provide relevant data for Meeting Chair's report to the Board
• Respond to member requests for information on meetings, sponsorship, exhibits, partnering, and other membership activities
• Primary contact for meeting venues in planning and on-site management of meetings and education programs
• Work closely with volunteer planning committees and speakers
• Manage online proposal system
• Facilitate the use of the proposal system by the program selection committee
• Coordinate speaker communications
• Schedule sessions in contracted meeting space
• Track and communicate program and speaker changes

Promotion

• Assist meeting chairs in developing promotional plans by providing advice, historical data, and other research as necessary
• Facilitate creation and distribution of promotional meeting publications
• Arrange distribution and coordinate outreach to non-members
• Perform other activities as required.

Meeting Execution

• Coordinate vendor selection, communication, and contract oversight for AV, decorators, and other vendors
• Coordinate off-site venue selection, contract negotiation, and contract oversight
• Manage meetings and events on-site
• Plan menus, room sets, and audiovisual
• Work with the Industry Relations department to coordinate exhibits, partnering, and sponsorship programs
• Plan flow on-site, including registration, signage, breakouts, etc.
• Create comprehensive staging guides for each meeting and event
• Oversee on-site meeting operations, including coordination of meeting volunteers and staff responsibilities. Serve as liaison with hotel contacts to ensure a quality experience for all meeting attendees
• Work closely with Meeting Chair and Arrangements Chair to implement on-site and off-site logistics
• Identify ways to improve meeting delivery consistent with professional meeting best practices

Administrative

• Monitor meeting budgets and update meeting chair and executive management on significant budget variances.
• Assist meeting committees with budgeting and planning by providing historical data and advice upon request
• Direct Meeting Coordinator on:
  • Providing timely and accurate meeting status reports
  • Manage registrations for all meetings and events
  • Ensure the website is current and accurate for all meetings
• Follow and update meetings manual

What You'll Bring to the Table - Education, Experience, and Required Proficiencies

- At least 10 years' related association and meeting planning experience

- Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience)

- CMP preferred