Deputy Director, Events & Attendee Experience

Overall Description of Position:

As the Deputy Director for The ESOP Association (TEA), you will oversee the planning & execution of logistics for various conferences & Chapter meetings throughout the year. This position reports to the Vice President, Events & Education. In addition to managing staff & volunteers onsite, your ability to efficiently coordinate vendors, timelines, meeting flow, adhere to budgets, & to oversee the various events databases & software applications & technologies will be essential.

TEA is the only organization that advocates on behalf of all ESOP (Employee Owned) companies. Dedicated to education, The ESOP Association attracts more than 10,000 people annually to its 18 chapters & five national meetings — including the Employee Owned Conference, which is the largest ESOP event in the world.

In this role, you will collaborate across departments, maintain speaker submissions, coordinate with speakers, & ensure logistics are effectively planned & executed. Through your attention to detail, the inevitable changes will be handled professionally & communicated effectively to everyone involved. As you learn the needs of TEA & staff, attendees, volunteers, & speakers, you will have an opportunity to provide valuable input on processes, procedures, & future events.

Overall, you will have responsibility for the events database, website, & related systems. It will be your responsibility to update & maintain accurate information, reports, server documentation, & files; organize program content submissions & reviews; generate & maintain reports; & provide member access to the information as appropriate including website updates.

Responsibilities/Duties/Function/Tasks:

• General:
  • Keep current on trends & best practices within the events industry.
  • Stay abreast of the latest events technologies & platforms.
  • Apply knowledge to implementing, maintaining, & utilizing appropriate software.
  • Document the events process, make suggestions for improvements, implement changes & create SOPs.
  • Understand & be able to apply general accounting principles including reconciling budget & expenditures, tracking & coding invoices, processing reimbursements, etc.
  • Manage general email inboxes as appropriate.
  • Travel to support the events as required.
• Logistics & Operations:
  • Manage hotel room pickup reports & work with VPEE to maintain logs, reports, & history.
  • Create & maintain event specifications for each assigned meeting including BEOs, Event Orders, & vendor resumes.
  • Interface with event vendors & create update, & maintain event orders.
  • Maintain & update schedules, timelines, & event documentation including specifications, event requirements, speaker information, abstracts, temp staffing, special events, securitym historical information as appropriate.
  • Manage vendors for insurance, travel, general service provider, design & graphics, printers, etc.
  • Provide logistics services to support a variety of meeting formats (open forum, panels, presentations, roundtables, webinars, video, & virtual platforms), etc.
  • Cultivate & maintain relationships with an extensive variety of suppliers & industry service providers.
  • Handle event related supplies orders & maintain inventories. Work in conjunction with Chapter Execs & Membership Services Manager.
• Sponsorship & Exhibits:
  • Maintain exhibitor & sponsorship database & keep accurate records.
  • Work with VPEE on the development of exhibitor prospectus & sponsorship prospectus, including rules & regulations, guidelines, benefits, & requirements.
  • Interact with the general service contractor in the development of the exhibitor service kit & prospectus, benefits, etc. as appropriate.
  • Track all sponsorships & exhibitor campaigns & provide customer service to sponsors & exhibitors, including organizing the marketplace exhibit for sponsors.
  • Work with Accounts Receivable on the invoicing & collection of sponsorship & exhibitor fees, etc.
  • Serves as primary contact for exhibitor & sponsor registration questions based on benefits & packages & ensure email inboxes & calls are managed with the highest level of customer service
• Technology:
  • Manage and oversee event-related technologies including but not limited to: event website, virtual platform, database, logistics, etc.
  • Keep current on all event-related technologies, software & platforms.
  • Handle all aspects of the ESOP virtual platform and/or mobile app development including graphic designs, raw data import & content maintenance.
  • Manage information & updates for the various event websites.
  • Become proficient in the software & platforms used by TEA including but not limited to Salesforce & Fonteva, Zoom, Survey Monkey, Higher Logic, & Campaign Monitor.
  • Be proficient in Microsoft Office and suite of applications.
• Chapter-support:
  • Work in collaboration with Chapter Executives & Chapter Development Officer (CDO) to provide support to Chapter Officers for event design based on best practices & events industry standards.
  • Work with Chapter Executives & CDO to conceptualize & develop forms, documentation, & specifications based on best practices & industry standards.
  • Coordinate RPFs, site searches, contract negotiations for chapter events.
  • Develop with Chapter Execs a ‘Chapter Profile’ for events including criteria & requirements for more turn-key service.
  • In conjunction with Chapter Execs, oversees aspects of Chapters events to ensure a positive & professionally rewarding conference experience. Provide on-site support as appropriate.
  • Work with Chapter Exec & TEA’s volunteer Chapter leadership to ensure valuable core content & learning objectives are met.
  • Develop relationships with venues & vendors on behalf of the Chapters to ensure all expectations are met.
  • Manage & coordinate all supplies & materials required to handle events & are available in a timely manner; know association rules & regulations & implement them as needed.
  • Work with Chapter Execs to track & generate final & historical information reports.
  • Support Chapter Execs in invoice reconciliation dispute issues.
• Marketing & Communications:
  • Work in conjunction with the VPEE & Communications Department & coordinate, organize, print, & collate all event-related materials.
  • Collaborate on integrated marketing & communications campaigns to promote events.
  • Communicate with all stakeholders on changes & update specifications, schedules & working documents accordingly.
  • Work closely with the communications department to oversee copywriting, design, proofing, & production for various materials related to events including brochures & promotions.
  • Ensure all materials have a consistent visual identity, are accurate, maintain graphic standards, & are written in a professional style & tone.
  • Support event-related surveys & develop matrix to track information as appropriate.
• Customer Service:
  • Serve a primary contact for events & education related inboxes. Read & respond to inquiries in a professional & timely manner.
  • Serve as primary contact for exhibitor & sponsorship questions for all National events & ensure email inboxes & calls are managed with the highest level of customer service.
  • Work with other departments on programs support TEA membership.
  • Receive, evaluate & process all certifications in a timely manner.
  • Support the VPEE to develop, disseminate, & collect evaluation forms, survey instruments, & other forms of formal & informal feedback to determine success in meeting the events mission & goals.
• On-site Management:
  • Manage & work with venue & vendor reps as assigned.
  • Interface with event vendors & update specifications accordingly.
  • Take initiative in resolving on-the-spot difficulties as they arise & keep VPEE informed of challenges & issues as they arise.
• Speaker Management:
  • Work in conjunction with Events Team to manage session & webinar speakers for the educational programs including tracking & maintaining speaker requirements & other related tasks.
  • Maintain speaker materials including bios, photos, logos, etc.
  • Support speaker presentation process.
  • Manage speaker ready room requirements & work with speakers on-site to ensure they have appropriate equipment & materials needed to successfully present to audiences.
• Education:
  • Work with VPEE & events team to update credit & course information with credit granting agencies.
  • Coordinate with team event credit information including hours earned, descriptions, speaker information, program & other materials as required by agency.
  • Create & fulfill certification requests & maintain historical files.
  • Work with VPEE on certification programs as appropriate.
• Perform other duties as assigned.  Often serve as a backup if other staff members are not available.

Preferences:

• Experience working for a membership association. Members receive personalized & immediate action when contacting the association.
• Proficient in:
  • MS Office 365
  • Event App administration & design
• Familiarity with: 

• Association Management System (AMS) – Salesforce & Fonteva
  • Content Management System (CMS) – Drupal
  • Cvent Systems
• Survey Monkey
• Hybrid platforms
• Zoom and/or other virtual platforms
• Learning Management System (LMS) desirable
• Photoshop within Adobe Creative Cloud