Coordinator, Event Operations

U.S. Travel Association; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 57,000 - 63,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare package including fertility

Paid family leave

Staff functions and social events

Transportation and cell phone benefits

Wellness initiatives and EAP

Education and professional development

Job summary

U.S. Travel Association is seeking an Event Operations Coordinator to support the operations team in delivering exceptional experiences for large trade shows, meetings, and flagship events.

You will manage end-to-end logistics, coordinate hotels, AV, vendors, budgets, staffing, and post-event analysis to inform future planning. The role emphasizes accuracy, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to manage multiple events with tight timelines from Washington, D.C., with hybrid work

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in meetings/events management (1–3 years preferred).
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational, calendar management and documentation skills.
• Excellent interpersonal abilities including collaboration, conflict resolution and dependability.

Responsibilities

• Support the Event Operations team across all aspects of hotel logistics, including venue coordination, room setup, audiovisual, F&B and reporting.
• Manage communication with vendors to ensure cost-effective audiovisual, furniture, transportation, shipping, printing and swag orders.
• Provide end-to-end support for smaller gatherings by managing budget, sourcing venues, staffing plans, catering and on-site logistics.
• Support project management for flagship events by attending planning meetings, sharing notes, tracking deliverables and maintaining SOPs.
• Prepare on-site event team with Tie Down materials and staff manuals.
• Support event registration for flagship events by building sites, data entry and reporting.
• Assist with on-site setup, vendor arrivals and load-in/load-out logistics.
• Compile post-event data and surveys, create thank-you trackers and share debrief notes.
• Purchase materials and track inventory; maintain organization of office storage.
• Contribute to special projects and cross-functional support as needed.

Skills

Attention to detail

Event coordination

Stakeholder management

Budget tracking

On-site setup

Vendor communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in meetings/events management

Tools

Smartsheet

Cvent

Microsoft Office

Job description

Summary

The Event Operations Coordinator supports the Event Operations team in delivering exceptional experiences that align with the Association's strategic goals. In this role, the Event Operations Coordinator will provide critical event support by driving logistics for a variety of events ranging from large trade shows to intimate meetings. This role will be responsible for end-to-end logistics management of the smaller, D.C.-based community meetings and salon dinners, as well as supporting operational execution for flagship U.S. Travel events: Destination Capitol Hill, IPW, Summer Summit and ESTO. The ideal candidate thrives in fast-paced environments, maintains high attention to detail and excels at keeping event operations workflows on track.

Responsibilities

• Support the Event Operations team across all aspects of hotel logistics, including working with venues to manage housing (including the staff rooming list), ensuring excellent and effective logistical implementation (room assignment and setup, audiovisual, electrical, food and beverage, etc.) and preparing reports.


• Manage communication with vendors to ensure accurate, efficient and cost-effective audiovisual, rental furniture, transportation, shipping, printing and swag orders.


• Provide hands-on, end-to-end support for smaller, high-volume gatherings (including salon dinners, internal in-office meetings and private VIP functions), by managing the budget, sourcing venue and dinner locations, creating the staffing plan, managing catering, coordinating specific dietary or seating logistics and leading on-site setup and support.


• Support the project management of flagship events by attending regular planning meetings, taking and sharing cross-departmental notes, tracking marketing deliverables and creating and maintaining standard operational process documents including master event timelines and project dashboards.


• Prepare the on-site event team for the event by contributing to the internal Tie Down presentation, drafting and compiling on-site staff manuals.


• Support event registration for flagship events by building registration sites, performing data entry and pulling reports to analyze data and discover trends.


• Support on-site setup, vendor arrivals and load-in/load-out logistics.


• Ensure post-event tasks are completed, including compiling post-event data (participation, consumption, etc.) and survey results into post-event reports, creating the thank you tracker and sharing debrief notes to inform future planning.


• Purchase event materials, track inventory and maintain organization when stored within the office.


• Contribute to event-related special projects as assigned.


• Occasionally provide cross-functional support to the broader Events teams including assisting the programming team with session and speaker management and the sales team with sponsorship fulfillment.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and/or equivalent of one to three years of experience in meetings and events management.


• Strong work ethic and positive attitude; a self-starter and team player who can work both independently and collaboratively. A strong candidate will be able to identify a weakness and proactively propose a solution.


• Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills, including clear documentation, strategic prioritization and calendar management.


• Excellent interpersonal skills including active listening, collaboration, conflict resolution and dependability. Someone who is energetic, articulate and personable.


• Experience supporting multiple internal stakeholders, requiring strong time-management skills and the ability to manage-up to achieve shared objectives.


• Experience working with external partners including hotels, venues and vendors.


• Strong data entry skills with accurate list and registration database management.


• Proficient in navigating multiple digital platforms and quick to master new internal systems or software tools.


• Proficiency in Microsoft Office required. Preference given to candidates proficient in Smartsheet and Cvent.


• Receptive to feedback and direction, and in search of constant self-improvement.


• Ability to work non-standard hours (occasional evenings and weekends) when staffing dinners or events.

Other:

• Position based in Washington, D.C. U.S. Travel staff work in the office Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with the option to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays.


• Salary: 57K-63K with bonus potential.


• Moderate travel (up to three times per year) may be required.


• Other Duties: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive healthcare package with fertility coverage


• Generous paid leave including family leave


• Routine staff functions and opportunities for social connection


• Transportation and cell phone benefits


• Robust wellness initiatives and Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)


• Education and professional development assistance