Overview:

 

The Director of Corporate Meetings will be responsible for LMC’s tradeshow and event strategy and will lead a team to flawlessly plan and execute events designed to support commercial activity and to improve engagement with dealers (customers) and suppliers. The position is also responsible for Identifying new opportunities or programs to drive deeper engagement with members.

You will be responsible for all aspects of event strategy and management, from planning to execution and follow-up. With your superior organization, negotiation, and communication skills, you will manage resources and budgets effectively and creatively. To be successful, you will need strategic vision, aptitude for garnering cross-functional buy-in and alignment, collaboration with key stakeholders, and effective development of engagement campaigns for both external and internal participants.

 

Primary Responsibilities:

Meetings:

• Strategic Planning: Develop and implement event strategies, in collaboration with senior leadership team, that align with business objectives and company goals.
• Budget Management: Oversee and manage budgets for all corporate meetings and events, ensuring cost-effective solutions. Responsible for event budgets more than $3 million in meeting and travel spend. Works with stakeholders on individual budgets with a focus on maintaining fiscal responsibility including reconciliation of all income and expenses.
• Vendor Management: Negotiate contracts, select vendors, and manage relationships with vendors to ensure quality and timely delivery. Vendor management includes, but is not limited to, venue selection, hotels, facilities, food and beverage, entertainment, audio visual, registration, creative services, and destination management.
• Event Execution: Oversee the planning, logistics, and on-site execution of meetings and events, ensuring a smooth and successful experience for attendees. Includes significant collaboration with Marketing and other stakeholders. Uses project management skills to organize tasks across the organization.
• Team Leadership: Lead and manage a team of event planners or coordinators, providing guidance, training, and support.
• Post-Event Evaluation: Analyze event results, gather feedback, and identify areas for improvement in future events.
• Communication: Communicate effectively with internal stakeholders and external clients to ensure clear communication and alignment.
• Committee Responsibility: Recommends educational sessions and speakers to the Planning, Development & Education Committee.

Roundtables and Other Engagement Opportunities

• Developing and Implementing Roundtable Strategy: Collaborating with other executives and the Planning, Development and Education Committee (PD&E), developing, and implementing a comprehensive strategy for conducting roundtables, including topics, frequency, and engagement tactics. Identify new roundtables for various functions or roles within the membership.
• Roundtable Facilitation Strategies: In collaboration with other stakeholders, determine the best facilitation strategies for each type of roundtable and ensure adequate resources and support are provided.
• Gathering Feedback: Systematically collecting and analyzing feedback from roundtable discussions, identifying trends and key insights. Communicate with relevant stakeholders.
• Improving Participant Experience: Collaborating with internal teams to implement improvements based on roundtable feedback, ensuring better participant experience.
• Recruiting and Managing Participants: Identifying and recruiting appropriate participants for the roundtables, ensuring desired representation.
• Monitoring Participation Satisfaction: Tracking and analyzing key metrics related to participant satisfaction and retention, identifying areas for improvement.
• Staying Current with Industry Trends: Keeping abreast of industry trends and best practices in feedback and engagement.
• Additional Engagement Opportunities: In collaboration with the PD&E Committee, identify additional engagement opportunities that facilitate collaboration between members.

Travel

• Travel Management: Responsible for oversight of travel management including policy administration and adherence and all operational issues.
• Vendor Management: Develops, implements, and manages all travel vendor relationships and programs (agency, air, hotel, car rental and ground transportation).
• Biennial Sales Committee: Works with the Biennial Sales Committee and outside vendor(s) on company-sponsored trips for members, including committee meeting management and reconciliation of charges to participants.

 

 

Qualifications / Skills:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, meeting management, public relations, or hospitality
• Experience: Ten (10) years of executive level experience in planning and producing large-scale events, meetings, and conferences in a business-to-business environment. Excellent negotiation skills and demonstrated experience in site selection and contracting.
• Leadership and Management: Proven ability to lead and manage teams, delegate tasks, and motivate staff.
• Event Planning Expertise: In-depth knowledge of event planning processes, logistics, and best practices.
• Budget Management: Strong financial acumen and experience in managing budgets and contracts.
• Communication and People Skills: Excellent communication and people skills to interact effectively with stakeholders and vendors. Demonstrated record of an ability to work collaboratively across and organization.
• Customer-Centric Mindset: A deep understanding of customer needs and expectations, with a passion for providing excellent customer service.
• Organizational and Time Management: Strong organizational and time management skills to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Problem-Solving and Decision-Making: Ability to identify and resolve problems, make sound decisions, and adapt to changing circumstances.
• Industry Knowledge: Ability to keep current with industry trends and best practices in corporate event planning.