Conferences & Events Director

The Conferences & Events Director works directly with Operations, Sales, Digital, Strategy and Creative leadership to maintain the strategic vision of Operations. This position will be tasked with communicating, managing, and directing that vision within the department, as well as with both internal and external customers, other Sparks divisions and constituents outside of Sparks.

This position must be able to provide clear and decisive direction to all members of the Conferences and Events team under their management as well as broader account teams and clients, utilizing strong leadership and communication skills as well as demonstrable account and project management expertise.

1. Works cross-functionally with teams (sales, strategy, creative, digital, operations, production, audio visual and expo) to lead and manage corporate event programs including, but not limited to virtual events, trade shows, conferences, special events and ancillary events and experiential activations.
2. Collaborates with sales, operations, creative, and production teams on RFP process and manages sold programs from inception through execution and post event wrap up.
3. Manage one (1) or more Conference & Events Managers, Specialists, Coordinators, and / or Producers on programs or as direct reports.
4. Conducts regular employee reviews along with annual Performance Evaluations.
5. Assigns and monitors workload of staff with the ability to create, review and manage client budgets.
6. Mentors and supports department employees in developing account management skills and experience.
7. Assists in new employee training along with ongoing training of current employees while creating a goal-oriented atmosphere within the department.
8. Typical project scope responsibilities include: the management of resources, teams and execution plans to fulfill venue sourcing and management, digital platform selection and management, audio visual, promotional items, print collateral, staffing, signage development, décor, food & beverage, registration, housing, security, transportation and graphics.
9. Additional responsibilities may include: clear understanding of client goals and objectives, event timelines and vendor organization, digital asset management, track session management, speaker/keynote engagements/presentations, expo management and trade show sponsorship fulfillment.
10. Creates and manages budgets, vendor invoice/expense tracking and final reconciliation.
11. Develop and track project schedules, agendas and show flows as needed. Drives timeline with team and clients.
12. Runs weekly team and client meetings and prepares follow-up notes and action item reports.
13. Ensures programs are within budget and meeting profit margin goals.
14. Ensures flawless execution, quality of service and timely delivery of all necessary components, properties, and materials for each event.
15. Collaborates with other Sparks divisions and third party vendors to efficiently and respectfully deliver services.
16. Effectively communicate to clients, internal teams, and third party vendors.
17. Runs client and internal kick off, weekly meetings, and debrief.
18. Works with client and account team on planning, execution and post-event reporting. Maintains consistent and thorough communication with all involved.
19. Negotiates contracts/agreements with third party vendors and team contractors.
20. Provides various event reports, analytics and audits.
21. Assess and audit non-Sparks produced programs.
22. Train and mentor conference managers, coordinators and specialists.
23. Performs other duties as assigned.

1. Previous agency experience required.
2. Bachelor degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
3. A minimum of 10 years of experience in the event space.
4. Previous experience in operations leadership and program management (event theme/messaging, speaker support, video, web/social media, mobile apps, live demo, etc.)
5. Experience in managing account teams and clients, other Sparks division teams, vendors, equipment, and timelines.
6. Experience managing programs with 5,000+ attendees.
7. Experience in sourcing and managing all aspects of live and virtual events (both conferences and tradeshows) including but not limited to: AV (general session, breakouts, & entertainment) registration, graphics, event flow, creative, food and beverage, transportation, parties/evening events, venue management, expo and exhibit production, and sourcing and managing both US and international vendors.
8. Strong venue sourcing and contract management.
9. Exposure to and previous experience with budget management of $2,000,000+.
10. Ability to quickly recognize or anticipate problem areas and quickly develop solutions.
11. Flexible, self-motivated, energetic, and uses time productively and efficiently.
12. Strong skills with Microsoft Office tools such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
13. Proficient in Google Drive.
14. Ability to work in a fast paced environment.
15. Efficient and organized, with a keen eye for details.
16. Excellent customer service with proven written and verbal communication skills.
17. Ability to travel up to 25% with minimal notice. Some international travel may be required.
18. Typical work hours are Monday through Friday; extended business hours and weekends will be required.

Company Overview:

Sparks is a live + digital brand experience agency. We specialize in creating connection–-real human connection–-onsite, online or anywhere. Through a mix of sound strategy, breakthrough creative and flawless execution, we create memorable trade show exhibits, live and virtual events, brand activations, retail stores, corporate environments and other immersive experiences that deepen relationships, inspire action, and build trust--and we do it all over the world.

We operate an open and inclusive culture where all recognize, respect, appreciate and encourage individuality regardless of race, gender, age, religion, culture, ideology, economic status, disability or sexual orientation. We believe that everyone at all levels of our organization is accountable for building this culture and we are challenging ourselves daily to seek and build diversity and equality in any way that we can–and we welcome your ideas to do so.

Think you’ve got what it takes to hang with us?

We’ve built our reputation on creating awesome experiences for our clients, but equally important is the experience we create for our people. Yes, we work hard. But we also make it a point to have fun. And we find our people work that much harder when work doesn’t feel so much like, well, work. If you share our mindset, we should chat.

We’ve always got our eyes peeled for smart, hungry people who think that what we do isn’t so much a job as it is a way of life. And while any company can supply stuff like benefits (and, of course we do too) our greatest benefit comes from the amazing people you’ll interact with daily, who will challenge and push you to think harder, be more creative and love what you do.

Sparks, a Freeman company, provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.