Senior Meeting Planner
Job Description
Position Summary:
The Senior Meeting Planner manages and executes successful turn-key meetings and incentive events locally, nationally, and internationally. Working with LEO's business development, event technology, production, event operations, and creative teams, this position leads mostly established accounts as the lead planner. A highly visible role that demands extensive customer service skills, professionalism, and a willingness to handle all planning and administrative details of meetings, this role must thrive in a challenging and fast-paced atmosphere where prioritizing and multi-tasking are the norm.
Job Responsibilities:
Assist in managing the development and growth of the meeting services team
Provide leadership for meeting planners and meeting coordinators:
Ensure the team is producing the highest quality work and meeting client expectations, providing support and inspiration when necessary
Develop team talent through individualized career-path conversations and support
Build an innovative mindset and capability across the business that creates client value
Ensure resources are appropriately assigned to projects
Source and secure additional resources through meeting planner freelancers, and take an active role in staffing events
Shepherd development of Standard Operating Procedures to improve overall efficiencies, streamline execution, and measure effectiveness
Manage multiple meetings, medium- to large-scale conferences and events for a variety of clients simultaneously to include:
Develop and manage project timelines and action plans in collaboration with cross-functional departments and ensure all deadlines are met
Site selection, including hotel and/or venue, including the RFP process and contract negotiation
Event registration management, including site build, module management, reporting, and on-site registration
Attendee management, including communications, travel and housing management, and general help liaison
Virtual event management, including event registration, attendee management, reporting, and post-event analytics
Key liaison with clients and meeting participants
Work with the creative team to design event materials and signage plans
Manage post-event evaluations and surveys
Manage internal/external debrief meetings
Produce post-event analysis, including event analytics; identify gaps and areas of opportunities; and drive recommendations for change to streamline and improve overall efficiencies
Create accurate budgets, track costs, initiate purchase orders and invoice approval, track spend against budget, and be accountable for accurate cross-charge and accruals, as appropriate, and final budget reconciliation
Vendor management to ensure vendor deliverables and timelines are successfully met to expectation
Responsible for strategic projects that impact the broader team and organization
Support local event operations team with meeting or event management services as needed
Manage meeting-related staffing and vendors, including scheduling, training, pre-event meetings, and debriefs
Vendor RFP process and contract management
Transportation vendor management
Tradeshow/exhibit vendor management
Housing and travel management, including serving as liaison with the contracted travel agency
Develop and grow relationships with meeting service vendors, such as hoteliers, suppliers (PC Nametag), DMCs, etc.
Work with principals and senior leaders on internal meetings as needed
Qualifications:
Minimum 8+ years' industry experience, such as previous employment in corporate meetings and events, non-profit events, convention sales or services, destination management, hotel sales or services
Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university or experience in a related field
Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) required
Strong contract negotiation skills and knowledge of industry trends
Competencies:
Excellent communicator with ability to influence and persuade across all levels of the organization while exercising a high degree of tact and diplomacy
Exemplary customer service
Strong writing and communications skills
Demonstrated creative and critical-thinking skills
Strong business analytics, relationship management, strategy development, project management, and problem-solving skills
Ability to multitask
Technically savvy and advanced
Professional and positive approach
Self-motivated team player
Strong computer skills, including work with MAC and PC, PowerPoint, Publisher, Dropbox, and more
Ability to travel and work nights and weekends as requested.
Environmental Conditions and Physical Demands
Employee required to spend a portion of time in a seated position looking at a computer screen. Employee required to do some standing and walking. Must have the ability to lift 25 lbs. Employee will be in a well-lighted, heated and/or air-conditioned indoor office setting with adequate ventilation.
Company Summary:
LEO Events is a woman-owned, owner-operated, award-winning, diverse supplier of the most meaningful and memorable events. Founded in 2012, LEO has consistently showcased fresh and fearless creativity, inventive tactics, and an exceptionally collaborative approach to event design and production. Our increasingly diverse staff of 90+ full-time employees is distributed nationwide with main offices in Memphis, Nashville, and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The biggest brands in business trust us over and over, year after year to deliver their most critical messages on the most important occasions. These long-standing client relationships are the truest testament to the quality of our work.
We stay active in our communities and strive to make positive contributions everywhere we go. We prioritize in our offices, on our stages, and in our supplier relationships, and we believe representing the world more fully paves the way for better work and a better future.
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