Events Manager

Crain’s Chicago Business is seeking a savvy event manager to be part of the marketing and events team. The event manager will be responsible for executing 20+ business events over the calendar year inclusive of planning and coordination of event logistics, marketing and promotion and sponsorship management. The event manager will be expected to develop strategic initiatives, goals and solutions for events and at times with team collaboration, across all channels (marketing, audience, events, sales, edit, custom).

This full-time role that will require the ability to work onsite at Crain’s downtown Chicago office and offsite event locations during standard and non-standard work hours.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work with leadership to develop, concept and finalize event programs, timelines and budgets for year-round events 
• Manage and develop event coordinator to help plan and execute all aspects of the event process 
• Oversee and facilitate all aspects of event planning and execution of 20+ face-to-face events with attendee counts ranging anywhere between 20-800 business executives; and Crain’s Leadership Academy programming 
• Responsible for all logistical planning and on-site execution including venue sourcing and RFPs, vendor management, event registration/attendee support, on-site staffing and post event reporting 
• Serve as primary point of contact for all stakeholders including leadership, account execs, marketing, event contacts, sponsors, guest speakers, etc. 
• Work with marketing team on marketing/promotion materials to drive attendance and sponsorships, including promotion timeline and strategy and working with designers to create all sell sheets, print ads, digital ads, e-blasts, social posts, event information emails for attendees and post event surveys (track response and analyze feedback) 
• Work with designers on event materials including sales collateral, event program presentations and sponsor post-event recaps 
• Set up and manage attendee registration site and audience q&a platform 
• Responsible for strategizing and facilitating outreach to meet attendee count and revenue goals (may include sales calls to drive attendee revenue) 
• Seek, develop and maintain strong working relationships with event partners and vendors and lead negotiations for completive pricing 
• Manage event and Academy contact databases 
• Plan and execute invite-only events for senior Crain executives and key clients 
• Work with designers and vendors on creative asset production and art direction 
• Execute deliverables for any strategic event trade partnerships, cross-promotions and relationships 
• Work with the Email Marketing Specialist to create and deploy email campaigns and develop target lists for event promos 
• Manage event budget and track expenses 
• Additional duties as assigned

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Degree in Event management, hospitality, PR, marketing, communications or a related field 
• 3 or more years of related experiences, B2B event planning experience is a plus 
• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite (outlook, excel, powerpoint, word, publisher) 
• Excellent writing, analytical, and copyediting skills

COMPETENCIES:

• Self-confident decision maker 
• Ability to shift gears smoothly and maintain momentum on multiple projects at once 
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail and time management 
• Strong writing skills and effective communication 
• Ability and willingness to collaborate and work in a cross-team environment 
• Exercises good judgement; creative, innovative thinker and problem-solver 
• Ability to lift/carry up to 50lbs

PREFERENCES:

• Knowledge of Cheetah Digital, Cvent, Formsite, social media platforms 
• Experience with Adobe Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Dreamweaver) preferred 
• Publishing or media experience a plus