Events Manager

SUMMARY

Responsible for managing and coordinating AOL Tech Brands events. Directs coordination of activities to prepare for the day of the event. Qualified candidate will possess excellent customer service and relationship

management skills, with previous experience working as the main point of contact with event sponsor stakeholders. They will also have a background in sponsorship, tradeshow and exhibit services with the ability to oversee all aspects of sponsor and exhibit management. Must be willing and able to travel, both in the U.S. and internationally.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Venues

• Research and vet reception and conference venues
• Book, negotiate and liaise with venues as the main point of contact

Sponsor Deliverables

• Manage overall health and maintenance of sponsorship relationships post sale
• Ensure accurate and consistent flow of information between sponsors and event team as needed
• File sponsor contracts and track sponsor deliverables
• Create guide for exhibitors and sponsors, outlining venue and company restrictions and guidelines
• Coordinate and execute sponsor deliverables
• Work with operations team to ensure event floor plan accommodates everything contracted by sponsors
• Be the face of TechCrunch during sponsor load in during conferences, after parties, receptions, VIP dinners etc

Operations

• Research and book security firms, create security plans for events
• Negotiate vendor contracts with event budgets in mind
• Manage vendor invoices and payments while liaising with AOL finance
• Keep inventory of conference materials such as signage hardware, supplies.
• Coordinate and monitor event timelines and ensure deadlines are met
• Creation of event sites on Wordpress and the ticketing platform
• Answers attendee questions through ticketing platform
• Manages and vets incoming student ticket requests
• Hotel Research and room block management
• Work with graphics company to create design look and feel for each event
• Manage list of required signage and designs for each event
• Coordinate with printers to deliver all required signage for the event
• Keep inventory of all in-house signage hardware, renting if need be
• Tracking inventory and assembling of speaker VIP bags

Business Intelligence

• Use data to identify market and business trends for strategics sales development
• Identify key contacts within organizations and build contact lists

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• BS/BA degree and 2+ years of recent experience required in an event planning role, with direct responsibility managing sponsorship fulfillment and/or exhibit management
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and communication (both written & verbal) skills
• Outstanding customer service and hospitality mindset
• Attention to detail – extremely organized and efficient, commitment to maintaining accurate and detailed files
• Excellent research skills - know the places to look and manage time spent efficiently
• Ability to effectively deliver in a fast –paced environment
• Ability to manage tasks, time and schedule with limited supervision
• Adept at working on multiple projects and with multiple stakeholders at once, and able to prioritize and make the best use of time
• Ability to interact with a wide range of clients - from C-level executives to technical programmers
• Candidate must be able to work independently and with a team
• Excellent strategic thinking and critical reasoning skills
• Creative – Ability to think of new ways to impact our events
• Problem Solve - Thinks quickly on their feet and able to address situations quickly, professionally and with positive outcomes
• Excellent copy writing, editing and proofreading skills
• Must demonstrate strong computer knowledge (office applications, internet, registration software, database applications, and project management software) - proven ability to pick up new programs and softwares quickly
• Computer savvy - Prior experience with Adobe products, Google Apps. SugarCRM and/or online registration tools a plus