Conference Coordinator

Wisconsin Union; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 27,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Job summary

Wisconsin Union at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is seeking a Conference Coordinator to plan and execute conferences, events, and programs for campus departments. You will develop food and beverage service, determine audio-visual needs, and help budget and create room diagrams.

The successful candidate will become an expert user of complex event software, be an attentive listener, detail-oriented, and proactive.

Qualifications

• 1 year of event planning and/or event management experience.
• Experience working directly with customers to plan conferences and/or events.
• Experience using computerized scheduling and registration software systems.

Responsibilities

• Communicates with customers to determine event details and requirements, evaluates requests, recommends service plans and pricing, and provides status updates.
• Assists with planning and creation of promotional materials and resources for events.
• Plans, schedules, documents, and supports service delivery for events using established policies and procedures to meet customer needs and ensure event compliance with institutional policy.
• Develops and tracks individual conference budgets, including registration fees, fiscal expenditures, billing invoices, and reconciliation.
• Schedules logistics and secures resources for all aspects of events including space, vendors, and staff; coordinates details and resolves operational issues.
• Monitors and processes event related transactions and event data and records.
• Greets customers/guests, assists with registration, answers questions, and refers complex issues to appropriate entities.
• Create and maintain conference websites, registration sites, and abstract submission fees.

Skills

Event planning

Customer service

Scheduling software

Job description

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Job Category:

University Staff

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Profile:

Event Coordinator

Job Summary:

This position is responsible for planning and executing conferences, events, and programs for various University Departments. The Conference Coordinator is responsible for developing food and beverage service, determining audio visual needs, and budgeting. In addition, they will work with various software programs to detail out the event needs and create room diagrams. The conference coordinator will work closely with campus departments and conference organizers to ensure their programs success.

The successful person in this role has the desire to become an expert user of complex event software, is a good listener, detail oriented, and is willing to be proactive. Our team is committed to providing a first-class experience for our customers and guests with every experience, every detail, and every day.

Work Schedule and Location

The primary hours will be Monday-Friday 8:00 - 4:00, with an occasional night and or weekend depending on conference/program schedule.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Communicates with customers to determine event details and requirements, evaluates requests, recommends service plans and pricing, and provides status updates
• Assists with planning and the creation of promotional materials and resources for events
• Plans, schedules, documents, and supports service delivery for events using established policies and procedures to meet customer needs and ensure event compliance with institutional policy.

Develop and track individual conference budgets, including registration fees, fiscal expenditures, billing invoices, and reconciliation

• Schedules logistics and secures resources for all aspects of events including space, vendors, and staff; and coordinates details and resolves operational issues
• Monitors and processes event related transactions and event data and records
• Greets customers/guests, assists with registration, answers questions, and refers complex issues to appropriate entities

Create and maintain conference websites, registration sites, and abstract submission fees

Department:

Wisconsin Union, UW Conferences & Events

Compensation:

The expected starting salary is $23.50/hour.

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. For a summary of benefits, please see:

https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/univstaff.pdf

Required Qualifications:

• 1 year of event planning and/or event management experience
• Experience working directly with customers to plan conferences and/or events. Please include the number of events you assisted in planning per year.
• Experience using computerized scheduling and registration software systems

Contact Information:

Jenny Lee, [e-mail], 608-265-1157

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.