Event Planner Job at Convention Industry Council - CIC in Washington

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS), a Washington DC based trade association, represents the nation’s nearly one million workers in the plastics industry. PLASTICS seeks an Event Planner to provide logistical and planning support for internal and external in-person and virtual meetings and the tri-annual tradeshow. The Event Planner will coordinate onsite events and provide facilities support. The Event Planner will also work closely with the Events & Marketing Team and internal stakeholders in all aspects of event planning and management.

Responsibilities:

Assist with the coordination of PLASTICS meetings and conferences, both in advance and on-site (whether virtual or in-person) by providing speaker management, operations and logistics management, digital program support, and supporting overall department operations. Responsible for all event deliverables from start to finish including meeting financial targets, leading a team of stakeholders, and tracking performance against key performance indicators (KPIs) and timelines for events as assigned.

Operations & Logistics Management

• Research and recommend hotels and venues for meetings and small special events.
• Manage registration for events, coordinate with the Technology team as needed, provide updates on registration performance, provide registration-related customer service, and work with the accounting team on invoice requests, refunds, and similar financial matters.
• Manage housing for events, as assigned, provide weekly updates on block performance, ensure registration and housing lists are cross-matched and audited so as many attendees as possible are housed.
• Manage meeting specifications including room sets, food and beverage, audio visual logistics, and speaker management for committee meetings and conferences up to 250 people.
• Collect, track, and manage staff travel information and coordinate staff housing with the hotel for events as assigned.
• Research and coordinate various vendor services for meetings/conferences, including, but not limited to transportation, catering, floral, signage, and shipping.
• Manage event registration and mobile applications for events as assigned.
• Onsite meeting preparation including but not limited to badge printing, tent card printing, signage, packing, and shipping.
• Work in partnership with the events and marketing team to track and manage event reports.
• Manage and maintain Events and Marketing storage space and supply inventory.
• Manage sponsorship fulfillment for all events including timelines, communications with sponsors, internal communications, deliverable fulfillment, and post-event reporting.

Digital Program Operations

• Support digital programs (virtual meetings and webinar-based events) including developing webinar registration sites, scheduling preparatory calls, developing comprehensive run of show documents, and post-event follow-up.

Department Operations

• Develop and maintain internal agendas and minutes for meetings.
• Develop and maintain an industry events calendar.
• Assist with post-meeting wrap-up, such as writing debrief notes, processing vendor invoices, uploading speaker presentations for attendee distribution, and tracking post-event historical information.
• Provide administrative support including filing documents in SharePoint, responding to telephone and email inquiries, developing PowerPoint slides and loops, developing Excel spreadsheets, managing, and packing conference shipments and other projects as assigned.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in hospitality, marketing, business, or a related field.
• A minimum of two years’ experience in a related position involving in-person, virtual, and hybrid meetings, events, or tradeshows.
• Experience with or willingness to learn various media and audio-visual equipment including event management software, Cvent preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Knowledge of event operations and practices.
• Written and verbal communications skills with diverse stakeholders audience.
• Self-motivated with attention to detail, problem-solving, organizational, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to prioritize and work on various projects simultaneously, adjust to changing priorities, meet deadlines, and deliver results.
• Ability to work autonomously and collectively to build consensus.
• Ability to provide customer service to internal and external stakeholders.
• An earnest work ethic and dedication to collective success of the organization in service of our membership.
• Demonstrate a commitment to embody and uphold PLASTICS’ core values of ethics, unity, impact, optimism, and innovation in all interactions and responsibilities.
• A commitment to promoting and working in an inclusive and diverse environment with a variety of colleagues from multiple backgrounds.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to lift and move 50 pounds.
• Ability to travel (<30%).